Department Summary:

Drake University's Athletics Department competes in the Missouri Valley Conference at the NCAA Division I level. Bulldog student-athletes thrive in the classroom and their respective field of play. Drake Athletics sport programs are considered Des Moines’ Hometown Team. The department culture is predicated on a common value statement known as The Bulldog Way written by coaches, staff, and student-athletes. This intentional commitment to a championship culture is led by integrity, excellence, wanting the best for and best from one another, and aspiring to greatness provides a foundation for student-athletes, coaches, and athletics staff to study, work, and play.

Job Summary:

Drake University is seeking an energetic, collaborative, and results-driven professional to serve as the Director of Athletics Leadership Annual Giving and a key member of the Athletics Development team. Each year, Drake Athletics raises $3+ million in annual gifts that support the operations and strategic priorities of the department.

Drake Athletics engages alumni, parents, friends, corporations, foundations, Board of Trustee members, and students to meet annual budgetary goals and advance the department. This position plays a critical frontline fundraising role in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding leadership annual gifts while strategically expanding Drake Athletics’ annual giving program.

The ideal candidate will thrive in a fast-paced, metrics-driven environment and focus on significantly increasing the base of leadership-level annual fund gifts through proactive prospect and donor management. This position is embedded within the Drake Athletics department and works in close partnership with Drake University Advancement, including Annual Giving, Donor Relations, Alumni Engagement, Prospect Research, and the Drake Ticket Office.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• Minimum of 2–5 years of experience in fundraising, annual giving, or donor relations, preferably in higher education or intercollegiate athletics.

• Demonstrated success managing a donor portfolio and closing leadership-level annual gifts.

• Ability and willingness to travel regularly and work evenings and weekends as needed.

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.

• Experience using fundraising databases such as Raiser’s Edge or similar CRM systems.

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in a metrics-driven environment.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across departments and with diverse constituencies.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in intercollegiate athletics fundraising or leadership annual giving.

• Knowledge of athletics donor programs, benefits structures, and seating/priority point programs.

• Experience working with alumni, parents, and volunteer leadership.

• Demonstrated ability to grow donor participation and annual fund revenue.

Job Duties:

• 25% - Directly identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of approximately 300 alumni, parents, fans, and prospects supporting Drake Athletics. 
• 25% - Personally solicit a minimum of 250 leadership-level annual gifts of $1,000 or more each fiscal year to generate unrestricted support and assess donor financial capacity and inclination.
• 20% - Maintain a travel schedule of approximately 10–12 donor visits per month (125 annually), focused on: - 70% face-to-face solicitations - 30% discovery and stewardship visits. Travel will primarily occur in Iowa and contiguous states. 
• 10% - Execute leadership annual giving strategies that: - Retain current and re-engage lapsed athletics donors - Increase giving levels of current donors - Acquire new athletics donors - Increase unrestricted giving to the Bulldog Club and Baton Club - Increase restricted giving to sport excellence funds
• 10% - Develop and maintain a robust prospect pipeline of individuals capable of considering annual gifts of $5,000 or more within a given fiscal year. 
• 10% - Develop and implement targeted leadership annual giving solicitations for special projects and initiatives.

Salary and Benefits:

At Drake, we are proud to offer our employees, their spouses, and eligible dependents a comprehensive benefits package, which includes a wide range of core benefits, perks, and discounts. If you are exploring a job with Drake University, we invite you to spend a little time with our Drake Benefits Guide 2026. One of our popular policies provides a tuition waiver for Drake employees, their spouses, and eligible dependents. Drake also participates in not one, but two tuition exchange programs available to dependent children. Tuition Benefits