Athletics - Director, Orange and Blue Fund and Athletic Sponsorships
Position Summary
The Director, Orange and Blue Fund and Athletic Sponsorships is a full-time fundraising professional responsible for all aspects of fundraising that support the Orange and Blue Fund, while also developing and leading a dedicated funding arm for the H Club Alumni Association. This role serves as the primary point of responsibility for annual giving, corporate fundraising, donor stewardship, and athletics-related fundraising events (coordinated in conjunction with the P&E team).
Rooted in Hope College’s mission and aligned with the Dare to Hope campaign, this position builds meaningful relationships with alumni, parents, corporate partners, and friends of the college to advance student-athletes, athletic programs, and transformational experiences.
Key Responsibilities
Corporate Fundraising
- Handle all corporate fundraising efforts connected to Hope College Athletics.
- Develop and manage corporate partnerships, sponsorships, football suites and event-based giving opportunities.
- Serve as the primary contact for corporate supporters of the Orange and Blue Fund.
- Cultivate, solicit, and steward corporate sponsors through personal engagement, events, and strategic communication.
- Ensure gameday and promotional items are delivered and incorporated as contracted with Corporate supporters
Orange and Blue Fund Leadership
- Serve as the primary fundraiser responsible for any aspect of fundraising that touches the Orange and Blue Fund.
- Support athletic director in oversight and execution of Orange and Blue Fund initiatives, ensuring alignment with Athletics and Philanthropy priorities.
Annual Giving Partnership
- Serve as the Athletics liaison to the Annual Fund team within Philanthropy & Engagement.
- Lead and manage Athletics annual giving efforts (in partnership with P&E team), including annual Orange and Blue giving communications.
- Ensure Athletics goals are effectively represented and integrated within college-wide campaigns.
- Coordinate an annual Orange and Blue Fund year-in-review and donor thank-you effort in partnership with the Stewardship team.
Event Leadership and Engagement
- Lead Orange and Blue Fund events and Athletics-related fundraising events in cooperation with Philanthropy and Engagement.
- Lead or support signature initiatives such as Day of Giving, Giving Tuesday, Rivalry Games, donor receptions, and other engagement opportunities.
- Lead the coordination of athletic focused events including but not limited to – Orange & Blue weekend, Rivalry games (basketball & football), Hopey’s, Championship travel program.
- Leverage special athletic events to maximize donor participation, visibility, and philanthropic impact.
- Support individual teams with support initiatives such football golf outing
- Support SEED and Team 43 objectives and participation
Donor Cultivation
- Collaborate with Major Gift Officers to identify and transition donors with capacity for larger investments.
- Collaborate with Auxiliary Enterprises to share opportunities for cross-promotional initiatives.
H Club Alumni Strategy
- Develop and implement a comprehensive H Club alumni fundraising strategy.
- Increase both alumni participation and total dollars raised from former student-athletes.
- Partner with Alumni Engagement and H Club leadership to strengthen lifelong relationships with Hope Athletics.
- Establish strong social media connection with newly established facebook, instagram & linked-in pages for H-Club
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Commitment to the mission and Christian faith foundation of Hope College.
- Strong relationship-building, communication, and organizational skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities across fundraising, events, and donor engagement.
- Willingness to work evenings and weekends in alignment with the athletics calendar.
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