Executive Director of Development

Purpose

The Executive Director of Development is a leadership role in the office of university advancement and is responsible for developing and managing major and principal gift relationships in support of Oklahoma Baptist University. This role carries responsibility for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-capacity donors while contributing to the overall leadership and direction of the Advancement division. Reporting directly to the Vice President for Advancement and Alumni, the Executive Director plays an integral role in shaping fundraising strategy, advancing capital campaign initiatives, and strengthening relationships with top donors and foundations across the Eastern Oklahoma region. This position works closely with the University President, Vice Presidents, Deans, and other senior leaders to advance institutional priorities through philanthropic partnership.

Essential Functions

Major and Principal Gifts Development

• Develop and manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects and donors within Eastern Oklahoma, with a focus on significant philanthropic commitments.
• Work with advancement engagement team to design and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies that align donor interests with university or campaign priorities.
• Identify, qualify, and advance new prospects into the major and principal gifts pipeline through collaborative workflows with advancement prospect research and analytics.
• Lead and participate in complex gift conversations independently and in partnership with the President, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni, and other senior leaders.

Regional Leadership and Strategy

• Serve as the senior advancement representative for Eastern Oklahoma, coordinating donor engagement and fundraising activity across the region.
• Develop and implement regional fundraising strategies that support annual and campaign goals.
• Represent the university at donor gatherings, community events, and institutional functions throughout the region.
• Develop keen understanding and knowledge of university assets, priorities and opportunities for donor involvement and partnerships.

Capital Campaign and Strategic Initiatives

• Assist in the strategic development and execution of capital campaign initiatives and leadership gift strategies.
• Partner with Advancement leadership to refine campaign priorities, donor strategies, and naming opportunities as well as coordinated liaison with campaign consultants.
• Support leadership gift cultivation and campaign engagement within the Eastern Oklahoma region especially in areas of Planned and Estate Giving.

Foundation and Institutional Relationship Building

• Build and manage relationships with top private foundations and institutional partners within the assigned region.
• Collaborate with Advancement leadership, and campus partners to align institutional priorities with foundation interests.
• Support cultivation, proposal strategy, and stewardship efforts for foundation partners through OBU’s grants and foundations consultant, as appropriate.

Advancement Leadership and Collaboration

• Serve as an active member of the Advancement Leadership Team, contributing to strategic planning, goal setting, and best practices especially in areas of campaign development and messaging.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues across Advancement, Alumni Engagement, Donor Relations, and Advancement Services to ensure a coordinated donor experience.
• Maintain accurate documentation of donor activity, strategy, and outcomes within university systems, especially utilizing Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge CRM.
• Collaborate closely with Water’s Edge, OBU’s asset based giving management arm and endowment holding financial firm.

Required Qualifications

• Proven ability to cultivate and close significant philanthropic gifts.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with high-capacity donors and senior leaders both internally and externally.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative team
• Championing a mission and metrics driven team environment.

Education

Required: Bachelor’s degree

Preferred: Master’s degree

Required Experience

Seven to ten years of progressive experience in advancement or fundraising, with demonstrated success in major and principal gift development.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in higher education advancement or campaign fundraising.
• Experience working with foundations and institutional partners.
• Experience serving in a leadership role within an advancement organization.

Equipment

Required: Experience utilizing fundraising CRM and data donor management systems.

Preferred: Experience utilizing fundraising CRM system, Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge and Microsoft Suite donor and project management tools.

Physical Requirements

• Frequent travel both in state and nationally.

Special Requirements

• Must be a member of a local evangelical* Christian church.*Evangelical is a broad term referring to segment within Christianity which maintains the authority of the Bible and the belief in salvation by faith in Jesus alone.
• Please apply using the link for “Administrative Applications” on the OBU website at: https://www.okbu.edu/hr/jobs.html

OBU Benefits Summary

OBU understands that our employees are our most valuable assets when fulfilling our mission. We strive to offer an extensive array of benefits and opportunities for employees to choose from. Full-time employees benefit from the generous OBU provision of premium contributions for nationwide family-friendly Health and Dental coverages along with free life insurance that includes accidental death and dismemberment equal to an employee’s base salary. OBU provides access to optional employee-paid ancillary benefits like vision, hospitalization, critical illness, accident, additional employee-paid family life insurance coverages, and education benefits at OBU and other institutions of higher education. There is generous paid time off that includes annual granted vacation time, accrued sick leave, six annual holidays, and week-long breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas that include energy conservation days. For all employees working at least half-time, there is an employer matching opportunity for retirement investments in a 403(b)(9) plan administered by Guide Stone. There are numerous other perks and opportunities for OBU employees including FREE family membership to the OBU Recreation and Wellness Center or RAWC, Global outreach university mission trips, cafeteria discounts, and parking privileges to name a few. For more information about the current OBU employee benefits and opportunities, please contact the Human Resources staff at HR@okbu.edu.