Executive Director of Development, College of Agricultural Sciences in Fort Collins, Colorado at Colorado State Univ Foundation

Position Summary

The Executive Director of Development (EDoD) is responsible for leading a comprehensive, team-oriented college development and alumni relations program designed to increase financial support from alumni, friends, parents, foundations, and corporations in support of the Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences.

This position is a key advancement leadership role, working in close strategic partnership with the dean of the College and engaging college faculty and staff in the process. Fundraising initiatives range from capitol investments and creation of world class agriculture research facilities to a focus on advancing student success initiatives. This position supervises a team of three development officers and a development coordinator, communicating vision and goals aligned with CSU Foundation and University priorities.

Position Information

• Position Title: Executive Director of Development
• Organization Name: Colorado State University Foundation
• Reports To: Associate Vice President of College Philanthropy
• Employment Type: Full-time
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Location: Fort Collins
• Salary Range: $135,000 - $195,000 annually
• Priority Consideration Date: October 25, 2026

Organizational Overview

Located in the beautiful town of Fort Collins, Colorado State University is a premier land-grant university with world-class programs in education, outreach, and research. CSU has a student body of over 34,000 students, 7,400 employees, 258,000 living alumni, and annual research expenditures exceeding $498 million.

One of eight academic colleges at CSU, the College of Agricultural Sciences supports five departments which meet global challenges in food safety, food security, wellness and economic prosperity through the sustainable use of natural resources. The College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) sits at the heart of Colorado State University’s identity as a national modern land-grant institution. Please see our College of Agricultural Sciences Strategic Roadmap for more detailed information.

The Colorado State University Foundation is in the midst of exciting growth as the University Advancement division of CSU transitions to the Foundation. This merger will allow us to more effectively serve our donors, alumni, and stakeholders with a unified structure, strengthen accountability, and build the capacity to scale our fundraising enterprise. With one of the leading development teams in the country, we most recently achieved our highest fundraising year to date in 2025.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead major-gift fundraising and overall development efforts throughout the College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) to achieve annual goals set by the CSU Foundation.
• Carry a portfolio of 75-100 prospects capable of $50,000 and above gifts utilizing the tenets of moves management
• Hire, train, set goals, evaluate progress, and manage performance of the CAS development team. Monitor the quality of work, motivate, support, and ensure accuracy of project responsibilities
• Responsible for the strategic visioning and ongoing development, management, coordination and administration of an effective college-wide fundraising program
• Allocate, track, manage and deploy an operating budget
• Disseminate accurate donor information by identifying university-wide areas for donor engagement that align with the University fundraising priorities and goals
• Solve donor related issues quickly and effectively, understanding when to bring any given situation to leadership
• Develop data-driven fundraising strategy specific to the College

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Minimum of 8 years development leadership or relationship-based sales experience
• Minimum of 5 years of experience supervising and mentoring full-time, professional staff
• Demonstrated experience and measurable success in conceptualizing, designing and implementing a dynamic fundraising program with emphasis on major gifts
• Demonstrated success in acquiring major gifts at the $500,000 level or above
• Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license by the employment start date
• Ability to work non-standard hours, including nights and/or weekends, as needed, and travel in and out of the state

Preferred Qualifications

• Advancement leadership experience and verifiable, demonstrated success in fundraising in an academic, health care, scientific, or related large, complex organization
• Experience working in and/or fundraising for institutions of higher education
• Ability to set priorities, work independently and build cross collaborative teams
• Experience in managing complex, multi-disciplinary fundraising projects
• Demonstrated track record of being donor centric, building donor relationships, working collaboratively, strategically, and with integrity
• Possesses a strong knowledge of principles, ethics and practices of successful fundraising
• Verified exceptional communication skills – both written and verbal
• Demonstrated success as a senior leader in a collaborative work environment including; team building and motivating others through effective communication, modeling appropriate behavior, and optimism
• Encompasses traits of good judgment and confidentiality in communication
• Experience in or interest that align with the agricultural industry
• Effectively work with dynamic, diverse groups to include families, students, faculty, alumni, professionals, university leadership and others
• A strong fiscal acumen with experience working with budgets and financial processes
• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) or other relevant professional certification
• Experience with CRM and donor management systems

As an employer of choice, the CSU Foundation offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, generous paid time off, an Employee Assistance Program, CSUF-sponsored life insurance, a voluntary 403(b) tax deferred annuity retirement plan option and a 401(a) defined contribution retirement plan where 12% of the annual salary is contributed at no cost to the employee, with a two-year vesting schedule.

CSU Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) it is our policy to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless such accommodation would cause undue hardship.