Stanford’s Graduate School of Business has built a global reputation based on its immersive and innovative management programs. We provide students a transformative leadership experience, pushing the boundaries of knowledge with faculty research, and offering a portfolio of entrepreneurial and non-degree programs that deliver global impact like no other. We are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in service of our mission of developing innovative, principled, and insightful leaders who change lives, change organizations, and change the world. We invite you to be part of this mission.

The GSB is seeking a leader for its prominent annual fund, the Business School Fund. The Director, Business School Fund (BSF) will join the GSB’s 25-person development team with the objective of transforming and growing the BSF. Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, the Director, BSF will be charged with assessing the current program and creating a plan for strategic growth. Well-versed in industry best practices and data-driven approaches, the Director, BSF will lead a team of seven professionals responsible for conceiving, planning, marketing, managing, and evaluating comprehensive multi-channel annual giving programs, with emphasis on unrestricted giving.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for an experienced leader to take the BSF to new heights at a pivotal time for the school. The ideal candidate will be an excellent manager with a passion for creating and implementing data-driven strategies and a proven ability to work across a complex organization to execute projects and initiatives. They will be donor-centered and excited to experiment and explore new approaches.

This is a full-time (40 hours per week), hybrid position where work can be performed with the expectation of being onsite 2-5 days per week.

Your primary responsibilities include: 

• Oversee a wide range of annual giving and fundraising programs. Programs include class agents, class-based reunion giving, leadership giving, recent graduates, student education, and graduating class gift using fundraising such as direct appeal, direct mail, e-mail, and peer-to-peer solicitations.
• Assess short and long-range plans for overall effectiveness and for achieving program and fund goals.
• Develop and manage a long-term plan to achieve growth in partnership with GSB External Relations leaders who share responsibility for achieving divisional goals.
• Manage, motivate, assist and evaluate annual giving and reunion giving staff, working with the team to maximize individual, program and department goals by providing oversight, guidance, strategic advice, training, and mentorship.
• Interact with key volunteers, board members, leadership donors, students, External Relations managers, faculty, and senior staff.
• Responsible for directly managing a fundraising portfolio which may include individual prospects, fundraising volunteers or class leadership, or managing a key giving society.
• Provide the structure for and facilitate the Board and Council member giving in collaboration with the Senior Director of Development and the Associate Dean for External Relations.
• Serve as a key member of the External Relations Management Team and the Development Managers team.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive annual plan and calendar.
• Create and lead successful and comprehensive annual giving programs and reunion campaigns with a strong focus on revenue growth of the BSF.
• Set yearly fundraising goals and subgoals (dollars, donors, retention rates, etc.); define clear strategies for increasing revenue and alumni participation rates, both overall and amongst segments with high potential.
• Develop and use robust, leading-edge analytics to drive decision-making and evaluate annual giving appeals and approaches.
• Proactively develop initiatives and strategies in collaboration with the Senior Director of Development and the Associate Dean for External Relations to increase the effectiveness of BSF programs.
• Lead the development of ask and segmentation strategies, targeted messaging, and marketing and outreach programs designed to enhance alumni giving, reunion giving, and giving from other select donor audiences, through strategic use of channels such as peer-to-peer outreach, dean and senior staff solicitations, direct mail, e-mail, text, social media, and web.
• In partnership with Stanford’s Office of Development prospect research group, identify a pool of annual leadership prospects and build the leadership giving program.
• Direct stewardship and recognition strategies to retain and upgrade donors, including giving societies, events, and communications.
• Recommend and participate in the selection of tools, technologies, and vendors to support BSF success.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and conduct best practice reviews of annual giving at other institutions, ensuring that the GSB is a leader amongst its peers.
• Execute other duties as assigned by the Senior Director of Development.

To be successful in this position, you will bring: 

• Bachelor’s degree and eight years relevant experience or a combination of education and experience. Four to six years of supervisory experience preferred.
• Significant experience in field fundraising positions, preferably with a strong background in annual giving.
• Demonstrated experience in management of projects, including project planning, scheduling, tracking, and budgeting.
• Strong communication skills to effectively educate internal and external audiences.
• Strong analytical skills to review and assess complex financial information; Experience building and maintaining spreadsheets.
• Comfort with technology and data management.
• Thorough understanding of development operations in a complex environment.
• Significant experience managing a high-performing annual fund, and a documented track record of success in managing progressively successful annual fundraising campaigns, including the management of volunteers engaged in direct solicitation, running direct mail, telemarketing, online giving programs, and closing leadership gifts.
• Proven record of accomplishment that demonstrates initiative, creativity, managerial, and interpersonal skills.
• Well-developed leadership abilities and a willingness to take risks and solve problems creatively.
• Demonstrated ability to manage, organize, motivate, and delegate to others, including volunteers.
• Proven success in managing, mentoring, and retaining a professional fundraising staff. Ability to address performance issues as they arise.
• Ability to build effective long-term relationships both internally and externally, and to establish strong, interpersonal relationships with academic and administrative leaders, development colleagues, and donors.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the proven ability to collaborate, build team spirit, and achieve results within a diverse population that may possess competing interests, opinions, and/or expectations.
• Ability to articulate a compelling case for discretionary support in a complex internal and external fundraising environment.
• Strong experience in analyzing and interpreting data to drive strategies and the ability to conceptualize, develop, implement, and assess strategic development activities, and employ sophisticated reporting to aid in decision-making.
• Proven technological capabilities and a high level of comfort with effectively using fundraising databases, spreadsheets, word processing, and presentation software.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and see projects through to a timely completion.
• Comfort with a work schedule that includes travel and some evening and weekend work.

In addition, preferred requirements include: 

• Advanced degree.
• Functional experience in financial analysis, operations, program management, or customer service is desirable.
• Proven record of accomplishment that demonstrates initiative, creativity, managerial and interpersonal skills. Well-developed leadership abilities and a willingness to take risks and solve problems creatively.
• Demonstrated ability to manage, organize, motivate, and delegate to others, including volunteers.
• Proven success in managing, mentoring and retaining a professional fundraising staff, including ability to address performance issues as they arise.
• The ability to build effective long-term relationships both internally and externally and the ability to articulate and advocate for institutional goals clearly.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the proven ability to collaborate, build team spirit, and achieve results within a diverse population that may possess competing interests, opinions, and/or expectations.
• Ability to articulate a compelling case for discretionary annual giving in a complex internal and external fundraising environment.
• Strong experience in analyzing and interpreting data to drive strategies and the ability to conceptualize, develop, implement and assess strategic development activities.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.