[Hiring] Senior Director, Principal Gifts & Strategic Fundraising @The Catholic University of America

Role Description

The Senior Director, Principal Gifts & Strategic Fundraising is a frontline fundraising leader responsible for the University’s highest-capacity donor relationships and for securing philanthropic support for institutional and cross-cutting priorities that do not reside within a single school or unit. This position manages a portfolio of principal-level prospects ($1M+), drives expansion and analysis of the University’s major and principal gift pipeline, and leads fundraising for strategic initiatives, interdisciplinary programs, and emerging priorities.

• Build and manage a portfolio of principal- and leadership-level prospects.
• Proactively expand the University’s major and principal gift pipeline.
• Personally solicit and close principal and major gifts.
• Lead strategic opportunity development for institutional and cross-cutting priorities.
• Provide concierge-level engagement for the University’s most significant donors.
• Collaborate across the institution to coordinate donor strategy.
• Partner with and support the EVP on the highest-level donor relationships.
• Meet defined performance, pipeline, and revenue expectations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree with 10+ years of progressive fundraising experience.
• Demonstrated success at the major and/or principal gift level.
• Proven track record of securing seven-figure commitments, preferably in higher education or a complex institutional setting.
• Experience building and managing a diverse portfolio across a range of gift levels and donor types.
• Identifying, developing, and closing gifts for cross-cutting or non-traditional funding opportunities.

Requirements

• Proficiency with CRM systems for portfolio management and pipeline tracking.
• Experience with prospect research, wealth screening, forecasting tools, and proposal development.
• Exceptional relationship builder with executive presence and discretion.
• Strategic thinker with an enterprise-wide, institutional perspective.
• Low ego, highly collaborative, and team-oriented.
• Entrepreneurial, proactive, and innovative.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and emerging priorities.
• Able to operate across institutional silos and build trust with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and portfolio management discipline.
• Commitment to the mission of The Catholic University of America.

Benefits

• Projected salary range: $165,000 to $170,000 annually.