| Detailed Description: |
This position is responsible for helping meet the fundraising objectives of the USD Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Under the supervision of the Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Development, the Assistant Athletic Director of Development for the Torero Athletic Fund (TAF) is a frontline fundraiser and team leader responsible for driving philanthropic support for USD Athletics through annual fund growth, major gifts, and exceptional stewardship. The Assistant Athletic Director owns the annual fund strategy for TAF, manages a dynamic portfolio of prospects (leadership annual and major gift), and partners closely with coaches, Athletics leadership, and Advancement colleagues to deliver a best‑in‑class donor experience. The role also oversees signature stewardship and engagement events that deepen donor loyalty and lifetime value.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Annual Fund Leadership & Strategy
- Develop and execute the annual fundraising plan for TAF, including revenue, membership growth, and retention targets across giving levels.
- Own the leadership annual giving program for Athletics (e.g., $1,000–$24,999), including segmentation, appeals, and personalized cultivation plans.
- Partner with Marketing/Communications to produce an integrated calendar of campaigns (email, direct mail, social, game‑day, text, and digital giving days).
- Coordinate with Ticketing and Business Operations to align benefits, priority points/seating, and renewal processes with TAF membership tiers.
Collaboration & Leadership
- Serve as the primary liaison to coaches and sport administrators on TAF strategy, aligning messaging and opportunities across programs while maintaining a centralized benefits structure.
- Provide guidance to staff and student workers supporting annual fund, stewardship, and events; may directly supervise coordinators or assistants.
- Model USD’s values and commitment to student‑athlete success; contribute to a culture of inclusivity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Major Gift Fundraising
- Manage a portfolio of 50-100 prospects with capacity at $10K+; conduct 100-125 annual prospect meetings with a focus on qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Create clear strategies and written next steps for each prospect; prepare proposals and gift agreements in partnership with Advancement Services.
- Secure multi‑year leadership commitments to TAF and, when aligned, sport‑specific or capital priorities in collaboration with central development and coaches.
- Leverage matching gift programs and corporate philanthropy to maximize donor impact and close rates.
Pipeline, Data & Reporting
- Maintain timely, accurate contact reports, strategies, and proposals in the CRM; use dashboards to monitor progress to goal.
- Partner with Prospect Research to identify and qualify new prospects; build targeted portfolios for coaches and senior leaders as appropriate.
- Track KPIs for outreach, visits, proposals, closes, renewals, and donor satisfaction; deliver monthly progress reports.
Stewardship & Donor Experience
- Design and deliver an annual stewardship plan for TAF members (acknowledgments, impact reports, recognition, and personalized touches).
- Supervise the benefit‑fulfillment calendar (e.g., HCC/TAF events, hospitality, meet‑and‑greets, behind‑the‑scenes experiences) in coordination with Events and Game Operations.
- Track and report on donor impact stories, student‑athlete highlights, and program outcomes to reinforce donor value and retention.
Collaboration & Leadership
- Serve as the primary liaison to coaches and sport administrators on TAF strategy, aligning messaging and opportunities across programs while maintaining a centralized benefits structure.
- Provide guidance to staff and student workers supporting annual fund, stewardship, and events; may directly supervise coordinators or assistants.
- Model USD’s values and commitment to student‑athlete success; contribute to a culture of inclusivity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Special Conditions of Employment:
Athletics Development is a complex division with various responsibilities to the university-at-large, various institutional constituencies, the president, senior administrative staff, and the Board of Trustees. This employee’s personality and temperament are just as important as any particular skill. This employee must have the ability to maintain a professional demeanor, utilize tact and discretion, and maintain the strictest confidentiality.
Background check: Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.
Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.
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| Job Requirements: |
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Assistant Athletic Director: Four years+ of fundraising or related experience required.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as exceptional critical listening and thinking skills.
- Command of the English language, including AP writing style and standard grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, and proofreading skill.
- Strong teamwork and leadership skills. Experience in managing teams at all levels across an organization.
- Effective strategic thinking, creative problem solving, attention to detail, and the ability to identify key issues proactively and to formulate recommendations for change or improvement.
- Excellent organizational and time management skills.
- Ability to respond to unanticipated situations and shift priorities at a moment’s notice in a fast-paced office environment.
- Advanced experience with Microsoft Word and Excel; ability to learn new computer programs quickly and efficiently.
- A commitment to quality, client/colleague-oriented service; tact and discretion in maintaining confidentiality with campus administrators, trustees, or donors.
- Friendly and personable; mature, positive attitude; a team player.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in nonprofit development, sales and/or higher education preferred.
- Experience in NCAA Div. 1 Athletics preferred.
Performance Expectations - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Expected to meet and achieve fundraising metrics and goals related to: prospecting, number of donor contacts and visits, number of gifts and funds raised.
- Ability to initiate, lead, coordinate, and complete various projects with minimal supervision.
- Independent judgment when making decisions with the ability to think and act globally.
- Comfort level with public speaking.
- Excellent human relations skills and the ability to work with various university constituents; ability to develop and use empathetic listening skills, communicate with clarity, and maintain an attitude that conveys respect, cooperation, honesty, and resourcefulness.
- Adept at identifying problems, issues, and opportunities as they arise, appropriate responsiveness, including advising staff and/or the vice president appropriately.
- Proficiency with donor database/prospect management systems.
- Knowledge of USD policies and procedures; ability to become familiar with university history, customs and protocols, departmental structures and systems, fiscal procedures, and personnel policies.
- Flexibility in work schedule to permit occasional early morning, evening, and weekend duty, as needed.
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