Senior Development Director, Principal Gifts

Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with the University of Utah in the search for a Senior Development Director, Principal Gifts.

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Philanthropy Officer, Principal Gifts the Senior Development Director, Principal Gifts will identify, cultivate, and solicit major and principal gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The Senior Development Director will work closely with the University Advancement team to ensure that all fundraising initiatives are coordinated and aligned with the organization's goals. The Senior Development Director will collaborate closely with senior leadership, including the Deputy Chief Philanthropy Officer for Principal Gifts and the University of Utah Health Chief Philanthropy Officer, to drive fundraising initiatives and secure gifts at a seven-figure level or higher. In the first one to two years, the Senior Development Director will serve as the lead fundraiser responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies for the new Discovery and Innovation Building. Additionally, the Senior Development Director will support principal gift efforts across the University of Utah campus and maintain a portfolio of principal gift prospects and donors.

Founded in 1850, the University of Utah is the state's public flagship institution and top-tier research university. It is Utah's oldest institution of higher education. The university provides its more than 32,000 students opportunities to grow with over 80 undergraduate majors to choose from, and almost as many minors and certificates. With a motto of Imagine, then Do, the university encourages all learners to be active participants in the educational process and to believe that all things are possible. An institution on the rise, Utah Athletics was invited to join the Big-12 due to both its sporting prowess and the university's strong academic and scientific research achievements. It also boasts the lowest tuition among its its Big-12 and Big-10 public peers and the lowest student-to-faculty ratio (18:1) of Utah public institutions. With an endowment of approximately $1.32 billion, there is a strong network of alumni and friends that care deeply about the institution and its continued success.

The University of Utah is classified by the Carnegie Foundation among the 137 research universities with the "highest research activity" in the nation. The University of Utah is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, which for more than 100 years has recognized the most outstanding academic institutions in the nation. U.S. News and World Report ranks dozens of the university's programs—from computer science to psychology to physics to dance—in the top 100 in the nation. It has also been ranked first for best online college for bachelor's degree programs, best online college for master's degree programs, and best online for doctoral degree programs by OnlineColleges.com.

As an institution with a strong business school, The Princeton Review has named the university among the top 25 for online M.B.A. programs and entrepreneurship. The University of Utah is also a great place to work, having been ranked third amongst America's best employers for women by Forbes.

The University of Utah raised $415 million in fiscal year 2022 from more than 40,000 alumni, grateful patients, and friends of the university. University Advancement bases its work on donor-centric and One U collaborative principles and provides central services to development professionals across the campus. This includes gift processing, prospect management and research, information systems, annual giving, legacy giving, principal gifts, corporate and foundation relations, as well as strategy and planning. Within University of Utah Advancement, the Main Campus fundraising team focuses on fundraising for the non-health academic colleges, student support initiatives, and community-facing organizations. In FY22, these areas accounted for $247 million of the total dollars raised and 37,000 of the donors.

The University of Utah celebrates the rich diversity of its staff, students, trainees, and faculty, by striving to make its campus a welcoming, inclusive, and anti-racist environment. The ways in which communication takes place should always seek to honor the humanity of each person who crosses paths with the institution, where no one perspective is more worthy than another. It highly encourages applications from historically underrepresented minority groups, persons with disabilities, persons who have served in the military, and others who would bring additional dimensions of education and experience to the team.

The University of Utah will consider candidates with a broad range of backgrounds. A bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least six years of fundraising experience in higher education or a similar complex environment is preferred. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of the University of Utah as well as the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the prospectus.

The salary range for this position is $110,000 to $145,000 annually.

To apply for this position, visit: https://opportunities.aspenleadershipgroup.com/opportunities/1333.