Managing Director of Regional Development

Summary

Description

Posting Detail Information

Working Title Managing Director of Regional Development Position Location Fort Collins, CO Work Location Position qualifies for hybrid/in-office work Research Professional Position No Posting Number 202501108AP Position Type Admin Professional/ Research Professional Classification Title Management I Number of Vacancies 1 Work Hours/Week 40 Proposed Annual Salary Range $115,000 – $140,000 Employee Benefits

Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.
 

• Review our detailed benefits information here.
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• Lastly, click here for more information about why Fort Collins is consistently ranked in the top cities to live in!
   

Desired Start Date 09/22/2025 Position End Date (if temporary) To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on 09/07/2025 Description of Work Unit

Who We Are

Located in the beautiful town of Fort Collins, Colorado, CSU is a premier land-grant university with world-class programs in education, outreach, and research. CSU has a student body of over 34,000 students, 7,400 employees, 232,000 living alumni, and annual research expenditures exceeding $350 million. Guided by the Principles of Community, the University constantly pursues its mission and vision of access, research, teaching, service, and engagement.

The Division of University Advancement is integral to achieving and sustaining institutional excellence through fundraising and engagement efforts. The Division has one of the leading development teams in the country and places a strong emphasis on professional learning and personal growth for its employees, including educational opportunities, onboarding and mentoring programs. We are always looking for great people to join our team!

The Strategic Philanthropy team serve as university-wide ambassadors who develop relationships and connect alumni, donors, parents and friends throughout the country with Colorado State University and directs the research activity that supports major gift development activity across all stages of the donor lifecycle. This team develops actionable information on individuals and organizations that have the capacity and interest to support the university at a major gift ($25,000and above) level.

Position Summary

This position will lead the team responsible for regional development and qualification of university-wide major gift prospects. The position will be based in Fort Collins and will include frequent national travel. This position reports to the Associate Vice President of University Philanthropy.

The Managing Director of Development will work on donor qualification, as well as cultivation and solicitation of major donors ($50,000+) gifts. This position is responsible for creating and managing a strategy for a continuous pipeline of donors, including but not limited to initial outreach (e.g., cold calling), identifying appropriate engagement opportunities, and collaborating with other units to ensure effective donor transitions. This position will also direct the training and qualification skill building for development officers.

The ideal candidate will be a consummate professional and will thrive in a fast-paced, metrics/results-driven fundraising environment and is willing to travel extensively. The candidate will have a demonstrated ability to maintain focus and employ adaptability while working collaboratively with donors, prospective donors, alumni, colleagues, faculty, staff, and students.

Required Job Qualifications
 

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of eight years’ experience in development/advancement, marketing or sales
• Minimum of five years in supervisory roles managing professional employees
• Must be able to travel and work non-standard hours, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends
• A demonstrated ability to engage and effectively communicate with a variety of audiences.
• Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license or access to a licensed driver by the employment start date.
   

Preferred Job Qualifications
 

• Experience leading regional development programs toward successful completion of annual goals and metrics
• Demonstrates determination and an intentional attitude toward follow-through, and reaching individual and team goals in a collaborative environment.
• Strong ability to develop fundraising analysis, capacity and affinity assessments.
• Excellent communication skills with proven written ability and expertise in use of grammar
• Demonstrates focus and ability to plan, coordinate, prioritize, and effectively execute a complex moves management system for 150+ donors at once
• Experience facilitating training for development officers and other professionals
• Ability to exercise considerable initiative, independent judgment, self-motivation, and discretion.
• Understanding of higher education and university operations.
• CFRE certification
   

Essential Duties

Job Duty Category Prospect Identification and Qualification Duty/Responsibility
 

• Meets the agreed upon metrics for prospect outreach (contact attempts), visits and qualifications; to initially include a minimum of 130 contact attempts, 15+ personal visits and five new qualified prospects per month.
• Works closely with prospect development, alumni relations, and college and unit directors of development to strategically identify major gift prospects ($50,000+).
• Maintain a consistent travel cadence to assigned regional cities/territories to meaningfully engage with alumni and donors
• Uses fundraising principles to develop and implement best strategies to initiate contact and develop initial relationships with potential major gift prospects.
• Qualifies, cultivates, and solicits prospective major gift donors who have the capacity to give $50,000 and above.
• Facilitates relationships with donors, potential donors, upper level university administration, and university personnel by providing accurate information, problem solving techniques and strategies, and by identifying university-wide areas for donor engagement.
• Collaborates with development colleagues across the university to effectively transition primary donor management to most appropriate college/unit
• Prioritizes major gift prospects based on fundraising principles.
• Maintains a high degree of confidentiality and adheres to the industry policies and procedures for accepting, recording, and acknowledging gifts.
• Organize personalized campus visits and host alumni, donors and potential donors on campus.
• Must be willing and able to travel, including overnight and occasional weekends for 12-18 trips/year.
   

Percentage Of Time 55% Job Duty Category Strategic Planning and Division Collaboration Duty/Responsibility
 

• Develops fundraising analysis, capacity and affinity assessments, and engagement recommendations for each qualified donor, and provides expertise to development colleagues when transitioning management of newly qualified prospects
• Establishes and drives team strategy for ensuring success of annual performance goals and regional outreach.
• Develops and facilitates qualification training for development officers and other professionals including curriculum delivery and creation of training materials.
• Establishes meaningful, collegial working relationships with development colleagues and other University offices. Understands the roles of each program in order to recommend and connect donor interest to appropriate programs.
• Works with Prospect Management & Research team to ensure the successful continuous cultivation and solicitation by college/unit development staff (for all personally identified qualified prospects).
• Represent Regional Development at local and regional university events, including many nights and weekends.
   

Percentage Of Time 25% Job Duty Category Supervision and Budget Management Duty/Responsibility
 

• Oversees, tracks, and allocates expenses for regional development budget used for team projects, travel, events and/or programs with responsibility to make recommendations for additional resource needs.
• Hires, trains, motivates and oversees members of the regional development team, including composing and delivering annual performance evaluations.
• Submits timely contact reports and produces briefing papers for university leadership involved in the development process.
• Independently tracks and analyzes contact attempts, success rates, new qualified prospects, and donor manager transitions, and shares this information with leadership and development professionals throughout campus.
   

Percentage Of Time 20%

Application Details

Special Instructions to Applicants

To apply, please upload a cover letter that addresses the required and preferred job qualifications, a resume, and the contact information for three professional references. References will not be contacted without prior notification to candidates.

CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.

Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

Conditions of Employment Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires), Valid Driver’s License, Travel Search Contact Ray Beresford, ray.beresford@colostate.edu EEO

Colorado State University (CSU) provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Background Check Policy Statement

Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.