Senior Director, Global Advancement

About the role

The Senior Director, Global Advancement is a senior philanthropic leader responsible for securing transformational philanthropic and other investments in support of global strategic initiatives, including notably ASU’s 100 Million Learners initiative - one of the world’s most ambitious global education efforts.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead a comprehensive global fundraising strategy for the 100 Million Learners initiative focused on securing transformational investments that enable large-scale global access to world-class education.
• Set strategic philanthropic direction in collaboration with Thunderbird and ASU leadership to advance 100ML’s mission and long-term sustainability, working across the institution with other key academic units and partners.
• Manage a personal portfolio of high-net-worth individuals, global corporate leaders, donor governments, multilaterals, and philanthropic partners, with a focus on securing gifts and strategic investments of $1M+ and achieving annual fundraising targets necessary to expand the initiative’s global reach.
• Develop and execute integrated global prospect strategies, leveraging the engagement of Thunderbird and ASU leadership, faculty, global hubs, alumni, and international volunteers to identify, cultivate, and inspire supporters around the world.
• Create compelling philanthropic proposals that articulate the transformative potential of the 100 Million Learners initiative and motivate principal-level philanthropic investment.
• Collaborate with ASU’s extensive network of overseas partners to expand and strengthen relationships with international donors, foundations, corporations, multilateral development agencies, and government partners aligned with 100ML’s mission.
• Partner closely with senior ASU leadership to identify, pursue, and co-create transformational funding opportunities that advance the initiative’s global scaling goals and its integration across the ASU enterprise.
• Ensure world-class stewardship, recognition, and personalized engagement for donors and partners supporting the 100 Million Learners initiative, demonstrating the impact of their investment and fostering long-term philanthropic relationships.
• Collaborate with colleagues across alumni engagement, donor relations, global marketing, communications, and prospect research to align strategies, share insights, and enhance the overall advancement approach for 100ML.
• Maintain deep and current knowledge of high-potential alumni, global champions, donor networks, and emerging prospects relevant to the initiative’s international growth and philanthropic pipeline.
• Ensure accurate and timely documentation of all prospect activity, proposals, and partnership developments in accordance with ASU Foundation policies and international compliance standards.
• Exercise good judgment, use discretion in interactions with donors, prospects, volunteers, and others, and uphold best practices in prospect management, ensuring thorough tracking, reporting, and movement of prospects toward major commitments that advance the initiative’s global impact.
• Serves as a key member of the Global Advancement team and a resource to colleagues within ASU Foundation and ASU.

Qualifications

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with academic leadership, faculty, prospects, donors, and/or volunteers in a wide range of roles.
• Complex problem-solving skills coupled with the ability to conduct research, gather data, analyze information, and prepare effective, accurate, and timely reports and other documents to support development objectives.
• Strong leadership skills: ability to organize, motivate, and lead a team to achieve desired results.
• Ability to foster effective working relationships within a team environment.
• Extensive fundraising principles and techniques of development/fundraising including proposal development, prospect identification, program planning, fund solicitation, database management, donor tracking, and social networking and marketing tools.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to present effectively to small and large groups.
• Proven track record securing principal and transformational philanthropic gifts, including closing complex, multi-stakeholder gifts/partnerships of $1M+.
• Extensive experience in global fundraising, international development, or cross-border partnership building.
• Demonstrated success managing a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals, corporations, donor governments, multilaterals, and foundations.
• Experience designing and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies for large-scale global initiatives.
• Experience crafting high-impact philanthropic proposals, case statements, and strategic investment pitches.
• Experience collaborating with senior leadership, faculty, global partners, and cross-functional teams on funding strategy.
• History of working in fast-paced, multicultural, international environments and engaging stakeholders across diverse cultures.
• Experience providing world-class stewardship, donor engagement, and long-term relationship management.
• Proven ability to maintain rigorous documentation, prospect tracking, and compliance with institutional and international standards.
• Leadership experience within a development, advancement, or global partnerships team.