The Director of Development, Athletics is responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major and leadership-level gifts in support of Pepperdine Athletics. The Director manages a portfolio of high-capacity prospects and provides strategic leadership for athletic leadership-giving initiatives, including segmented appeals and university-wide campaigns.
This role advances annual and multi-year philanthropic support for athletic priorities through direct donor engagement, campaign strategy, and collaboration with advancement and athletic leadership.

Duties

Leadership Giving Strategy & Segmented Appeals :
- Provide strategic oversight and execution for athletics leadership giving initiatives, including segmented annual giving appeals designed to grow the pipeline of leadership-level donors.
- Develop targeted strategies for alumni, parents, former student-athletes, and athletics supporters to increase giving participation and elevate annual donors to leadership and major gift levels.
- Manage segmentation, messaging strategy, and donor stewardship in collaboration with Advancement Communications and Annual Giving.
Major and Leadership Gift Portfolio Management :
- Manage and strategically develop a portfolio of 120-150 leadership and major gift prospects capable of making gifts of $10,000+, with emphasis on securing five- and six-figure commitments in support of Pepperdine Athletics priorities.

Duties

Leadership Giving Strategy & Segmented Appeals :
- Provide strategic oversight and execution for athletics leadership giving initiatives, including segmented annual giving appeals designed to grow the pipeline of leadership-level donors.
- Develop targeted strategies for alumni, parents, former student-athletes, and athletics supporters to increase giving participation and elevate annual donors to leadership and major gift levels.
- Manage segmentation, messaging strategy, and donor stewardship in collaboration with Advancement Communications and Annual Giving.
Major and Leadership Gift Portfolio Management :
- Manage and strategically develop a portfolio of 120-150 leadership and major gift prospects capable of making gifts of $10,000+, with emphasis on securing five- and six-figure commitments in support of Pepperdine Athletics priorities.
Campaigns and Athletics Fundraising Initiatives :
- Lead Athletics fundraising strategy and execution for key institutional campaigns and giving initiatives, including Waves Give (Athletics Spring Campaign) and the Athletics component of Pepperdine Gives (University Giving Day).
- Further develop the Waves Varsity Club, Pepperdine's exclusive alumni organization for student-athletes.
- Collaborate with advancement colleagues and athletics leadership to develop campaign priorities, fundraising messaging, volunteer engagement, and donor stewardship strategies.
- Support broader university campaign initiatives and identify athletics prospects capable of contributing to campaign priorities, including facilities, scholarships, and programmatic support.
Major and Leadership Prospect Development :
- Conduct 120-150 meaningful donor visits annually through in-person, virtual, and event-based engagement.
- Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors through personalized strategies designed to deepen philanthropic investment and long-term relationships with the University.
- Develop written cultivation and solicitation strategies, proposals, and stewardship plans for assigned prospects.
Strategic Collaboration and Athletics Partnership :
- Partner closely with the Athletics Director, coaches, athletics leadership, and advancement colleagues to identify philanthropic priorities and align fundraising strategies with departmental and university goals.
- Serve as a strategic fundraising partner to athletics leadership by helping translate programmatic needs into compelling philanthropic opportunities.
- Coordinate with major gift officers across schools and units to maximize donor engagement and cross-campus giving opportunities.
Performance Management, Reporting, and Advancement Operations :
- Meet or exceed assigned annual fundraising goal of $1 million, with aspirational performance levels of $1.5M-$2.5M+.
- Maintain accurate prospect strategies, contact reports, proposals, and stewardship documentation within the University CRM.
- Track portfolio performance, campaign results, and donor engagement metrics.
- Provide regular reports and insights to athletics and advancement leadership regarding fundraising progress and opportunities.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Uphold University mission through work performed.

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Skills and Qualifications

Required:

Bachelor’s degree and 4 years of experience in fundraising, or Master's degree and 2 years of experience in fundraising.
Highly organized and detail-oriented.
Excellent written, verbal, and people skills.
General level of comfort dealing with high net worth individuals.
Ability to build strong relationships with coaches and Athletic staff to understand the needs of the Athletics program.
Ability to manage multiple projects at once.
Ability to meet deadlines in order to meet fundraising goals.
Ability to incorporate the mission of Pepperdine University into daily work.

Preferred:

4+ years of progressive professional experience in Athletics fundraising, non-profit, or a related field.
Advanced degree in fundraising, non-profit, or a related field.
Demonstrated success in intercollegiate athletics fundraising, preferably within a higher education environment.
Proven ability to cultivate, solicit, and steward alumni, parents, friends, and corporate partners, with success securing annual, leadership, and major gifts.
Experience building and managing volunteer leadership groups such as athletic advisory boards, with a history of engaging high-capacity and high-profile constituents.
Strong understanding of revenue generation strategies specific to athletics, including scholarship endowments, capital projects, and programmatic support.
Demonstrated use of data and metrics to drive results and meet or exceed fundraising goals.
Strong communication and relationship skills with the ability to partner effectively across athletics and advancement.
Ongoing professional training in fundraising, athletics administration, or related disciplines.

This is a Regular, Exempt, 40 hour per week position.

Expected Pay Range: $100,870 - $123,310 per year

The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.

Pepperdine is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Pepperdine is committed to providing a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Engaging in unlawful discrimination or harassment will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the University.

Pepperdine is religiously affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It is the purpose of Pepperdine to pursue the very highest employment and academic standards within a context that celebrates and extends the spiritual and ethical ideals of the Christian faith. While students, faculty, and staff represent many religious backgrounds, Pepperdine is permitted under applicable law and reserves the right to seek, hire, and promote persons who support the goals and mission of the institution, including the right to prefer co-religionists who support Pepperdine's Christian mission.

Qualified individuals should be able to show respect for workplace differences, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.

Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. The University conducts such screenings in compliance with applicable laws and with the objectives of evaluating risk and supporting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests; safeguarding key University assets including people, property, information, and the University’s reputation; and providing comprehensive job-related information to University leaders to enable them to make prudent hiring decisions. Individuals will be required to disclose any criminal convictions on a designated form after receiving a conditional offer of employment; failure to disclose accurate information may result in withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.

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