Senior Director of Development, Principal Gifts
About The Position
The IU Foundation is seeking a Senior Director of Development, Principal Gifts to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward high-net-worth donors with the capacity to make gifts of $5 million and above. You will build a portfolio from the ground up, working closely with prospect research to identify and qualify high-capacity individuals whose philanthropic potential has yet to be realized, and developing the kinds of relationships that lead to transformational commitments to Indiana University. Your work spans the full arc of principal gift fundraising. You conduct personal visits and substantive interactions with prospects, design individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies, and partner with our unit-based gift officers, academic leaders, and donor relations staff to align donor interests with institutional priorities across all IU campuses. Disciplined documentation, thoughtful travel planning, and clear progress toward ambitious annual goals are all part of how you operate. If you bring significant frontline fundraising experience, the experience to navigate a large and complex organization, and the intellectual curiosity to build meaningful long-term relationships, we want to hear from you.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree required.
- 7 years of fundraising experience required, with proven success in major gift development.
- Experience in a large, complex organization with demonstrated success planning and executing large-scale solicitations.
- Experience working with academic leaders and preparing complex gift proposals.
- Proven ability to manage complex, competing priorities across a maturing portfolio.
- Strong analytical skills, including experience using fundraising data to set goals and identify opportunities.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to donors, academics, advisory boards, and university leadership.
- Demonstrated success building authentic relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
- Commitment to collaboration across all areas of advancement.
- Understanding of and demonstrated success promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite.
- Ability to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality.
Nice To Haves
- Advanced degree highly preferred.
- Combinations of related education and experience may be considered.
- Completion of Plus Delta's Discipline of Frontline Fundraising program preferred.
Responsibilities
- Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward high-net-worth donors with the capacity to make gifts of $5 million and above.
- Build a portfolio from the ground up, working closely with prospect research to identify and qualify high-capacity individuals.
- Develop relationships that lead to transformational commitments to Indiana University.
- Conduct personal visits and substantive interactions with prospects.
- Design individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies.
- Partner with unit-based gift officers, academic leaders, and donor relations staff to align donor interests with institutional priorities.
- Maintain disciplined documentation, thoughtful travel planning, and clear progress toward ambitious annual goals.
Benefits
- The IUF is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and professional work environment that is free of Discrimination and Harassment.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
