Description

POSITION SUMMARY: 

The OU Foundation seeks a strategic leader and experienced fundraiser to advance philanthropic support for the Colleges of Journalism & Mass Communications, Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences, Education, and Architecture at the University of Oklahoma. The Executive Director of Advancement – Norman Campus reports to the Assistant Vice President of Advancement for the Norman Campus and serves as a member of the Norman Campus leadership team. This role provides leadership for a team of fundraising professionals and is responsible for advancing a unit fundraising goal of $17 million annually across the assigned colleges. The role requires a collaborative, donorfirst mindset; a selfdirected, resultsoriented work style; and a high level of accountability for delivering fundraising results, managing performance expectations, and sustaining disciplined portfolio and activity management. The Executive Director demonstrates professionalism and integrity aligned with the ethical standards of the fundraising profession.

The Executive Director maintains an active portfolio and manages major and principal gift relationships, with direct responsibility for disciplined cultivation, strategic solicitation, and stewardship of high-impact philanthropic investments. The position carries an expected individual fundraising metric of $5 million annually ($25 million over a rolling five-year period), requires regular travel nationwide, and demands a demonstrated record of advancing complex, interdisciplinary fundraising priorities across multiple academic units and senior leaders.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Strategic Leadership & Cross-Campus Collaboration 

• Lead and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies across four academic units in alignment with college and university priorities.
• Enable a culture of philanthropy by equipping deans and academic leaders to effectively articulate vision, engage donors, and steward philanthropic investments.
• Partner with Principal Gift Officers, Planned Giving, and Corporate and Foundation Relations to shape and advance coordinated donor strategies and complex major and principal gift opportunities.
• Serve as a strategic connector between colleges and central campus units to ensure student support priorities are clearly articulated, aligned with institutional goals, and donor-ready.
• Oversee the advancement strategy for assigned colleges, partnering with development staff who serve as the primary strategic partners to deans and manage day-to-day engagement and activity.
• Demonstrates the ability to fundraise across multiple colleges strategically, integrating and partnering with advancement colleagues to champion aligned academic and institutional priorities.
• Provides effective leadership and coaching to advancement colleagues, setting clear expectations and fostering accountability in support of shared fundraising goals.
• Work closely with college-based faculty and staff to align institutional needs with donor interests.
• Bring a strategic, executionoriented mindset that advances and refines collegebased fundraising strategies to deliver consistent results across the assigned portfolio. 
• Maintain a collaborative, donorfirst approach and adapt comfortably to a matrixed environment, balancing institutional priorities with college and unitspecific needs.

Fundraising & Donor Engagement

• Serve as a senior frontline fundraiser for the Norman Campus, advancing institutional priorities through strategic donor engagement and solicitation.
• Maintain an active portfolio of major and principal gift prospects and oversee all aspects of the development cycle including identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Solicit and secure philanthropic support from individuals, corporations, and foundations in partnership with the Corporate and Foundation Relations team.
• Work closely with deans, faculty, and university leadership to design and execute strategic donor engagement opportunities and major gift solicitations.
• Lead complex donor strategies, including interdisciplinary and cross-college opportunities where donor interests align.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive donor engagement and travel strategy and regularly travel throughout the United States to build and strengthen relationships with donors and prospective donors while staying within approved budget parameters.

Stewardship, Operations & Compliance

• Document donor interactions, proposals, and solicitations in the prospect management system in a timely manner while maintaining accurate and confidential donor records.
• Collaborate with Annual Giving, Alumni Engagement, and Advancement Initiatives teams to advance integrated donor engagement and stewardship strategies.
• Work with legal documents including donor agreements and planned giving vehicles.
• Monitor, analyze, and report fundraising activity and the impact of donor funds to ensure transparency and alignment with donor intent.
• Contribute positively to a high-performance fundraising culture through consistent engagement, follow-through, collaboration, and shared accountability.

Perform related responsibilities as required or assigned.

Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

•  Demonstrated success soliciting and closing major and principal gifts through face-to-face donor engagement.
• Proven ability to deliver thoughtful, relationship-centered donor engagement while maintaining disciplined momentum across an active prospect portfolio.
• Comfort initiating outreach with new or previously unengaged prospects, including cold outreach, to identify philanthropic interest and expand the university’s donor base.
• Experience operating within defined engagement metrics and activity expectations to support consistent prospect outreach and long-term fundraising productivity.
• Analytical mindset capable of translating donor engagement activity and prospect information into thoughtful cultivation and solicitation strategies.
• Strong relationship-building skills with the capacity to engage university alumni, donors, administrators, faculty, students, and advancement colleagues.
• Strategic fundraising expertise capable of advancing priorities that span multiple academic units and institutional initiatives within a matrixed advancement environment.
• Comfort navigating complex academic and institutional environments while maintaining alignment with university-wide priorities.
• Sound judgment and discretion when managing confidential donor relationships and philanthropic strategies.
• Strong data awareness with the capacity to interpret prospect data, contact reports, and engagement metrics to inform strategy and guide next steps in the development cycle.
• Discipline in documenting donor engagement through timely and accurate entry of contact reports and prospect activity within the prospect management system.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and the ability to learn customized online software applications, including basic data analysis.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to deliver effective presentations to groups of various sizes and to draft, edit, and proofread donor communications, proposals, and reports that are clear, accurate, and publication ready.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the capacity to manage multiple complex initiatives and deadlines.
• Intellectual curiosity and willingness to learn evolving academic priorities, institutional strategies, and complex funding vehicles.
• Understanding of ethics as described in the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Standards, and the ability to demonstrate professionalism, integrity, and adaptability in alignment with the ethical expectations of the fundraising profession.
• Willingness and flexibility to travel regularly for donor engagement, including nationwide travel, with occasional evening or weekend work required.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline. 
• 8-10 years of experience in fundraising or advancement.
• Management experience required.

Preferences:

• Experienced in comprehensive fundraising campaigns, preferably for a higher education institution. 

Certifications:

• CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive) certification is preferred.

Please upload your cover letter and resume using the included application link.