Oklahoma State University Foundation · 1 day ago
Associate Vice President of Development, Athletics
Stillwater, OK
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
7+ years expOklahoma State University Foundation is dedicated to transforming the university through the power of generosity. They are seeking an Associate Vice President of Development for Athletics to lead comprehensive revenue strategies and enhance philanthropic support for OSU Athletics and student-athletes.
Fundraising
Responsibilities
Lead the development team by designing and executing a comprehensive development strategy for OSU Athletics with key initiatives on Principal Gift level donors ($1M and above), and the implementation of sport-specific funding strategies
Develop and implement funding strategies for OSU Athletics, including non-traditional funding, major philanthropic gifts, and capital campaigns
Oversee and mentor development staff, providing leadership, training, and performance management, to continually grow the donor base by identifying new prospective supporters, elevate donor participation among current donors and implement strategic principal gift strategies
Coordinate efforts of the traditional philanthropic fundraising methods with existing business partners and connect businesses with new funding opportunities supporting OSU Athletics
Foster a culture of role clarity, consistency, accountability, collaboration, and donor-centered service
Establish consistent funding goals and metrics for all major gift development officers dedicated to fundraising for OSU Athletics
Cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with alumni, donors, and prospects, leveraging best practices in donor pipeline development and major gift cultivation ensuring fundraising success and that best practices in overall donor experience are consistent at all giving levels
Serve as a member of the OSU Foundation’s Development Leadership Team (DLT)
Collaborate with university and athletic leadership to identify fundraising priorities and opportunities, including innovative or non-traditional support opportunities, naming opportunities for athletic facilities, and capital projects
Partner with coaches, staff, and campus stakeholders to advance development initiatives and ensure buy-in for new processes and procedures
Help major gift development officers adopt a holistic perspective when working with prospective donors who can provide charitable support through the OSU Foundation as well as NIL support through separate avenues. The end goal is to work with the outside NIL team so that proposals optimize both streams of revenue for OSU Athletics while ensuring a positive donor experience
Coordinate fundraising activities with the Cowboy Athletics Board in alignment with the Athletic Director as the President of Cowboy Athletics, Inc. (CAI) by collaborating with OSU Athletics on CAI fundraising meetings, activities, and communication with the board of directors
Present to the CAI Board of Directors any new fundraising opportunities and possible methods of implementation and execution
Update the CAI Board of Directors on progress in executing new fundraising opportunities
Inform the CAI Board of Directors of performance metrics related to fundraising
Ensure communication with the CAI Board of Directors is consistent with OSU Foundation initiatives
Other duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as Business Administration, Sports Management, Public Administration, Communications, or a related discipline
7–10+ years of progressive experience in fundraising, development, or advancement, preferably within higher education or athletics
Demonstrated success in major gift fundraising (including principal gifts of $1M+), capital campaigns, and donor stewardship
Leadership experience managing teams, developing staff, and driving organizational change
Experience collaborating with boards, senior university leadership, and external stakeholders
Track record of designing and executing comprehensive development strategies and working with sport-specific funding initiatives
Experience with donor relations, alumni engagement, and business partnerships in a university or nonprofit setting
Effective Communication: Able to present effectively to large groups of individuals; is clear, articulate and direct in sharing and providing feedback; develops communication plans to ensure effective transparency and involvement throughout the organization; able to present complex issues appropriately for a target audience; maintains communication with all staff and stakeholders
Execution & Initiative: Drives a high performance culture, having the ability to differentiate performance and demonstrate managerial courage; maintains focus on organizational priorities and sets challenging performance goals for units; invest personal energy and time in building buy-in among key influencers in advance of critical decisions; seeks to ensure that strategic initiatives are effectively executed and communicated to relevant audiences within the organization; encourages an environment in which results surpass activity and teamwork surpasses results; able to remain focused on only mission-related initiatives
Teamwork/Interpersonal Skills: Builds cohesive teams of people across OSUF based on strong personal trust and relationships; motivates the organization to increase employee engagement levels; constantly assesses and builds team morale; seeks out relationships with experts as a means of obtaining information about best practices and skills vital to departmental and organizational success; maximizes personal networks in different parts of the organization, campus & community partners, and effectively uses contacts to achieve unit results
Problem Solving/Judgment: Oversees the development of guidelines, principles and approaches; appropriately applies risk management practices, including the escalation of risk issues, and recognizes and undertakes opportunities for others to learn from inevitable mistakes, and incorporates experience in future decisions; able to anticipate problems/challenges and required strategy for a situation; makes connections among previously unrelated ideas and looks beyond the first right answer
Adaptability/Flexibility: Plays an active role in implementing change; encourages others to challenge the status quo; able to quickly adapt and lead during changing circumstances; foresees potential breakdown in the establishment/development of change and proactively recommends modifications to maintain standards of deliverables; anticipates specific reasons underlying resistance to change and proactively implements approaches to address potential concerns; remains active, visible and engaged throughout all stages of change management
Courage & Conviction: Takes responsibility for departmental outcomes regardless of success and learns from all results; creates a departmental environment where failure is seen as an opportunity for learning
Donor Centered: Uses donor and university feedback to improve service and feed into the business planning; builds performance-based business relationships by identifying and meeting donor needs rather than simply relying on social or affiliated relationships
Must use a computer terminal and view a computer screen for extended periods of time
Must talk in person or by phone (frequently and sometimes for extended periods) to people on campus and across the country
Must constantly use visual acuity to check printed and designed materials of various types
Must be able to navigate within the OSU Foundation
Typical office working conditions
Preferred
Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Sports Administration, Nonprofit Management, or Higher Education Leadership
Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE)
Company
Oklahoma State University Foundation
As the private fundraising organization for Oklahoma State University, the OSU Foundation exists to unite donor passions with university priorities to elevate the impact of OSU.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageCompany data provided by crunchbase