Director of Philanthropic Strategy & Prospect Management

About the Department

About NC State:

North Carolina State University (NC State) was founded in 1887 with the purpose of creating economic, societal and intellectual prosperity for the people of North Carolina. Today it is the largest university in North Carolina with more than 34,000 high-performing students, 8,000 pre-eminent faculty and staff and over 230,000 living alumni. NC State is known for its leadership in research, education and service and as a research extensive university, is recognized for its strengths in science, engineering and technology. The University consistently ranks among the top public universities and is one of the best values in higher education.

In 2016, NC State launched the Think & Do the Extraordinary Campaign, the most ambitious fundraising effort in the history of the university with a $1.6 billion goal. Priorities include dramatically increasing endowment to benefit students and faculty, enhancing facilities and strengthening support for current operations.

Primary Function of Organization:

NC State is home to one of the world’s finest colleges of engineering and computer sciences.

For the second year in a row the College ranked 25th overall in the US News and 12th among public institutions. In 2018-19, research expenditures in the College reached nearly $198 million which ranked 6th among public engineering colleges. NC State Engineering also serves as the lead institution on two National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centers.

More than 10,000 students attend the College of Engineering involved in one of the 18 bachelors’, 21 master’s and 13 doctoral degree programs offered. There are nine academic departments including: Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Nuclear Engineering.

The College’s commitment to excellence is evidenced by the success of our faculty and students. Each year, both faculty and students receive numerous scholarly and professional awards for their teaching and technological achievements, and our graduates find top-notch careers in research and development, design, production, and management. Many of our 65,000 alumni hold leadership positions in government and both private and public sector institutions around the world.

Chartered in 1944, the NC State Engineering Foundation, Inc. ( NCSEF ) is a private 501c3 non-profit organization which raises funds from alumni, friends, industry-related foundations and other sources to support the College of Engineering at NC State. Current fundraising initiatives include scholarships, fellowships, professorships, study abroad funds, and capital projects like Fitts-Woolard Hall (the fourth Engineering building to be built on Centennial Campus).

Essential Job Duties

The Director of Philanthropic Strategy & Prospect Management serves as the College of Engineering’s strategic advisor on fundraising performance, portfolio optimization, campaign readiness, and prospect strategy. This position partners closely with the Assistant Dean for Philanthropy and frontline fundraisers to maximize philanthropic results through data-informed decision making, fundraising analytics, CRM leadership, and strategic portfolio management.

Rather than serving solely as a prospect manager, this role functions as a strategic partner to fundraising leadership by helping ensure gift officers are focused on the highest-impact opportunities and equipped with the information, systems, and strategy necessary to maximize fundraising success.

Core Responsibilities

1. Philanthropic Strategy

Provide strategic guidance that strengthens fundraising performance across the College.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as strategic advisor to the Assistant Dean and Executive Director on fundraising priorities and campaign readiness.
• Lead portfolio optimization and prospect assignment strategies.
• Facilitate prospect strategy meetings with frontline fundraisers.
• Identify opportunities, risks, and trends within all levels of the major gift fundraising pipeline - focusing on the continuum from major gift discovery to major gifts to principal giving.
• Develop recommendations to maximize fundraising productivity and philanthropic outcomes.
• Support campaign planning and principal gift pipeline development.

2. Prospect Management

Lead the strategic management of prospect portfolios to maximize fundraiser effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee portfolio management and assignment processes.
• Monitor prospect movement through the donor pipeline.
• Ensure portfolio health and accountability.
• Conduct regular portfolio reviews with gift officers.
• Coordinate closely with University Advancement Prospect Development on prospect management and research, working closely with analysts on research projects to fill fundraiser portfolios & gaps.
• Develop recommendations for prospect assignment and portfolio balancing.

3. CRM Strategy & Salesforce (Lobo) Leadership

Serve as the College’s functional expert for Salesforce (Lobo), ensuring the CRM effectively supports fundraising strategy and frontline success.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the College of Engineering’s primary functional lead for Salesforce (Lobo).
• Partner with University Advancement on CRM implementation, enhancements, testing, and user adoption.
• Develop best practices, workflows, and business processes within Salesforce.
• Train and support frontline fundraisers in the effective use of the CRM.
• Ensure data quality and consistency across fundraising operations.
• Translate fundraising needs into CRM solutions that improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to leverage Salesforce to improve fundraising performance and reporting.

4. Fundraising Analytics & Performance

Provide meaningful data and analysis that informs leadership decisions and drives fundraising success.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop executive dashboards and performance reports in Salesforce that track activity, strategy and pipeline health.
• Monitor fundraising KPIs and portfolio metrics.
• Analyze pipeline health and fundraising trends.
• Forecast fundraising performance and campaign progress.
• Track proposal activity and donor movement.
• Produce regular reports that support strategic decision making by the Assistant Dean and fundraising leadership.

Minimum Education and Experience

• Requires a relevant post-baccalaureate degree with a minimum of three (3) years or greater of related professional experience, or a relevant undergraduate degree and a minimum of five (5) years or greater of relevant experience may be substituted for the advanced degree.

Other Required Qualifications

• Strong communication (written and verbal) and organizational skills.
• Enthusiasm for fund-raising in a public university.
• Effective ability to multi-task.
• Ability to work with multiple and varied constituencies.
• Collegiality; ability to work as part of a team in a goal-oriented environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to learn database applications.

Anticipated Hiring Range

Commensurate with experience and education

Apply through the North Carolina State University careers site.