Director of Principal Gifts Strategy

Advancement

The University of Missouri's Principal Gift and Donor Strategy team seeks a strategic, highly collaborative, and infrastructure-minded project manager and donor strategist to help drive the university's most ambitious philanthropic efforts. This role will support the development and execution of highly customized donor strategies and experiences, ensuring seamless coordination across advancement, academic, and administrative leaders.

Working in close partnership with advancement leadership, academic units, the Chancellor's Office, and frontline fundraisers, this position will support cross-campus strategy coordination, oversee a principal gifts pipeline and tracking system, and help conceptualize transformational giving opportunities and personalized donor experiences at the $5M+ level.

Mizzou is entering an exciting era of philanthropic growth through its comprehensive campaign. The Principal Gifts and Donor Strategy team leads this effort by building enduring, transformational partnerships with the university's most generous supporters. This position offers a unique opportunity to help shape the future of Missouri's flagship land-grant university through strategy, storytelling, and bold donor engagement.

The ideal candidate brings a sophisticated understanding of major gift fundraising in a complex academic environment and a natural ability to think strategically about donor engagement. This role is uniquely suited for an individual with former experience as a fundraiser who can be a partner in strategy design and bespoke experience creation, who thrives on creativity, collaboration, and translating big ideas into meaningful donor engagement.

Key Responsibilities:

Operational and Tracking Support
* Drive operational excellence by developing and maintaining internal systems and workflows that ensure principal gift strategies are executed with precision and accountability.
* Establish and manage tracking infrastructure for principal gift prospects, including customized pipelines, dashboards, and reporting tools that monitor progress toward strategic, campaign-aligned goals.
* Oversee internal project management for donor strategies-ensuring that timelines, next steps, deliverables, and ownership are clearly defined and actively advanced across stakeholders.
* Synthesize complex information into clear, actionable updates and reports for leadership, highlighting milestones, gaps, and opportunities to optimize strategy or accelerate movement.
* Ensure continuity and momentum by documenting strategic plans, donor touchpoints, and evolving engagement approaches, supporting long-term relationship-building across leadership transitions or staff changes.
* Collaborate closely with prospect development, donor relations, and campaign teams to integrate tracking systems into broader institutional fundraising infrastructure, ensuring transparency, alignment, and data integrity.
Principal Gift Strategy & Campaign Integration
* Manage the end-to-end coordination of principal gift strategies and donor journeys-including timelines, deliverables, communications, and follow-through-ensuring alignment with campaign and university-wide priorities.
* Serve as a strategic partner in gift development and donor engagement, contributing to strategy sessions, briefings, and proposals that translate donor values into bold, compelling opportunities for investment.
* Collaborate across Advancement, academic units, and the Chancellor's office to support cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts for Mizzou's highest-level philanthropic partnerships
Bespoke Donor Experience Design
* In collaboration with the Senior Manager of Principal Giving Engagement, conceptualize bespoke engagement strategies for high-net-worth individuals and families, including campus visits, private events, recognition experiences, proposals, and personalized communications.
* Ensure every touchpoint reflects the scale, values, and significance of principal-level philanthropy.
* Serve as a thought partner in designing compelling cases for support and narratives for visionary projects and interdisciplinary initiatives
Cross-Campus Collaboration & Relationship Management
* Work across advancement functions and academic units to move strategies forward with clarity, momentum, and urgency.
* Work closely with communications, prospect development, donor relations, and academic units to develop or coordinate the creation of customized content-cases for support, proposals, stewardship reports-that capture institutional vision and donor impact.
* Collaborate with University leadership, communications, and academic partners to develop materials that are both strategic and emotionally resonant.

M-F 8am-5pm, and can include occasional irregular working hours to support special events

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 5 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary.

* CFRE certification.
* Experience in advancement, donor relations, strategic communications, or project management; prior frontline fundraising experience a plus.
* Knowledge of higher education fundraising and the culture of a large, research-intensive public university.
* Outstanding organizational and time management skills, with demonstrated ability to manage multiple high-stakes projects.
* Exceptional writing, interpersonal, and collaboration skills.
* Creative thinking with a commitment to donor-centric design and innovation.
* Familiarity with CRM systems and project management tools.

Salary Range: $80,000 - $100,000 annually

Grade: GGS-012

University Title: Advancement Director II

Internal applicants can determine their University title by accessing the Talent Profile tile in myHR.

Resume and Cover Letter

Our benefits:
As one of Missouri's largest employers, MU staff members enjoy exceptionally competitive health, PTO and retirement plans. A few highlights:
* Health Insurance -Three plans to choose from, including our Custom Network Plan; a cost-effective insurance option that utilizes our extensive network of MU-affiliated hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.
* HSA - UM provides between $400 - $1200 in contributions to health savings accounts, depending on plans and dependents
* Dental - 100% coverage for preventative care, with no restrictions on network or non-network providers
* Vision - $0 copays on frames and contact lenses along with a $140 allowance, and a $10 copay on yearly eye exams.
* Retirement - UM will match 100% of up to 8% of eligible pay contributed to a 457(b), with a three-year vesting period on University contributions.
* Tuition Assistance - Up to 75% of tuition and supplemental fees waived for employees, and 50% waived for spouses and dependents
* Time Off - Personal time off (PTO) as well as 9 paid holidays.
* Winter Break - The university observes a paid holiday for the period between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
We value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person's success. Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research, and engagement. This commitment makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate.
In your application materials, please discuss your experiences and expertise that support these values and enrich our missions of teaching, research, and engagement.

Columbia offers small-town friendliness with big city features and a high quality of life for people of all ages and interests. Founded on education and known as an ideal college town, its location also makes it an attractive spot for businesses and travelers. Located on Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 63, Columbia is right in the middle of the state and the nation. Just a couple hours' drive from St. Louis and Kansas City, Columbia is Boone County's largest population center offering big-city culture, activities, and resources with a low cost of living. Columbia is home to a variety of restaurants and entertainment venues and hosts more than a dozen festivals each year. If you want to grow your career, continue your education, raise a family, and retire, Columbia is a good place to be!

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.