Director of Development, Gift Planning (Finance)

Organizational Unit

USF Advancement builds relationships, generates interest, and inspires confidence among the university's constituents to attract private funding. Private gifts are used to advance teaching, research creative expression, and promote community engagement. USF Advancement is comprised of approximately 200 staff including 60 fundraisers with the goal of raising $150+ million dollars annually.

Position Summary

The Gift Planning team is responsible for supporting and collaborating with each college, unit, and campus to leverage various giving vehicles that are advantageous for both donors and the university. Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Gift Planning, the Director of Development, Gift Planning is responsible for establishing and managing prospect and donor relationships through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship to meet fundraising goals in alignment with the mission and aspirations of the University of South Florida. The incumbent will play a key role in the overall growth of private philanthropy in support of the university.This position requires a Bachelor's degree and 5 years of fundraising experience or other appropriate related experience. Master's Degree/J.D. preferred and 7 years of proven planned giving fundraising or related experience is preferred.

FLSB1310 Equivalency:
4 years of directly relevant experience may be substituted for bachelor's degree.
6 years of directly relevant experience may be substituted for master's degree.

This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.

Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Contact the USF ADA Lead ( hr-ADA-Request@usf.edu ) to coordinate your accommodation request.Working at USF
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With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF's rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida's best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state's 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.
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About USF
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The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF's Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu .Fundraising

• Serve as a gift planning advisor for the Advancement division, contribute to the overall resources of each college, unit and regional campus' development efforts and help to facilitate key relationships in pursuit of impactful gifts for the university.
• Build and manage a robust portfolio of prospects in order to identify, cultivate, solicit and secure major planned gifts ($50K+) from a variety of sources, including alumni and friends on behalf of the university. Fundraising dollar, visit, and proposal goals will be determined through conversations with leadership and based on the prospect pool and unit potential.
• Continuously update the prospect management database with information related to donor strategies, contacts, and results.
• Strategically manage relationships through face-to-face and virtual visits to bring major planned gift solicitations to successful closure.
• Assist the Associate Vice President, as needed, in supporting marketing efforts designed to increase engagement with alumni and friends and to further relationships with prospective major planned gift donors.

Growth, Learning and Collaboration

• Strategically assist with opportunities to increase awareness of planned giving and educate advancement leaders and colleagues on planned giving best practices.
• Intentionally build and invest in developing strong relationships with university leaders, faculty and staff, professional advisors, and estate planning counsel to promote a culture of philanthropy.
• Develop strong relationships with Advancement leadership, staff, and departments to leverage the tools and resources available to ensure prospects and donors have a meaningful experience with USF.
• Stay abreast of industry trends to integrate best practices into daily work.

Additional Duties

Perform related duties as required or deemed appropriate to the accomplishment of the responsibilities and functions related to this position.