Associate Director of Development (Major Gifts Officer)

Department: Col of Humanities and Soc Science

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:The mission of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences' Office of Development is to raise private philanthropic funds in support of students, faculty, departments, programs, and centers within the College. We also explicitly support the efforts of the advancement offices of other colleges and the university as a whole. This is accomplished by building relationships with alumni, friends, parents and students and by soliciting donations, major gifts, planned gifts, and corporate and foundation support. Alumni relations are cultivated and maintained through outreach efforts.
About the Position:The Associate Director of Development/Major Gift Officer’s primary responsibilities include working closely with the Senior Director of Development, Dean, Department Chairs, volunteer/advisory Boards, Faculty, and Senior Staff members to develop fundraising priorities and strategies. The position also partners with central Advancement, advancement colleagues, and School colleagues to advance philanthropic giving to key priorities through ongoing annual fundraising, alumni engagement, corporate and foundation relations, and major, principle, and planned giving.

This is a position that is heavily focused on networking and building relationships and is committed to the tracking of measures and metrics to build a pipeline of donors to support the aspirations of the dean, faculty and students of the School and the university as a whole.
Responsibilities:Maintain Personal Portfolio and Supports Comprehensive Fundraising Program Supports successful execution of a comprehensive fundraising program that appropriately partners with and leverages resources from the central advancement team to accomplish objectives;Carries and maintains a portfolio of 90 to 100 Prospects that are being moved through the donor engagement process culminating in, MAJOR or PRINCIPAL gifts (as defined by George Mason’s Advancement team);Meets or exceeds all metrics and expectations set by Central Advancement;Actively engages each prospect in their portfolio to ensure prospect movement and portfolio penetration annually;Minimum of 50% Portfolio Penetration working toward 75% Portfolio Penetration;Submits 2-4 “Asks” per month for a total of a minimum of 24 per year;Develops strategies and implementation of major and principal gifts for the School, in concert with central Advancement and Alumni Relations;Strategizes about which major gifts would have the greatest value to and impact on the School and prioritizes said gifts;Works with donors to try to interest them in gifts that have the greatest value to and impact on the School;Understands that certain gifts will transform the school more than others, and takes responsibility for pursuing and capturing more valuable gifts;Engages a wide range of colleagues, alumni, donors, prior faculty and staff, and individuals who might be able to help in pursuing/winning major gifts;Finds new and creative ways to engage donors that will enrich the donor experience and add value to the academic life of the University;Seeks the assistance of a wide range of people in identifying prospects who might make major gifts in the future;Assists with planning and implementation of school efforts to raise individual, corporate and foundation funds;As appropriate, is personally responsible for the direct solicitation of gifts and for preparing the Dean, members of School advisory boards, members of the school’s Advancement team, faculty, staff, and other members of the School and/or University to make solicitations;Coordinates the efforts of those who can assist in fundraising;Tracks contacts, asks, and funds raised;Drafts proposals and pledge agreements for potential donors and proposes and coordinates appropriate cultivation and stewardship activities;Travels as necessary for donor outreach and cultivation;Works with offices across campus to coordinate related activities that further the University’s mission and achieve fundraising goals;Assists in overseeing the School’s portfolio of donors and potential donors, both individually and through the management of the team to maximize unit revenue from philanthropic giving;Conducts discovery visits with prospective donors as identified by Central Advancement Research and will also hand-off or disqualify individuals from their portfolio based on an unwillingness to connect, lack of affinity, or philanthropic interest in another aspect of Mason; Regularly updates supervisors as to any fundraising and relationship-building activities taking place in the School; andDisplays good judgment and confidentiality.Coordination with Central Advancement Coordinates fundraising with other departments and utilizes services as appropriateEnsures consistent and adequate communication between the School/Unit and Central Advancement; andWorks closely with Central Advancement services, including, but not limited to, Planned Giving, Annual Giving, Parents and Family Philanthropy, University Priorities, Alumni Relations, Communications, Systems, Operations, Donor Relations, Gifts and Records, etc.Other Related Duties as Assigned Performs other duties as required or assigned, which are reasonably within the scope of the duties in this job classification.
Required Qualifications:Master’s degree in related field;Considerable successful professional advancement and/or fundraising-related experience or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience (generally three to five years);A considerable record of successful major gift solicitations and experience designing and executing donor identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies;Demonstrated experience with successful collaboration with teams or stakeholders;Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously and meeting continuous deadlines;Experience documenting appropriate information in a donor management database system;Experience interacting with a wide variety of constituents, such as, donors, prospects, trustees, and faculty and staff;Excellent research skills;Demonstrated written and oral communication skills;Possess the ability to solicit and engage major donor prospects;Demonstrated skill in CRM fundraising software; andPossess understanding of, and the ability to articulate, the accomplishments and goals of a complex organization.
Preferred Qualifications:Substantial (generally six– nine years) experience in major gifts fundraising, preferably in higher education;Skill in Salesforce; andSkill in Microstrategy, or similar reporting platform.
Instructions to Applicants: For full consideration, applicants must apply for Associate Director of Development (Major Gifts Officer) at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/letter of Intent with Resume for review.
Posting Open Date: August 7, 2025For Full Consideration, Apply by:  August 21, 2025Open Until Filled:  Yes