The Office of Development at Whittier College is seeking a Director of Development.
To achieve Whittier College’s ambitious fundraising goals, building a robust major gift pipeline is essential. The Director of Development (DoD) will play a pivotal role in identifying and cultivating relationships with a select group of high-potential donors, including alumni, parents, and other key stakeholders, who can make transformative contributions of $25,000 or more. These contributions may take the form of outright gifts, multi-year pledges, blended gifts, or significant planned gifts, such as bequests or charitable gift annuities.
The success of this initiative hinges on the DoD's ability to foster deep, meaningful relationships through regular and personalized engagement. This includes face-to-face meetings, strategic cultivation efforts, and ongoing stewardship, all aimed at connecting donors with the vision for the college’s future in a way that resonates with their personal values and philanthropic goals. As such, the DoD must be a skilled relationship-builder and storyteller, able to articulate the impact of a donor’s support in ways that inspire and motivate action.
Additionally, the DoD must possess a strong results-oriented mindset, and be adept at setting clear, measurable goals, tracking progress, and adjusting strategies as necessary to ensure sustained pipeline growth. Building this pipeline is not only about securing immediate gifts but also about establishing long-term partnerships that will strengthen the college’s future. The role requires someone who is both a connector and a closer, balancing the art of relationship-building with the science of achieving tangible fundraising results.
Hours: Monday – Friday
Exempt Status: Exempt
Full-Time/Part-Time status: Full Time
Salary Range: $105,000 annually; Salary will commensurate with experience, skills, and knowledge.
Reports to: Assistant Vice President of Development
Location/Department: Whittier College (Main Campus)/Development
Position Duties & Responsibilities
Essential Functions of the Job
The specific responsibilities for this role fall into these primary areas:
Major Gift Fundraising
The Director of Development (DoD) will play a pivotal role in advancing Whittier College’s overall fundraising strategy by driving the achievement of annual fundraising goals and leading efforts to secure major gifts. The Director of Development will secure major gifts for Whittier College’s top funding priorities. This position is responsible for managing a comprehensive portfolio of major gift prospects through a systematic moves management process. Responsibilities include identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding leadership annual, major, and capital gifts that support the college’s priorities and ensures the continued growth of the donor pipeline. Success in this role requires a commitment to building strong relationships, compelling communication, and a deep alignment with Whittier College’s ambition to drive sustainable fundraising growth.
- Proactive Portfolio Management: Manage a sophisticated portfolio of major gift prospects, developing and executing tailored strategies for each to advance them through the fundraising cycle. This includes managing a varied pool of individuals and entities capable of making transformational contributions, with the goal of securing leadership-level annual gifts, major gifts, and capital campaign support. The Director will ensure that these strategies are aligned with the college’s overarching fundraising priorities, including the Whittier Now! campaign.
- Strategic Major Gift Fundraising: Develop and implement comprehensive strategies for securing transformational outright gifts and pledges of $50,000 or more, as well as deferred gifts. This will involve leveraging relationships with college leadership, faculty, and other key stakeholders to maximize donor engagement and commitment, ensuring prospects and donors see the lasting impact of their contributions. The Director is responsible for meeting monthly prospect engagement goals, including conducting visits, making solicitations, and recording contact reports in compliance with the College’s policies and procedures.
- Data-Driven Approach: Utilize a data-driven, metrics-based approach to fundraising, regularly reviewing performance goals and adjusting strategies to achieve optimum results. Utilizing a moves management system, the Director will strategically guide prospects through the stages of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The Director will ensure that donor engagement is thoughtful, personalized, and adheres to the highest standards of best practices in fundraising. Tracking progress through a moves management system and maintaining up-to-date records in the College’s CRM system will be key responsibilities, ensuring accurate data on donor interactions and outcomes.
- Compelling Communication and Engagement: Communicate compellingly Whittier College’s vision and mission to prospects and donors, ensuring that they understand the significant impact of their contributions on the future of the institution and its students. This will involve creating, preparing, and presenting formal fundraising proposals to major and prospective donors that align with the College’s funding priorities and highlight the impact the support will have on academic success and institutional growth.
- Follow-up and Stewardship: Coordinate precise follow-up and stewardship efforts, ensuring meaningful engagement and recognition of donors. By building long-term relationships through thoughtful stewardship, the DoD will foster continued and increased donor support, contributing to sustained fundraising growth.
- Collaborative Team Engagement: Participate in cross-functional team meetings, sharing successful strategies, and fostering accountability. The Director will work closely with other members of the Development team and across divisions to ensure coordinated, strategic outreach that elevates the collective impact of donor engagement across the college. Aligning individual fundraising goals with team initiatives will be essential for achieving ambitious overall fundraising targets.
- Commitment and Flexibility: Demonstrating flexibility, the DoD will travel regionally and nationally, as well as attend key college events including on nights and weekends as required. These efforts are essential for maintaining strong relationships with donors and advancing Whittier College’s philanthropic objectives.
- Collaborative Engagement with Key Constituencies: Collaborate actively with key constituencies, including alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, and friends of the college while also leveraging volunteers to meet fundraising objectives. These relationships will be instrumental in creating a culture of philanthropy and engaging the broader community in supporting Whittier College’s mission.
- Compliance and Best Practices: Ensure adherence to Whittier College’s policies, including the gift policy manual, internal processes, and other college policies and procedures. This promotes transparency, ethical practices, and alignment with institutional standards at every stage of the fundraising process.
By managing a sophisticated portfolio of prospects, leveraging data-driven strategies, and fostering collaborative relationships with key stakeholders, the DoD will ensure that Whittier College achieves its ambitious fundraising goals.
The Director will also fulfill other duties as assigned.
Non-essential Functions of the Job
None identified at this time.
Position Specifications and Requirements
Previous Experience and Education
- Extensive Fundraising Expertise. Demonstrated success in securing substantial contributions, including major gifts, grants, and/or annual fund donations from diverse sources such as individuals, corporations, and foundations.
- Proven Development Leadership. Minimum of 7+ years of experience in fundraising, ideally within higher education, with a strong track record in cultivating major gifts and surpassing fundraising targets.
- Donor Relationship Management. Skilled in building, nurturing, and sustaining long-term donor relationships through effective cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-value donors.
- Strategic Marketing and Communications. Expertise in creating impactful donor communications, proposals, and stewardship reports, coupled with the ability to deliver compelling, results-driven messaging.
- Proficiency with CRM Systems. Hands-on experience using donor management platforms like Banner, Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, or similar tools to track donor engagement, manage gifts, and streamline stewardship activities.
- Data-Driven Decision Making. Demonstrated ability to leverage metrics and data analysis to inform strategic decisions and to set, monitor, and exceed fundraising goals.
A bachelor’s degree is required, a master’s degree preferred.
Qualities and Abilities
- Strong candidates for this position will be: Relationship-Oriented. They must excel at building and maintaining strong relationships with donors, alumni, and key stakeholders. A natural connector, they should love telling the college’s story and confidently asking for support to achieve its goals.
- Goal-Oriented and Results-Driven. With a strong record of cultivating meaningful relationships, achieving ambitious goals, and consistently delivering measurable outcomes, they are highly motivated and dynamic professional.
- Broad Experience Across Industries: Candidates from marketing, communications, sales, business development, or other relevant sectors outside of higher education advancement are welcome to apply, provided they possess the necessary transferable skills in relationship-building and donor engagement Passionate about Fundraising and Philanthropy. This individual must have an authentic love for building support for the college. They should thrive on sharing Whittier’s mission and impact, boldly asking for support, and leveraging their ability to connect people with opportunities that align with their interests and values.
- Strong Communicators. They should possess a high marketing and communications IQ, and be fascinated by donor motivation. Whether in writing, over the phone, or in person, they are effective at listening and learning what drives individuals and then leveraging that knowledge to connect a donor’s passion with the college’s needs. Articulating the organization's mission, crafting compelling cases for support, and inspiring donor confidence is essential.
- Competitive About Results: This person must be highly goal-driven and results-oriented, not in comparison to others but in their pursuit of exceeding personal and organizational targets. Their drive to meet and surpass their own goals reflects their passion for delivering success and showing others what’s possible.
- Highly Ethical. A commitment to transparency and accountability in fundraising activities is crucial. The Director must demonstrate the highest integrity and uphold ethical standards, ensuring that donor relationships are built on trust and mutual respect.
- Adaptable and Innovative. The ability to adapt to changing fundraising environments, leverage emerging technologies, and apply innovative fundraising strategies is vital in today’s rapidly evolving philanthropic landscape.
- Passionate about the Mission: They should genuinely believe in the mission and values of Whittier College, which helps in connecting with donors and cultivating lasting relationships.
Application Deadline
Until the position is filled.
The position is based in Whittier, California. To be considered for this position, please submit your cover letter and resume to: whittierjobs@whittier.edu or mail to Whittier College, Attn: Human Resources Manager, 13406 E Philadelphia Street Whittier, CA 90608. AA/EOE.