Director of Major Gifts

About the role

Marshall University is a public comprehensive university founded in 1837, located in downtown Huntington, West Virginia, with additional locations in South Charleston, Point Pleasant, Teays Valley and Beckley. The Director of Major Gifts for the Big Green Scholarship Foundation serves as a key member of the development team, responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects in support of the Foundation and Marshall Athletics with preference to scholarships, capital projects, and priority initiatives aligned with the Foundation’s Executive Director and the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Major Gift Fundraising.

Responsibilities

• Identify, cultivate, and secure major gift prospects capable of giving at $10,000+ annually.
• Secure major gifts in support of athletic scholarships and priority initiatives.
• Meet or exceed annual fundraising goals, including metrics for dollars raised, visits and proposals.
• Actively qualify new major gift prospects through research, referrals, and engagement strategies.
• Utilize current systems to track donor interactions, proposals, and progress toward goals.
• Work closely with athletics leadership, coaches, and development staff to help fundraise and collaborate with individual sports.
• Partner with external staff to enhance donor experience and engagement opportunities and assist in the sales of premium seating/areas.
• Assist in executing major events, donor hospitality, donor trips and individual sporting events.
• Build strong relationships with alumni, donors, fans, and community stakeholders.
• Contribute to annual and long-term fundraising strategies for Big Green.
• Support targeted fundraising initiatives.
• Assist in integrating emerging tools (e.g., data analytics, AI prospecting) to enhance donor identification and engagement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• 3–5 years of experience in fundraising, sales, or relationship management (preferably in collegiate athletics or higher education).
• Demonstrated success in securing major or leadership gifts, or comparable sales achievements.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel and work evenings/weekends.

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate Degree or specific certifications.
• Experience in NCAA Division I athletics fundraising.
• Familiarity with donor databases/CRMs (e.g., Paciolan, Salesforce, or similar systems).
• Proven ability to manage a donor portfolio and close five- and six-figure gifts.
• Understanding of collegiate athletics culture, donor motivations and the ever-changing landscape of athletics and its effects on philanthropic giving.

Pay

$55,000 - $65,000; Salary is commensurate upon education, experience and internal equity.