Posting Detail InformationWorking TitleLeadership Annual Giving OfficerPosition LocationFort Collins, COWork LocationPosition qualifies for hybrid/in-office workResearch Professional PositionNoPosting Number202500175APPosition TypeAdmin Professional/ Research ProfessionalClassification TitleProf/Indiv Contrib INumber of VacanciesWork Hours/Week40Proposed Annual Salary Range$55,000 - $60,000Employee BenefitsColorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.
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Desired Start DatePosition End Date (if temporary)To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on02/23/2025Description of Work UnitWho We AreLocated in the beautiful town of Fort Collins, Colorado, CSU is a premier land-grant university with world-class programs in education, outreach, and research. CSU has a student body of over 34,000 students, 7,400 employees, 232,000 living alumni, and annual research expenditures exceeding $350 million. Guided by the five supporting Principles of Community: Inclusion, Integrity, Respect, Service, and Social Justice, the University constantly pursues its mission and vision of access, research, teaching, service, and engagement.Within CSU , the Division of University Advancement is integral to achieving and sustaining the University’s institutional excellence through fundraising and engagement efforts. Our purpose is to connect our alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations to raise the financial support necessary to advance the University’s mission and vision. With one of the leading development teams in the country, the Division most recently reached its $1 billion fundraising campaign goal 19 months ahead of schedule.CSU Alumni Relations facilitates meaningful relationships between its 232,000+ alumni and the University. Using a combination of proven alumni engagement strategies and new, innovative approaches, the Alumni Association strives to celebrate the success of our alumni, build an emotional connection back to the CSU , and help alumni to identify connections that are meaningful to them. In addition, the Association also utilized the Iris & Michael Smith Alumni Center to serve as a place of pride and home to alumni when they return to campus as well as a space to engage students.The primary focus of Annual Giving (AG) is to influence the overall donor count and generate support for each college and unit on campus while building the base of the pipeline retaining and upgrading donors, and identifying annual leadership prospects. Soliciting broad audiences of alumni, parents, faculty/staff, friends, and students, AG generates gift revenue for a variety of funds for each division within Advancement. Using various methods of outreach including direct mail, email, digital, personal visits and phone, donors are reached strategically, and presented giving opportunities that align with their past giving, University affiliation, and interests. Centralizing annual giving outreach provides value across the division and allows our colleagues to focus on major giving. In addition to traditional outreach, AG conducts two large-scale days of giving each year, highly visible and engaging philanthropic events which, in addition to driving gifts, serves as effective entry points for new donors.Position SummaryThe Leadership Annual Giving Officer ( LAGO ) is an essential member of Colorado State University’s Annual Giving team. Reporting to the Associate Director of Annual Giving, this position will focus on developing and executing strategies to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward leadership annual giving donors.The LAGO will manage a portfolio of approximately 150-200 donors, with a particular focus on securing gifts of $1,000 or more from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the university. This position is responsible for creating and managing a strategy for a continuous pipeline of donors, including but not limited to initial outreach (i.e. cold calling), identifying appropriate engagement opportunities, and collaborating with other units to ensure effective donor transitions. The LAGO will manage, track, and allocate expenses for the Leadership Annual Giving program for projects, travel, events and/or programs with responsibility to make recommendations for additional resource needs. The LAGO will contribute to the growth and development of the donor pipeline, ultimately leading to increased support for university initiatives.The ideal candidate will be a consummate professional and will thrive in a fast-paced, metrics/results-driven fundraising environment. The candidate will have a demonstrated ability to maintain focus and employ adaptability while working collaboratively with donors, prospective donors, alumni, colleagues, faculty, staff, and students.This position requires working non-standard hours, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends. This position requires a valid driver’s license with reliable transportation or access to a driver. This is a 12-month, full time appointment and will work from the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins, Colorado.Required Job Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts, Communication, Business, Engineering, or the Sciences
1-3 years full time professional experience in development/advancement, marketing or sales
A demonstrated ability to engage and effectively communicate with diverse audiences
Ability to travel and work non-standard hours, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license or access to a licensed driver by the employment start date.
Preferred Job Qualifications
Excellent communication skills with proven written ability and expertise in use of grammar.
Proven ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative metrics for making data driven decisions.
Frontline fundraising or sales experience with defined dollar goals
Strong ability to develop fundraising analysis, capacity and affinity assessment
Adept at building rapport over the phone and using virtual tools
Understanding of higher education and Colorado State University
Working knowledge of the campus, including its vision, mission, goals, objectives, achievements and infrastructure.
Essential DutiesJob Duty CategoryPortfolio Management and SolicitationDuty/Responsibility
Solicits, retains, and upgrades prospective leadership annual giving donors who have the capacity to give between $1,000 – $24,999.
Manage a portfolio of 150 – 200 leadership annual giving prospects capable of making gifts of $1,000 or more.
Qualify prospects and develop personalized cultivation and solicitation strategies.
Track and manage donor interactions using the university’s CRM system, ensuring accurate records of engagement and solicitations.
Provide regular reports on progress toward fundraising metrics and donor moves.
Uses fundraising principles to develop and implement best strategies to initiate contact and develop relationships with a goal of building and maintaining a pipeline of prospects for the University at large.
Achieves agreed upon performance metrics including but not limited to number of contacts, number of opportunities/asks delivered, number of opportunities/asks secured, dollars raised, and percent of portfolio retained.
Develops marketing and communication strategies to solicit, upgrade, and retain leadership annual giving donors via email, mail, digital, and phone.
Collaborates with the Analytics Team to develop strategies around identification and segmentation of leadership annual giving prospects.
Works closely with college and unit development officers to strategically identify leadership annual giving prospects.
Submits timely contact reports and produces reports for University leadership involved in the development process.
Independently tracks and analyzes contact attempts, success rates, new qualified prospects, and donor manager transitions, and shares this information with leadership and development professionals throughout campus.
Oversees, tracks, and allocates expenses for the leadership annual giving operating budget used for projects, travel, events and/or programs with responsibility to make recommendations for additional resource needs.
Percentage Of Time70%Job Duty CategoryEvents and StewardshipDuty/Responsibility
Develops strategies to steward leadership annual giving donors and partner with the Alumni Association, and Donor Relations teams to implement strategies. This will include onboarding of qualified giving society donors to the 1870 Club.
Organize and participate in events to engage and cultivate donors, including regional events, homecoming activities, and special stewardship events.
Organize personalized campus visits and host alumni, donors and potential donors on campus as appropriate.
Ensure effective donor stewardship through consistent follow-up and recognition.
Percentage Of Time15%Job Duty CategoryDivision Collaboration and Unit ImpactDuty/Responsibility
Establishes meaningful, collegial working relationships with development colleagues and other University offices. Understands the roles of each program in order to recommend and connect donor interest to appropriate programs.
Exercise initiative, sound judgment, creativity and discretion in performing work assigned, anticipating and addressing concerns, responding to requests for information, and organizing and maintaining confidential files and records.
Actively participate as a staff member in the Division of University Advancement, attend Division-wide meetings and trainings, support Division-wide priorities and initiatives and serve as an Association representative on University committees as assigned.
Demonstrated knowledge of, and relevant ability with, culturally diverse communities among potential target and constituent populations.
Other work related duties not specified above may be assigned.
Percentage Of Time15%Application DetailsSpecial Instructions to ApplicantsApplicants should submit:
A cover letter that demonstrates any and all of the required and preferred qualifications that they meet
A resume
Three professional references noting name, phone number, email address, and professional relationship (one should be a current or former supervisor)
For tips on how to craft a successful application, please review the FAQ document on our Careers site at:giving.colostate.edu/careers/current-opportunities/.CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates.Questions regarding the position or anything else related to careers with UA may be directed to the University Advancement Talent & HR team at [email protected] of EmploymentPre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires), Valid Driver’s LicenseSearch ContactJennifer Healy, [email protected] State University ( CSU ) provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.Background Check Policy StatementColorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.References RequestedReferences RequestedMinimum Requested3Maximum Requested3Supplemental QuestionsRequired fields are indicated with an asterisk ().
Do you have a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts, Communications, Business, Engineering, or the Sciences or related field?
yes
No
Do you have at least one to three years of full time professional experience in development/advancement, marketing or sales?
Yes
No
Do you have demonstrated ability to engage and effectively communicate with diverse audiences?
Yes
No
Are you willing to travel and work non-standard hours, including nights and weekends?
Yes
No
Do you have a valid driver's license or the ability to obtain or access to a licensed driver by the employment start date?
YES
NO
Applicant DocumentsRequired Documents
Cover Letter
Resume
Optional Documents