Director of Development, Annual Fund

Position Overview

Reporting to the Associate Athletic Director for Development/Annual Fund & Premium Seating, this position’s primary focus is to increase revenue through donor growth, donor retention and premium seating. The Director of Athletic Development will manage a donor portfolio and be tasked with closing gifts to meet department priorities.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.     Conduct 15 – 20 strategic interactions per day with Cougar Pride members at the All-American ($1,250) to Platinum ($10,000) level.

2.     Assist with the management of all aspects of premium seating relationships (i.e., invoicing, renewals, ticketing questions, catering, and special requests).

3.     Assist with coordination of annual fund donor events and initiatives.

4.     Work with the Director of External Operations, Cougar Pride to create a robust stewardship model for the Cougar Pride Annual Fund.

5.     Responsible to provide leads to the major gifts team based on prospects that identify themselves on our premium seating wait lists.

6.     Serve as the fundraising contact for sport(s) (assigned by Senior Associate Athletic Director/Executive Director of Cougar Pride).

·       Be a conduit for open, active communication, between the Head Coach of the Program, Sport Administrator, and the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development/Executive Director of Development.

·       Advocate for the needs of the program.

7.     For assigned responsibilities, execute strategic priorities, as defined by leadership, that advance the Department’s vision, mission, goals, while driving results, growing the donor base and revenues that are needed for success.

8.     Ensure UH Athletics remains in-line with university, conference, and NCAA expectations with respect to policies, procedures, and processes.

9.     In all situations, serve as a positive Ambassador for UH Athletics and UH in general. Effuse positivity and grow affinity for all things UH.

10.  Regularly attend athletic events and meetings, representing the Department/University to constituents. These events/meetings frequently occur during evenings and weekends.

11.  Perform other job-related duties or projects as may be assigned.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree

• Minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in collegiate athletics, professional sports, fundraising, ticket sales, or related revenue-generation fields.

• Ability to work non-traditional hours, including nights, weekends and event days

• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills

• Strong communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in collegiate athletics, professional sports, or fundraising environments

• Familiarity with ticketing and donor management systems (e.g., Paciolan) and/or CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce)

• Previous experience working in a goal-driven or commission-based sales environment

• Demonstrated success in customer service or client-facing roles

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport with diverse audiences

• Ability to provide high-quality customer service in a professional manner

• Effective time management and organizational skills

• Ability to analyze customer needs and recommend appropriate solutions

• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills

• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team

Application Process

The University of Houston invites resumes, expressions of interest, or additional questions to be submitted to Athletics Ticket Office.

Contact:

Leighann Westfall

Senior Associate AD/Executive Director of Development

lkwestfall@central.uh.edu