Donor Engagement Officer - 2 Positions (Administrator I)

Manage an assigned portfolio of alumni, donors, and prospective donors with the capacity and inclination to make annual gifts generally between $1,000 and $15,000.

Develop and execute individualized strategies to acquire, retain, renew, and upgrade donors and increase philanthropic support for University, college, program, and student-success priorities.

Conduct substantive donor qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship conversations through phone, virtual, in-person, and other appropriate channels.

Personally solicit and close leadership annual gifts and multi-year commitments in accordance with established annual fundraising goals and performance metrics.

Identify current donors and prospective donors with the capacity and inclination to make gifts of $25,000 or more and coordinate their strategic transition to the appropriate major gift officer.

Maintain current knowledge of University priorities, academic programs, student needs, and philanthropic opportunities and effectively communicate the impact of private support.

Develop appropriate donor proposals, correspondence, follow-up materials, stewardship communications, and other materials supporting individual fundraising strategies.

Record substantive donor contacts, prospect information, strategies, outcomes, and next steps accurately and promptly in the University's advancement database.

Meet established annual performance expectations for donor contacts and visits, solicitations, gifts, donor retention and upgrades, new donor acquisition, and qualified major gift referrals.

Prospect Identification, Qualification, and Portfolio Development

• Expand the pool of engaged donors and qualified prospects capable of progressing to leadership annual and major giving.
• Proactively identify and qualify new prospective donors from annual giving donors, alumni, event participants, volunteers, lapsed donors, affinity groups, referrals, and prospect research.
• Regularly evaluate and optimize the assigned portfolio, removing prospects who do not warrant continued personalized management and adding promising new prospects.
• Identify prospects with the capacity and inclination to make gifts of $25,000 or more and coordinate a timely and strategic referral and transition to the appropriate major gift officer.

Donor and Alumni Engagement, Volunteer Development, and Crowdfunding

• Deepen relationships with promising alumni and donors through meaningful engagement opportunities and targeted annual giving initiatives.
• Identify and connect promising alumni and donors with meaningful University volunteer opportunities that align with their interests and deepen their relationship with Cal State East Bay.
• Incorporate volunteer engagement into donor cultivation strategies and track meaningful engagement and resulting opportunities in the advancement database.
• Collaborate with Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement on crowdfunding campaigns, Giving Day, and other targeted annual giving initiatives, including identifying and securing challenge and matching gifts.
• Identify donors and participants generated through crowdfunding and engagement activities who demonstrate potential for personalized cultivation and advancement through the leadership annual giving pipeline.

Donor Communications

• Strengthen donor and alumni relationships through coordinated communications that increase engagement, demonstrate philanthropic impact, and create opportunities for deeper cultivation and giving.
• Partner with approximately two to three assigned colleges, programs, or University priorities to develop regular donor and alumni communications highlighting student and faculty accomplishments, program impact, philanthropic priorities, and the impact of giving.
• Use targeted communications as part of leadership annual giving cultivation and stewardship strategies, creating opportunities for personalized follow-up, donor renewal and upgrades, and identification of prospective major gift donors.
• Coordinate with University Communications and Marketing and Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement to ensure donor communications complement broader University messaging and outreach.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university is required.
• Professional experience in fundraising, advancement, alumni or donor relations, sales, business development, account management, community engagement, or another relationship-focused field.
• Experience working in a goal-oriented environment involving responsibility for developing relationships, increasing engagement, generating support, or achieving measurable outcomes.

Required Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage and collaborate effectively with alumni, donors, volunteers, University leaders, faculty, staff, and individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Excellent written, verbal, and listening skills, including the ability to develop clear and compelling donor communications and communicate the impact of University programs and philanthropic support.
• Ability to learn and apply principles and practices of fundraising, donor engagement, and relationship management, including identifying donor interests and connecting them with appropriate opportunities for engagement and giving.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage a portfolio of relationships, balance multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and consistently follow through on commitments and next steps.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment and initiative, and succeed in a goal-oriented environment with established fundraising and activity expectations.
• Ability to effectively use constituent relationship management systems, prospect and engagement information, and standard office technology to prioritize outreach, manage relationships, document activity, and track progress.
• Ability to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality when handling donor, prospect, and other sensitive information.

Condition(s) of Employment

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including LiveScan, as appropriate), that may include, but is not limited to: criminal records check, verification of academic credentials, licenses, certificates, credit history, professional references and/or verification of work history is required for employment. Cal State East Bay will issue a conditional offer of employment to the selected candidate, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Unsatisfactory results may also affect the continued employment of current Cal State East Bay employees who were conditionally offered the position.

All background checks are conducted through the university's third party vendor, Accurate. LiveScan is conducted through the University Police Department.

EEO Statement

All university programs and activities are open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, Cal State, East Bay provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. The CSU complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy. We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices.

Other Information

All California State University campuses, including Cal State East Bay, are smoke and tobacco-free. For more information, please visit our website here.

In compliance with state and federal crime awareness and campus security legislation, including The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, the Cal State East Bay Annual Campus Security Report is available here.

Sponsorship

Cal State East Bay is not a sponsoring agency for Staff or Management positions and we are not an E-Verify employer.

Mandated Reporter

The incumbent in this position may be considered a mandated reporter under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and will be required to comply with requirements set forth in the CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Advertised: September 30, 2026 (9:05 AM) Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: