Senior Director of Leadership Giving & Donor Development

Colby College•Colby, KS

3d•$106,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director of Leadership Giving & Donor Development leads the execution of Colby's leadership annual giving and donor development strategy, overseeing frontline fundraising activity, leadership-level donor engagement, volunteer fundraising initiatives, and donor movement across the primary giving ecosystem. Reporting to the Executive Director of Annual Giving, the Senior Director translates institutional strategy into operational execution, providing leadership, accountability, and direct supervision and coaching for Leadership Annual Giving (LAGO) and Digital Donor Experience (DXO) Officers while advancing a portfolio of leadership-level current-use donors and volunteers. The Senior Director works across Advancement to strengthen donor participation, retention, upgrading, and pipeline development, ensuring donors are effectively engaged and positioned for long-term philanthropic growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience
7+ years of fundraising, donor development, or relationship management experience.
Demonstrated success managing portfolios and advancing donor relationships.
Experience leading, coaching, and developing staff, including establishing metrics and ensuring accountability for results.
Experience leading volunteers to achieve organizational goals.
Strong organizational, project management, and operational leadership skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively across teams.
Excellent communication (written, oral, and digital) , collaboration, and relationship-building skills.
Comfort using fundraising technology, analytics, and donor management systems.
Appreciation of Colby's mission and ability to effectively communicate it.
Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends as required.
Professional conduct and appropriate handling of confidential information is required
Ability to travel is required. Valid driver’s license required and must meet the College’s Fleet Safety Policy requirements.
Employee is expected to handle employee information, documents, and sensitive matters with care, professionalism, and respect for privacy.
This position involves working with a variety of timelines, including some that require quick turnaround and responsiveness to urgent needs.
In this role, the employee will interact with members of the public and others in a variety of situations and conversations. Presenting oneself in a professional, respectful, and thoughtful manner at all times is an important part of the role.
This position includes regular movement throughout office spaces, hallways, meeting rooms, and other campus locations.
Daily work will involve extended use of a computer, including keyboard and mouse
Vision requirements for this position include the ability to see clearly at close and far distances and to adjust focus as needed.
The work environment is dynamic and engaging, often involving multiple tasks and projects that require shifting focus and strong organizational skills..
The noise level is generally moderate; however, there may be occasional moments of louder sounds depending on campus activity.

Responsibilities

Oversees the Annual Giving frontline fundraising team.
Leads, coaches, and supervises frontline fundraising staff, including Leadership Annual Giving Officers (LAGOs), Digital Donor Experience Officers (DXOs), Class Philanthropy Officers, and other assigned team members.
Establishes clear expectations, goals, and performance metrics aligned with annual giving and donor development priorities.
Conducts regular portfolio reviews, performance discussions, and donor strategy sessions.
Fosters a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and donor-centered fundraising.
Supports staff professional development through coaching, mentorship, and performance feedback.
Manages a portfolio of leadership-level current-use donors and volunteers.
Identifies, qualifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards leadership annual giving prospects.
Recruits and engages volunteer and peer-to-peer fundraising leaders; establishes a new leadership annual giving program leveraging volunteer solicitors to strengthen giving in the $10,000 - $100,000 tier.
Partners with Advancement colleagues to strengthen donor movement from participation through leadership and major giving.
Supports the development and execution of leadership donor engagement strategies designed to increase donor retention, revenue, and long-term philanthropic commitment.
Implements donor movement strategies designed to accelerate participation, retention, upgrading, and leadership giving growth.
Oversees qualification, assignment, and portfolio management processes for frontline fundraising staff.
Partners with Prospect Management, Analytics, and Advancement Services to ensure portfolio integrity and effective donor tracking.
Monitors donor pipeline health and identifies opportunities to improve donor progression and engagement.
Supports smooth referral and handoff processes between Annual Giving, Major Giving, and other fundraising teams.
Operationalizes annual fundraising priorities established by the Executive Director of Annual Giving.
Coordinates implementation of leadership giving initiatives, volunteer fundraising efforts, donor journeys, and fundraising programs.
Ensures timely execution of fundraising plans, outreach strategies, and campaign-related activities.
Collaborates with colleagues across Advancement to align donor outreach and fundraising activity.
Monitors progress toward annual goals and implements corrective actions as needed to improve performance.
Collaborates with colleagues across Advancement to support current-use fundraising and donor development priorities.
Partners with Alumni & Donor Engagement, Communications, Prospect Management, Analytics, and Advancement Services to coordinate donor engagement efforts.
Works with campus partners to identify philanthropic priorities and opportunities for donor engagement.
Supports institutional fundraising initiatives through coordinated donor-centered outreach and stewardship.
Performs additional duties as assigned; duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.