"Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development"

Job Details

Position Details

Position Information

Posting date: 07/28/2025

Closing date: Open Until Filled

Position Number: 1128679

Position Title: Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development

Hiring Range Minimum: $151,300

Hiring Range Maximum: $180,000

Union Type: Not a Union Position

SEIU Level: Not an SEIU Position

FLSA Status: Exempt

Employment Category: Regular Full Time

Scheduled Months per Year: 12

Scheduled Hours per Week: 40

Schedule: This position will primarily work Monday thru Friday from 8-5 pm. However, this position will require the ability to travel, work nights, and weekends to attend athletic events and connect with donors.

Location of Position: Hanover, NH

Remote Work Eligibility?: Onsite only

Is this a term position?: No

Is this a grant funded position?: No

Position Purpose: The Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development is charged with strategic oversight of Dartmouth’s growing athletics fundraising and stewardship program. This new role will develop and execute a strategic plan to inspire new levels of engagement, commitment, and philanthropic support from alumni, parents, and friends, including growth in annual unrestricted, capital and endowment gifts to support Athletics priorities. This position is accountable for spearheading initiatives focused on Athletics fundraising and monitoring and reporting on progress toward goals. Critical to success will be working closely with Development fundraisers in Principal Gifts, Leadership Giving, Family Giving, the Dartmouth College Fund and key principals in the athletic department including the Athletics Director, athletics administration, coaches, and volunteers including members of the Dartmouth Athletics Advisory Board to develop and execute on strategies to ensure success in meeting athletics fundraising goals.

Required Qualifications - Education and Yrs Exp: Bachelors or equivalent combination of education and experience

Required Qualifications - Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

• 10+ years of relevant fundraising or development experience in educational fundraising, or the equivalent
• Demonstrated success in soliciting and closing six and seven-figure gifts
• Staff and volunteer management experience
• Demonstrated analytical and strategic thinking capabilities
• Experience in the creation and marketing of gift opportunities
• Maturity, intelligence, and professionalism that earn the respect of senior leadership, colleagues, volunteers and donors
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; adept at presenting complicated information
• Highly collegial and service-oriented
• Engaging personality and sense of humor
• Well-refined organizational and project management skills combined with individual initiative, strong work ethic, and creative energy
• Demonstrated negotiation skills and an understanding of prospect-centered fundraising combined with strategic planning experience
• Ability to work both independently and as part of multiple teams
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to travel, work nights, and weekends

Preferred Qualifications:

• Athletic fundraising experience
• Background in athletics and a demonstrated commitment to competitive excellence
• Campaign experience
• Experience working in a large, complex development operation
• Experience raising leadership gift funds for special projects and programs
• Experience motivating and inspiring others to perform
• Strong executive communication skills (verbal/written) and ability to lead and work across the organization and interact/influence/negotiate effectively

Key Accountabilities:

• Responsible for developing engagement strategies for high-net-worth individuals interested in supporting athletics priorities through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of prospects capable of making current-use and capital commitments of six, seven, and eight figure gifts. Participates in the regular review of prospect pools with field staff to identify and build the pipeline of prospects whose philanthropic potential and interests may warrant further action in support of Athletics and manages a personal prospect portfolio of approximately 30-50 families. Partners with fellow fundraising leaders in principal gifts, leadership gifts, gift planning and professional schools to ensure collaboration between teams and meeting of mutual objectives. Utilizes knowledge base of tax, investment, and legal aspects of charitable giving and articulates this knowledge clearly and effectively in discussions with prospective donors, their counsel, colleagues, and volunteers. Serves as resource to staff on matters of prospect strategy; offers new approaches and techniques; and seeks to provide creative solutions to complex solicitations. Works both independently and in concert with senior officers, Trustees, colleagues, and volunteers to implement strategies including direct solicitation of gifts. In this capacity, the Senior Associate AD for Development will partner with both the VP for Development and the Athletics Director and their respective staff to develop engagement and solicitation plans. As appropriate, responsible for staffing the Athletics Director at games on campus, pre- and post-game receptions, and regionally at advancement organized gatherings. (50%)
• Leads and supervises the athletics fundraising team to develop and implement annual fundraising programs in support of Friends Of athletic teams (with a focus on direct mail and email strategies), all events including on campus receptions before and after contests and regional gatherings, and a comprehensive stewardship program including but not limited to stewardship letters and reports, donor recognition lists, donor events, and donor thank-you gifts. Collaborates with Athletics, Advancement Communications, Development and Academic Coordination and Donor Engagement to develop marketing materials, create support materials, and other media of use to field staff. Working with senior management, manages and executes special fundraising communications to prospects and donors. Leads the effort to establish benchmarks and evaluate progress on solicitation activity, oversees progress toward stated Athletics fundraising objectives, and manages toward specified fundraising deadlines and goals. Plans and participates in regular planning meetings, actively participates in the development of cultivation plans and strategies for expanding philanthropic support and rallying the community around athletics initiatives. (25%)
• Develops and executes a comprehensive strategy for Athletics Fundraising to raise upwards of $9 million or more through the Friends Of programs annually, and $3 million through their personal major gift portfolio. In partnership with the Athletics Director and Vice President for Development, develops a capital project strategy that integrates seamlessly with the overall athletics engaging and philanthropy plan. Evaluates and recommends KPIs and benchmarks for athletics philanthropy department wide. Recommends opportunities to engage and communicate with appropriate segments of donors and prospects. Establishes performance goals for the team and is accountable for these goals. Creates a report-driven environment in collaboration with VP-wide efforts to support solicitation and prospect management activities and manages toward specific fundraising deadlines. Keeps senior leadership apprised of progress toward goals, informs development staff of project updates, and recommends strategic and tactical changes as necessary to build the pipeline to scale. Reports out to senior leadership and external audiences on fundraising progress toward goal. (15%)
• In partnership with the Athletics Department staff, recruits, trains, motivates, and manages volunteer members of the Dartmouth Athletics Advisory Board. May work with volunteers of other committees to ensure success in meeting goal. (10%)

Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness through actions, interactions, and communications with others. Performs other duties as assigned.