Senior Director – Principal Gifts & Strategic Fundraising
Full-TimeUpdated on 10/16/2026Deadline 8/18/27
$165k - $170k/yr
Expert
Bachelor's
United States
In Person
Sales & Account ManagementField Sales
About the job
Requirements
Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of progressive fundraising experience, including demonstrated success at the major and/or principal gift level and a 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, and identifying, developing, and closing gifts for cross-cutting or non-traditional funding opportunities.
Proficiency with customer relationship management (CRM) systems for portfolio management and pipeline tracking.
Experience with prospect research, wealth screening, forecasting tools, and proposal development.
Ability to build relationships with executive presence and discretion; think strategically with an enterprise-wide institutional perspective; collaborate across institutional silos and build trust with diverse stakeholders; operate proactively amid ambiguity and emerging priorities; and maintain strong organizational and portfolio management discipline.
Commitment to the mission of The Catholic University of America.
Responsibilities
Build and manage a portfolio of principal- and leadership-level prospects, developing long-term cultivation strategies for high-capacity individuals and families and identifying new donors for cross-cutting initiatives without an established donor base.
Expand the University’s major and principal gift pipeline, including $1M, $5M, and $10M+ prospects, and partner with unit-based fundraisers to develop and share principal-level prospect constituencies for priority projects.
Personally solicit and close principal and major gifts, including gifts of $1M+ and gifts across a broad range of $100K–$5M+, using tailored strategies for complex, multi-year, and non-traditional funding opportunities; advance prospects through the giving cycle with disciplined portfolio management and accurate forecasting.
Lead strategic opportunity development for institutional and cross-cutting priorities by managing prospect pool development for select projects, shaping fundable opportunities with academic and administrative leadership, translating interdisciplinary and university-wide initiatives into donor-ready proposals, and advising unit-based fundraisers on complex or cross-cutting prospects.
Provide personalized engagement for significant donors, serve as a trusted partner and advisor to principal-level donors, coordinate donor experiences and access, and contribute to stewardship plans with colleagues.
Coordinate donor strategy across the institution by partnering with school and unit fundraisers, avoiding duplication, referring or co-managing aligned prospects, and communicating to support institution-wide donor engagement.
Support the Executive Vice President’s work with the highest-level donors and prospects; track and report principal-gift activity and movement; and analyze information to prepare the Executive Vice President and President for donor meetings and engagement opportunities.
Meet defined pipeline, performance, and revenue expectations, including growing the principal-gift pipeline, meeting an annual fundraising goal aligned with portfolio capacity, conducting approximately 75–100 substantive prospect visits annually, producing quality proposals and solicitations emphasizing $500K+ and $1M+ gifts, advancing the pipeline toward commitments, and maintaining accurate forecasts and disciplined portfolio management.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Posting Title
Senior Director, Principal Gifts & Strategic Fundraising
Overview
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.
Reporting to the Executive Vice President of University Advancement, this role combines the depth of principal gift fundraising with the breadth of enterprise-wide opportunity development.
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.
The role is uniquely positioned to work across schools, programs, and leadership levels to align donor interests with the University’s most important priorities.
This is a senior frontline fundraising role with clearly defined performance expectations, including visit activity, pipeline growth, and revenue generation.
At the same time, the Senior Director is charged with leading strategy development in maintaining and expanding principal donor relationships and the institution’s prospect pipeline at this level.
The projected salary range for this position, which represents the full range of anticipated compensation, is: $165,000 to $170,000 annually.
Responsibilities
Build and manage a portfolio of principal- and leadership-level prospects.The Senior Director identifies, qualifies, and builds a portfolio spanning principal-level ($1M+) and leadership-level ($100K–$1M) prospects, developing long-term cultivation strategies for high-capacity individuals and families and identifying new donors for cross-cutting initiatives that lack an established donor base.
Proactively expand the University’s major and principal gift pipeline.The Senior Director drives expansion of the University’s pipeline of $1M, $5M, and $10M+ donor prospects—the primary deliverable of this role—and partners with unit-based fundraisers to build and share principal-level prospect constituencies for priority projects.
Personally solicit and close principal and major gifts.The Senior Director personally solicits and closes gifts at the $1M+ level, with capacity to manage gifts across a broad range ($100K–$5M+), developing tailored strategies for complex, multi-year, and non-traditional funding opportunities and advancing prospects through all stages of the giving cycle with disciplined portfolio management and accurate forecasting.
Lead strategic opportunity development for institutional and cross-cutting priorities.The Senior Director manages prospect pool development for select priority projects, partners with academic and administrative leadership to shape compelling, fundable opportunities, and translates interdisciplinary and university-wide initiatives into donor-ready proposals, serving as a resource to unit-based fundraisers on complex or cross-cutting prospects.
Provide concierge-level engagement for the University’s most significant donors.The Senior Director provides high-touch, highly personalized engagement for the University’s most significant donor relationships, serving as a trusted partner and advisor to principal-level donors, coordinating meaningful experiences and access, and contributing to principal donor stewardship plans in partnership with colleagues.
Collaborate across the institution to coordinate donor strategy.The Senior Director works in close partnership with school and unit fundraisers to support strategy development and leadership access, operates with transparency to avoid duplication of effort, refers or co-manages prospects when alignment with a unit fundraiser exists, and communicates proactively to ensure coordinated, institution-wide donor engagement.
Partner with and support the EVP on the highest-level donor relationships.The Senior Director supports the EVP’s work with the University’s highest-level donors and prospects, tracks and reports on all activity and movement at the principal gift level ($1M+), and conducts analysis to support the EVP and President in preparation for donor meetings and engagement opportunities.
Meet defined performance, pipeline, and revenue expectations.The Senior Director is accountable for measurable outcomes, including growth of the principal gift pipeline, an annual fundraising goal aligned with portfolio capacity, approximately 75–100 substantive prospect visits annually, quality proposals and solicitations emphasizing $500K+ and $1M+ gifts, pipeline movement toward major and principal commitments, and accurate forecasting and portfolio management discipline.
Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Formal Education and Practical Experience Required:
Bachelor's Degree with 10+ years of progressive fundraising experience, including demonstrated success at the major and/or principal gift level and a 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, and identifying, developing, and closing gifts for cross-cutting or non-traditional funding opportunities.
Proficiency with CRM systems for portfolio management and pipeline tracking; experience with prospect research, wealth screening, forecasting tools, and proposal development.
Other Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
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.