Senior Director of Development for University Priorities

Department: Advancement and Alumni Relations

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The University Priorities/Corporate and Foundation Relations (UP/CFR) team is a central unit within University Advancement and Alumni Relations at George Mason University. The team is responsible for cultivating, managing, and stewarding relationships with corporations, foundations, and other external partners to secure philanthropic support that advances Mason’s most pressing institutional priorities.

The Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations division is a comprehensive development and alumni relations enterprise with a staff complement of approximately 125 FTE. Functional units within Advancement include development/fundraising, alumni relations, stewardship and donor relations, advancement communications, special events, gift processing, research, prospect management, gift planning, corporate and foundation relations, information systems and management, and infrastructure services.

Advancement's mission is to build strong, lifelong relationships with George Mason University's alumni and constituents, while matching their philanthropic interests with the university aspirations and priorities. The division is committed to serving the needs of the university, our alumni, and the greater community by providing access to quality education and lifelong learning. Respect, service, integrity, collaboration, transparency, and creativity are the values that guide our work and culture.

About the Position:

The Senior Director of Development for University Priorities serves as a senior fundraising leader within the University Priorities/Corporate and Foundation Relations (UP/CFR) team, part of University Advancement and Alumni Relations. This position is responsible for driving philanthropic investment in high-visibility, cross-disciplinary initiatives that advance Mason’s strategic vision and elevate the university’s regional and national impact.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for University Priorities and Corporate and Foundation Relations, the Senior Director of University Priorities provides leadership in fundraising strategy, team coordination, and partnership engagement across the university. The role emphasizes the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major and principal gift prospects, with a particular focus on university-wide initiatives such as Fuse at Mason Square, the Military, Veterans & Families Initiative, and the Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP).

Responsibilities:

Maintains Personal Portfolio and Supports Comprehensive Fundraising Program

• Manages an active portfolio of 50 - 60 major and principal gift prospects (individuals, corporations, and foundations) with the capacity to make gifts of $100,000+ (as defined by George Mason’s Advancement team);
• Conducts ongoing qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of portfolio prospects to advance them through the donor cycle;
• Maintains minimum of 50% Portfolio Penetration working toward 75% Portfolio Penetration;
• Develops and implements customized cultivation strategies and solicitations that align donor interests with university priorities;
• Makes a minimum of 24 major gift solicitations (“asks”) annually, with a focus on securing gifts of $100,000 and above;
• Partners with faculty leaders, deans, and senior administrators to develop compelling proposals and engagement opportunities for high-value prospects;
• Maintains accurate and timely prospect strategies, contact reports, and pipeline updates in the university’s advancement CRM;
• Meets or exceeds all metrics and expectations set by Central Advancement;
• Supports successful execution of a comprehensive fundraising program that appropriately partners with and leverages resources from the central advancement team to accomplish objectives;
• Travels, independently, as necessary for donor outreach and cultivation;
• Works with offices across campus to coordinate related activities that further the university’s mission and achieve fundraising goals;
• Finds new and creative ways to engage donors that will enrich the donor experience and add value to the academic life of the university;
• Works with staff to engage all alumni to advance the percentage of active involvement and increase alumni donations;
• Seeks the assistance of a wide range of stakeholders in identifying prospects who might make major gifts in the future;
• Assists in overseeing the University Priority team’s portfolio of donors and potential donors both individually and through the management of the team to maximize unit revenue from philanthropic giving;
• Conducts discovery visits with prospective donors as identified by Central Advancement Research and will also hand-off or disqualify individuals from their portfolio based on an unwillingness to connect, lack of affinity, or philanthropic interest in another aspect of Mason; and
• Regularly updates supervisors as to any fundraising and relationship-building activities taking place.

Collaboration with Central Advancement & Schools/Colleges/Units

• Coordinates with unit-based development officers, Donor Relations, and Advancement Services to ensure a seamless and effective donor experience;
• Serves as a key liaison to cross-campus teams and special project groups to integrate philanthropic strategies into university-wide initiatives;
• Represents the university to high-level external partners, corporate leaders, and foundation executives, strengthening relationships that elevate George Mason’s reputation and philanthropic success; and
• Actively participate in donor cultivation events, advisory councils, and campaign activities to support university priorities.

Supervision of Staff

• Provides leadership to the University Priorities development team, ensuring alignment of fundraising efforts with institutional priorities and campaign goals;
• Collaborates closely with university leadership - including the President, Provost, Vice President for Advancement, and Deans - to position George Mason’s most transformative initiatives for philanthropic investment;
• Develops and executes multi-year fundraising strategies to secure six-, seven-, and eight-figure commitments in support of university priorities;
• Contributes to campaign planning, goal setting, and strategy development at both the unit and university-wide levels;
• Organizes workflow and ensures that employees understand their duties or delegated tasks;
• Monitors employee productivity and provides constructive feedback and coaching;
• Receives complaints and resolves problems;
• Maintains timekeeping and personnel records;
• Passes on information from upper management to employees and vice versa;
• Prepares and submits performance evaluations;
• Decides on rewards and promotions based on performance; and
• Hires and trains new employees.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Ensures adherence to legal and university policies and procedures and undertakes disciplinary actions if the need arises; and
• Performs other related duties as required or assigned, which are reasonably within the scope of the duties in this job classification.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Extensive (generally, 10 or more years) successful professional advancement and/or fundraising-related experience or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience;
• An extensive record of successful major gift solicitations and experience designing and executing donor identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies;
• Significant experience with successful collaboration with teams or stakeholders;
• Considerable supervisory experience (generally two or more years);
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously and meeting continuous deadlines;
• Experience documenting appropriate information in a donor management database system; 
• Experience interacting with a wide variety of constituents, such as, donors, prospects, trustees, and faculty and staff;
• Demonstrated written and oral communication skills;
• Demonstrated skill in CRM fundraising software;
• Excellent prospect research abilities;
• Possess the ability to solicit and engage major donor prospects; and
• Possess the understanding and ability to articulate the accomplishments and goals of a complex organization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Extensive (generally 10 or more years) experience in major gifts fundraising, preferably in higher education;
• Skilled in Salesforce; and
• Skilled in MicroStrategy, or similar reporting platform.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Senior Director of Development for University Priorities at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references, one of which must be a current supervisor, with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: October 10, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  October 24, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes