Senior Director of Leadership Giving & Donor Development

Job Description

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Job Summary:

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.

The hiring range for this position is 106,000 to 140,000

Essential Functions

To be successful in this position, an individual should be able to perform the essential duties and bring the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities that support the role. This list of duties is intended to be representative rather than exhaustive, and additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

Frontline Fundraising Leadership & Management. This role oversees the Annual Giving frontline fundraising team.

• Lead, coach, and supervise frontline fundraising staff, including Leadership Annual Giving Officers (LAGOs), Digital Donor Experience Officers (DXOs), Class Philanthropy Officers, and other assigned team members.

• Establish clear expectations, goals, and performance metrics aligned with annual giving and donor development priorities.

• Conduct regular portfolio reviews, performance discussions, and donor strategy sessions.

• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and donor-centered fundraising.

• Support staff professional development through coaching, mentorship, and performance feedback.

Leadership Giving & Donor Development. This role develops top annual giving donor relationships.

• Manage a portfolio of leadership-level current-use donors and volunteers.

• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward leadership annual giving prospects.

• Recruit and engage volunteer and peer-to-peer fundraising leaders; establish a new leadership annual giving program leveraging volunteer solicitors to strengthen giving in the $10,000 - $100,000 tier.

• Partner with Advancement colleagues to strengthen donor movement from participation through leadership and major giving.

• Support the development and execution of leadership donor engagement strategies designed to increase donor retention, revenue, and long-term philanthropic commitment.

Donor Pipeline & Portfolio Management. This role owns the upper half of the Annual Giving program preparing donors for future major gift engagement.

• Implement donor movement strategies designed to accelerate participation, retention, upgrading, and leadership giving growth.

• Oversee qualification, assignment, and portfolio management processes for frontline fundraising staff.

• Partner with Prospect Management, Analytics, and Advancement Services to ensure portfolio integrity and effective donor tracking.

• Monitor donor pipeline health and identify opportunities to improve donor progression and engagement.

• Support smooth referral and handoff processes between Annual Giving, Major Giving, and other fundraising teams.

Program Execution & Operational Accountability. This role is a builder; establishing the business and workflow processes that bring the vision for Annual Giving at Colby to life.

• Operationalize annual fundraising priorities established by the Executive Director of Annual Giving.

• Coordinate implementation of leadership giving initiatives, volunteer fundraising efforts, donor journeys, and fundraising programs.

• Ensure timely execution of fundraising plans, outreach strategies, and campaign-related activities.

• Collaborate with colleagues across Advancement to align donor outreach and fundraising activity.

• Monitor progress toward annual goals and implement corrective actions as needed to improve performance.

Collaboration & Cross-Team Partnership. This role is a player-coach who works alongside and elevates Advancement colleagues because stronger collaboration and shared success lead to better outcomes across the division.

• Collaborate with colleagues across Advancement to support current-use fundraising and donor development priorities.

• Partner with Alumni & Donor Engagement, Communications, Prospect Management, Analytics, and Advancement Services to coordinate donor engagement efforts.

• Work with campus partners to identify philanthropic priorities and opportunities for donor engagement.

• Support institutional fundraising initiatives through coordinated donor-centered outreach and stewardship.

• Perform additional duties as assigned; duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Position Qualifications

• 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.

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this position and/or may be encountered while performing essential functions.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• To perform this role effectively, an 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

• Physical requirements differ by position. In general, most roles involve lifting up to 10 pounds regularly, with some positions requiring occasional lifting of up to 35 pounds.

• 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.

Colby College supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Pursuant to Maine law (26 MRSA § 620-A), candidates invited to interview are hereby notified that Colby College engages in employer surveillance. Employer-owned systems, network resources, email, and devices may be logged, accessed, reviewed, and monitored for administrative, compliance, and security purposes.

To Apply:

Interested candidates should apply electronically by clicking the “Apply Now” button on the Colby College website. Please upload a cover letter and resume to your application.