"Associate Director of Leadership Giving"

Job Details

Associate Director of Leadership Giving

Application Deadline: September 17, 2025

Full-Time Regular: 201463

[C25-047]

Associate Director of Leadership Giving

Institutional Advancement

Central Connecticut State University invites applications to join Institutional Advancement as a full-time Associate Director of Leadership Giving. We seek applicants who are experienced fundraising professionals with strong relationship-building skills and a proven track record of securing leadership gifts.

Central Connecticut State University is the first publicly funded university in the state. As we recently celebrated 175 years of academic excellence and innovation, please visit CCSU to learn more.

About CCSU’s Institutional Advancement

The Institutional Advancement team at CCSU is dedicated to fostering meaningful relationships with alumni, donors, and community partners in support of the University’s mission and strategic priorities. Through leadership giving, principal and planned gifts, annual giving, and alumni engagement, the department works to grow philanthropic support and enhance the Blue Devil experience for current and future students.

Position Profile

The Associate Director of Leadership Giving will provide strategy and direction for CCSU’s leadership giving program by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors at the leadership level. The successful candidate will be a collaborative and results-driven professional, able to engage faculty, staff, and volunteers, while also building and expanding the donor pipeline. This position reports directly to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The ideal candidate will be an experienced fundraising professional who thrives in donor cultivation and solicitation, demonstrates excellent communication and organizational skills, and has the ability to work independently while collaborating with campus partners.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of and ability to apply federal and state laws and regulations as well as university and BOR/CSCU policies and procedures. Knowledge of and ability to apply best practices of the designated unit and program. Ability to collect, analyze, and prepare data. Ability to convene and collaborate with campus offices/departments and community resources. Ability to handle complex tasks, meet deadlines, and prepare reports. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to use academic technologies, equipment, platforms, and software. Ability to maintain and manage confidential information; strong attention to detail and accuracy; knowledge of state and federal statutes and regulations. Ability to work independently. Thorough understanding of all approaches and techniques used in the development process, including prospect identification, relationship building, solicitation and stewardship. Proven track record of closing gifts.

Applicant Evaluative Criteria

Applicant profiles and supplementary materials will be evaluated for appointment based on the following:

Education: All applicants must possess a Bachelors Degree from an accredited institution in an appropriate field.

Experience and Training: Four (4) years of development experience, with at least two years of leadership giving experience. Credentials and experience substantially comparable to the above may also be considered.

Ideal Candidate: Preference will be given to applicants with the following: Demonstrated success in donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Experience in higher education or nonprofit fundraising. Familiarity with alumni relations and advancement practices. Proven track record of closing leadership-level gifts. Experience preparing compelling fundraising proposals and/or marketing materials.

To Apply: To begin the application process, select the “Apply” button and electronically submit the following documents by September 17, 2025: Letter of interest addressing the qualifications for this position. Current Résumé. Names of three current professional references with title, email addresses and telephone numbers. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. E-mailed and mailed applications will not be accepted. Please redact any personally identifiable information (i.e., Social Security Number, date of birth, marital status, country of origin) from any documents submitted. Inquiries may be sent to Lisa Bigelow, Search Committee Chair, at 860-832-0105 or bigelow@ccsu.edu.

Compensation and Employee Benefits: The Associate Director of Leadership Giving is compensated at the Administrator V salary level in accordance with the State University Organization of Administrative Faculty (SUOAF) Collective Bargaining Union Agreement. For more information, please visit SUOAF. The State of Connecticut and Central Connecticut State University are proud to offer its employees competitive wages and a wide range of fringe benefits including voluntary and supplemental benefits. Fringe benefits include: paid personal, vacation and sick leave accruals; medical, dental, and prescription plans; group life insurance; retirement; retiree health care; tuition waiver for employee and eligible dependents at any of the Connecticut State Universities (Central, Eastern, Southern or Western) as well as an array of voluntary and supplemental benefits such as Deferred Retirement Contribution plans, Dependent Care Assistance and Medical Flexible spending accounts; long and short term disability insurance plans. For more detailed information, please visit CCSU Human Resources. As an affirmative action employer, Central Connecticut State University actively seeks and encourages applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals with protected veteran status. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.