Associate Director of Development

Job Description

Associate Director of Development, University Advancement | California State University San Marcos
The Tone:
This is a full-time role at California State University San Marcos, located in San Marcos, CA. California State University San Marcos is a mid-size university located in San Diego’s vibrant North County, dedicated to service, innovation, leadership, and student success. The university is a new kind of institution, pushing the boundaries of innovation to prepare tomorrow’s leaders, build stronger communities, and solve pressing issues through cutting-edge research and hands-on application. This position plays a critical role in advancing the University’s fundraising priorities by strategically managing a comprehensive donor pipeline. Success in this role directly contributes to divisional and university-wide fundraising goals, fostering an environment where philanthropy supports broad and meaningful institutional impact, aligning with the University’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person, San Marcos, CA
• Pay: $7167–$7334 monthly
• Mission: Own the full lifecycle of donor engagement to advance the University’s fundraising priorities and achieve measurable results.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Donor Pipeline Management: Strategically manage a comprehensive donor pipeline, overseeing the full lifecycle of donor engagement from identification and qualification through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities, ensuring momentum across a diverse portfolio.
• Frontline Fundraising: Drive frontline fundraising efforts with a special focus on gifts requiring demonstrated success across both annual giving and major giving, specifically targeting the $5k-$25k+ range.
• Relationship Building & Communication: Build trust and cultivate meaningful relationships with a broad range of internal partners, external stakeholders, donors, and community members, clearly articulating the University’s mission and impact.
• Strategic Planning & Execution: Apply strategic thinking to assess donor readiness, align philanthropic opportunities with institutional priorities, and thoughtfully move prospects from initial engagement to major gift consideration, demonstrating a disciplined approach and strong work ethic.
• Data-Informed Decision Making: Utilize data-informed strategies to guide decision making and optimize portfolio management, analyzing donor trends, engagement metrics, and giving patterns to enhance effectiveness and maximize philanthropic outcomes.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Associate Director level in Development, within a university advancement context, possessing core domain knowledge in comprehensive fundraising and donor pipeline management.
• Experience: Demonstrated success in full lifecycle donor engagement, including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, with proven results across both annual giving and major giving in the $5k-$25k+ range.
• Skills: Exceptional communication and relationship-building abilities, strategic thinking for donor readiness and opportunity alignment, disciplined planning and execution, data analysis for informed decision-making, and strong time management with organizational skills.
• Bonus: A strong commitment to achieving measurable fundraising results, an analytical mindset combined with sound judgment and adaptability, and the ability to effectively collaborate and influence colleagues to foster a robust culture of philanthropy aligned with institutional values.