Job Description

Title: Senior Director, Philanthropy Engagement
Division Name: University Advancement
Department: Alumni and Donor Engagement
Campus Location: Normal, IL

Job Summary

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Alumni and Donor Engagement, the Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement provides strategic leadership and direct program execution for Illinois State University’s comprehensive philanthropic engagement programs. The Senior Director supervises, develops and provides strategic direction to the professional staff responsible for leadership annual giving, the Redbird Philanthropy Engagement Center, annual and constituent-based campaigns, digital philanthropy, crowdfunding and other special fundraising initiatives. While serving as the functional leader for the Philanthropic Engagement team, the Senior Director remains directly responsible for two significant areas of frontline work. First, the position serves as the key leader and implementer for Birds Give Back and as project manager for the University’s portfolio of annual-giving microcampaigns, coordinating strategy, timelines, communications, partnerships and execution across University Advancement and campus units. Second, the Senior Director manages a portfolio of leadership annual-giving prospects, with an expectation of completing approximately 40 substantive donor visits annually and advancing donors through qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. Working collaboratively across Alumni and Donor Engagement, University Advancement, academic units, Athletics and campus partners, the position uses data, segmentation, technology, testing and performance metrics to increase donor participation, acquire and retain donors, grow philanthropic support and create intentional pathways from a first gift to deeper investment in Illinois State.

Additional Information

Alumni and Donor Engagement is an integrated team within University Advancement that brings together alumni engagement, philanthropic engagement, donor relations, engagement communications, and data and insights to strengthen lifelong relationships with Illinois State University. Guided by the belief that intentional engagement inspires impact, the team creates coordinated opportunities for alumni, donors, students, parents, employees and friends to connect with the University, participate in its community, contribute their time and expertise, and invest in its mission.
The Philanthropic Engagement team plays an essential role in this broader constituent journey by translating affinity and engagement into meaningful opportunities for philanthropic participation. Its work spans donor acquisition, retention and renewal; annual and leadership giving; digital philanthropy; student and young alumni giving; crowdfunding; Giving Day; and constituent-based campaigns. Success requires close partnership with colleagues across Alumni and Donor Engagement, Development, Advancement Operations, University Marketing and Communications, academic units, Athletics and other campus areas. Through shared strategy, coordinated communications, meaningful experiences and data-informed outreach, the team helps create intentional pathways from an individual’s first connection with Illinois State to sustained engagement, giving and long-term philanthropic investment.

Salary Rate / Pay Rate

$97,000 annual salary

Required Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, business, nonprofit management, higher education or a related field.
2. Seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, annual giving, advancement, constituent engagement or a closely related field.
3. Demonstrated experience developing and executing comprehensive, multichannel fundraising strategies that include digital communications, direct mail, phone, text, crowdfunding or other direct-response channels.
4. Demonstrated success achieving measurable fundraising, donor-acquisition, retention, renewal and upgrade goals.
5. Experience managing a portfolio of donors or prospects, including qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
6. At least two years of experience supervising, coaching or providing strategic direction to professional staff, student employees or cross-functional teams.
7. Demonstrated ability to use constituent data, segmentation, performance metrics and testing to inform fundraising strategy and improve results.
8. Strong project-management skills and demonstrated ability to manage multiple campaigns, deadlines, audiences and stakeholders simultaneously.
9. Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with donors, alumni, university leaders, colleagues and volunteers.
10. Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships across advancement functions and with academic and administrative partners.
11. Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends and travel as required.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Fundraising experience within higher education or another complex, decentralized nonprofit organization.
2. Experience leading a university-wide giving day or other large-scale, time-sensitive fundraising campaign.
3. Experience managing a leadership annual-giving program and personally soliciting gifts at the leadership annual or emerging major-gift level.
4. Demonstrated experience connecting annual giving to major-gift pipeline development and broader institutional campaign priorities.
5. Experience overseeing multiple annual-giving channels or programs, such as digital fundraising, direct response, crowdfunding, student philanthropy, a calling or engagement center and leadership annual giving.
6. Experience using a constituent relationship management system and fundraising technologies such as Salesforce, Marketing Cloud, VanillaSoft, ThankView or comparable platforms.
7. Experience developing dashboards, key performance indicators and forecasting models for donor participation, retention, revenue and pipeline performance.
8. Knowledge of CASE, AFP and higher-education advancement standards and practices.
9. CFRE certification or other relevant professional development credentials.

Work Hours

The role generally works during standard University business hours 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., with flexibility required to support donor visits, campus partnerships, campaign deadlines and major engagement and fundraising initiatives. Occasional evening and weekend work is expected, particularly in connection with Birds Give Back, Homecoming, donor and alumni events, and other University programs.

Functional Expectations

Functional Expectations: Must be able to complete the following with or without a reasonable accommodation:
1. Remain at a workstation for extended periods
2. Move about in various locations across campus as needed to complete day-to-day work.
3. Effectively communicate on a daily basis.

Proposed Starting Date

November 2026

Required Applicant Documents

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter
3. Reference List

Please Note: These documents are required to be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Special Instructions for Applicants

University Benefit Highlights:

- Insurance benefits, including health, dental, vision, and life

- Retirement and supplemental retirement planning options

- Tuition waiver benefits available to staff as well as their eligible dependents

- Paid holiday/administrative closures during Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks

- Paid benefit time

Additional University Benefit information, including information regarding eligibility to participate in the State Universities Retirement System and the State of Illinois Group Insurance program, can be reviewed here: https://hr.illinoisstate.edu/benefits/

Sponsorship: Applicants for this position must be currently legally authorized to work for Illinois State University in the United States. Illinois State University will not sponsor or take over the sponsorship of an employment visa for this opportunity. Illinois State University is not a qualifying employer for the STEM OPT benefit: only the 12-month OPT may be used to work at Illinois State University.

Contact Information for Applicants

Jillian Nelson,
jyoun11@ilstu.edu

Important Information for Applicants

This position is subject to a criminal background investigation and if applicable, an employment history review, based on University Policy 3.1.30 and any offer of employment is contingent upon you passing a satisfactory criminal background investigation and/or an employment history review. You may not begin work until the criminal background investigation results have been received and cleared by Human Resources.

Illinois State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other state or federal law you may request an accommodation by contacting the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at (309) 438-3383. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access will hold any confidential information you provide in confidence.

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please call Human Resources at (309) 438-8311.