As a development officer on the athletics development team, you will meet frequently with current and potential donors face-to-face in their home, office, at events, or hosting at a restaurant or coffee shop. Working each day to connect donors’ philanthropic interests with campus priorities, you will blend your professional knowledge, relationship management skills, and talent with philanthropic strategies. Development officers play a key role on the development team to help identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gifts to the athletics program.
Based on qualifications and experience, a selected candidate may hold one of these job titles: Associate Director of Development or Director of Development.
Core Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Manage a portfolio of 70 to 80 assigned prospects, cultivating and stewarding new, current, and past donors. Collaborate with campus and foundation teams, while partnering with our research team to identify and engage individuals with the capacity to make major gifts of $100,000 or more.
- Develop and execute a strategic cadence of outreach with each prospect to foster engagement and advance conversations toward tailored gift proposals.
- Travel extensively (up to 50%) to cultivate and strengthen long-term donor relationships, with the goal of advancing major gift conversations and securing philanthropic commitments.
- Collaborate as an active team member to develop strategies that support both short-term and long-term fundraising goals and priorities.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with ISU Athletics leadership, staff, donors, and foundation development teams across a wide range of donor-focused projects and events.
- Communicate effectively across multiple formats and for diverse purposes, including drafting donor correspondence, contact reports, and gift proposals. You will also clearly convey the foundation’s role and donor intentions to key campus partners and foundation staff.
Qualifications
Education & Work Experience
- Bachelor’s degree or appropriate related years of experience. Degree preferred.
- 3+ years of professional experience in any of the following areas: major gift fundraising, non-profit work, higher education, sales, communications, or another related field. Education may be substituted for years of experience.
Desired Skills & Experience
- Proven ability to meet and exceed ambitious goals, backed by a strong record of leading initiatives that deliver clear, measurable results.
- Demonstrated strength in relationship building and leadership, paired with exceptional communication skills. You should be articulate, persuasive, and diplomatic, representing the foundation confidently with donors, campus partners, and other key stakeholders. You must also have proven ability in persuasive speaking and effectively influencing others.
- Strong problem-solving skills and resourcefulness, with the ability to champion a donor-centered approach by understanding donor motivations and crafting clear, effective solutions.
- A strong team orientation paired with a dedicated work ethic and a consistently positive, professional demeanor.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while effectively navigating a variety of software tools and applications.
- Creativity, patience, a sense of humor and a belief in our organizational mission of: Aligning donor passion and generosity to advance Iowa State University’s land grant ideals.
Travel: Travel required
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Ames, IA; potentially hybrid
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