Director, Athletics Development

Chicago, IL, United States (Hybrid)

Job Description

The Highlights:

The Director, Development for Athletics will serve as a crucial front line fundraiser, soliciting private support as part of DePaul’s Mission Forward campaign. Serving as a crucial member of the Athletics Advancement team, this position will also provide crucial leadership in the areas of annual giving campaigns and external engagement (inclusive of special events,
communication and stewardship).

What You'll Do:

Donor Cultivation, Solicitation & Pipeline Development - Build and maintain an active portfolio of approximately 100 major gift prospects, with a heavy emphasis on the Chicagoland area. Identifies untapped donor segments and emerging engagement opportunities to assist with identification. 

Strategic Fundraising & Growth - Develops fundraising strategies (annual, multi-year, others) that are aligned with Athletics Strategic Plan goals of increase unique donor growth. Regularly evaluates campaign performance and adjusts strategies based on donor behavior, engagement trends, and ROI.

Stewardship/Donor Relations - Create, develop, and implement a comprehensive stewardship program for athletics that includes donor events, acknowledgements, impact reports, and ensuring all stated benefits are delivered.

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Director, Athletics Development

Chicago, IL, United States (Hybrid)

Job Description

The Highlights:

The Director, Development for Athletics will serve as a crucial front line fundraiser, soliciting private support as part of DePaul’s Mission Forward campaign. Serving as a crucial member of the Athletics Advancement team, this position will also provide crucial leadership in the areas of annual giving campaigns and external engagement (inclusive of special events,
communication and stewardship).

What You'll Do:

Donor Cultivation, Solicitation & Pipeline Development - Build and maintain an active portfolio of approximately 100 major gift prospects, with a heavy emphasis on the Chicagoland area. Identifies untapped donor segments and emerging engagement opportunities to assist with identification. 

Strategic Fundraising & Growth - Develops fundraising strategies (annual, multi-year, others) that are aligned with Athletics Strategic Plan goals of increase unique donor growth. Regularly evaluates campaign performance and adjusts strategies based on donor behavior, engagement trends, and ROI.

Stewardship/Donor Relations - Create, develop, and implement a comprehensive stewardship program for athletics that includes donor events, acknowledgements, impact reports, and ensuring all stated benefits are delivered.

Leadership & Collaboration - Representation at numerous external functions, home athletic contests and participation, as appropriate, in university-wide initiatives, task forces, and committees, representing assigned areas in select engagement activities.

Supervisor for one position (Assistant Director, Development for Athletics). 
Provide oversight in the areas of annual giving and stewardship/donor relations. Approximately 20% of this positions time will be spent supervising.

What You'll Need:

• Bachelor's degree, required.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel.
• Experience with fundraising CRM systems; Salesforce, preferred.
• Experience in relationship building, cold calling, fundraising or sales.
• Excellent personal presentation and superior communication skills.
• Candidates with backgrounds in fundraising, business development, sales, corporate partnerships, alumni relations or related relationship-driven fields are encouraged to apply.
• Willingness to develop relationships with colleagues across all areas of Advancement and the ability to work successfully with a wide variety of colleagues throughout campus.
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with the ability to translate data into action plans.
• Ability to develop and organize long-term plans and execute those plans.
• Ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks to meeting deadlines and goals.
• Ability to work independently, identify opportunities, and proactively develop solutions with limited direction.
• Demonstrated success achieving measurable fundraising, sales, business development, or engagement goals.
Position requires some travel and occasional evening and weekend work for events and donor meetings.
 
The anticipated hiring range for this position is: $74,367 to $95,000. 

The salary range provided in this posting reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this position. Actual compensation offered or earned is dependent on experience, education and other factors including departmental budget.

Perks:

• Working for a stable and well-known University.
• Top choice medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Retirement plan matching contribution of 8%.
• Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.
• Generous paid time off, sick time, holidays, floating holidays, and more!
• Full-Time Benefits

For consideration, please include a resume and cover letter.

Vincentian Mission:
Guided by an ethic of Vincentian personalism and professionalism, DePaul compassionately upholds the dignity of all members of its diverse, multi-faith, and inclusive community. We seek to hire collaborative, open-minded, and dedicated professionals who are committed to advancing our university mission to making education accessible to all, with special attention to including underserved and underrepresented communities. Successful candidates thrive in an environment where ideas and perspectives representing a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds and experiences are welcome and supported.

Required Background Check:

Employment at DePaul University is contingent on passing a background check. Only final candidates who are extended an offer of employment will undergo a background check.

DePaul University is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other legally protected status, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local EEO laws.

 

 

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Job Info

• Job Identification 1998
  
• Job Category Advancement
  
• Posting Date 09/09/2026, 05:58 PM
  
• Apply Before 09/16/2026, 06:12 PM
  
• Job Schedule Full time
  

• Locations Loop Campus (Hybrid)

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