Special Information

• NAU is currently engaged in transitioning to a new employment category called University Staff, which aligns the current Classified Staff, Service Professional, and Administrator classifications into a single, unified employment group. As a result, while this position is currently classified as Service Professional, effective July 1, 2026, this position will be automatically transitioned to the University Staff category. 
• This position is a hybrid position which allows the incumbent to complete their work at both an NAU site, campus, or facility and at a non-centralized site with or without accommodation.
• Driving a vehicle on behalf of the university is anticipated to be a regular part of this position. Arizona Administrative Code Fleet Safety Policy requires all employees who drive on university business become authorized by submitting Driver’s license information for driving record monitoring, and completion of training appropriate to the level of driving performed. The law applies to all faculty, staff, and students who drive personal or university-owned motorized vehicles for any business purpose. More information on the NAU Authorized Driver Policy can be found on the NAU website.
• Due to a university‑wide staff classification transition, the expected start date for this position is on or after July 6, 2026.

About the Department/College

NAU Advancement | Foundation engages students, alumni, parents, friends, and the broader NAU community to connect, invest, and inspire current and future Lumberjacks.

About the Position

As a leader of the Principal Gifts team, The Director of Principal Gifts, holds the primary responsibility for planning and executing development strategies for securing principal gifts (gifts of $1 million or more). A principal gift is defined as strategic philanthropy supporting solutions for societal problems. These gifts come from donors who believe in Northern Arizona University, see it as a formidable partner for change, and believe NAU’s work is worth a heightened level of investment.

The Director collaborates closely with the Advancement | Foundation development directors and central advancement staff to strategically coordinate engagement and stewardship for the university’s most significant donors who are interested in supporting NAU’s strategic priorities aligned with NAU 2025 – Elevating Excellence. This position is critical in securing lead gifts, leading strategy for top prospects, and partnering with development staff to scale major gifts during the university’s comprehensive campaign. The university is currently in the public phase of the Elevate comprehensive campaign.

The Director models coordination, transparency, and—because almost all big ideas are interdisciplinary—encourage collaboration across academic departments, university divisions, and among other internal partners. The Director partners with division colleagues to elevate the donor engagement process stages of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The position provides guidance and support to donor engagement and solicitation activities institution-wide, while preserving and nurturing existing relationships at individual and program levels.

The Director works closely with all development directors to drive principal gifts in a consistent, systematic way. The position is responsible for setting goals and is held accountable for achieving performance metrics. The strategic integration of academic partners and other key partners is crucial for several reasons: to nurture donor relationships, collaborate on the development and implementation of a focused and intentional principal gift strategy, and to ensure excellent stewardship of the gift.

Contributing to organizational effectiveness, the Director provides substantial input on employment decisions, influence, motivate, and supervise a team. The position also evaluates and reports employee performance. NAU seeks an experienced, dynamic leader to partner, strategize, and pursue leadership level philanthropic support.

This position reports directly to the Associate Vice President of Central Advancement. This position's work location can be the Flagstaff Mountain Campus or the Phoenix North Valley Campus.

Responsibilities Include

40% - Fundraising and Relationship Building

• Prioritize portfolio of NAU’s top principal gift prospects and work collaboratively to execute principal gift fundraising goals.
• Meet and achieve quantifiable fundraising and engagement goals and metrics.
• Conceptualize, implement, and lead leadership level fundraising strategies that enhance and support the university’s fundraising priorities.
• Lead and coordinate the cultivation-solicitation-stewardship cycle of significant university prospects and donors, ensuring cross-departmental collaboration through the creation of case statements, complex gift agreements, proposals, donor acknowledgements, and customized impact reports.
• In coordination with Donor Relations, develop and implement enhanced bespoke stewardship strategies for significant donors and coordinate engagement actions with the appropriate office (President, Provost, Dean, etc.) and Advancement | Foundation.
• Assist, and when appropriate, lead the development of complex proposals for soliciting individual, corporate, or foundation prospects, using knowledge from varied sources to ensure they are accurate and complete.

20% - Program Administration

• Oversee operating expenses, prepare budget requests, and monitor expenditures.
• Develop, manage, and execute the strategic plan and goals for the principal gifts program.
• Oversee unit data and provide timely reports and updates to leadership on results, detailed history of donor engagement effectiveness; provide recommendations of continued optimization and growth.
• Observe relevant industry trends to inform strategic decisions to enhance principal gifts at the university.
• Track prospect clearance, proposal strategies, and project monitoring utilizing the NAU Foundation’s constituent database.
• Identify creative approaches to complex problem solving and opportunities for change and improvement.
• Pay close attention to detail in work productivity while remaining flexible for big-picture/systems thinking.

20% - People Management

• Oversee a team responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and/or stewarding principal gifts donors.
• Deliver formal feedback to employees, which may include work plans to address performance issues, and resolves conflicts.
• Evaluate individual and team performance and prioritize university development needs across the university.
• Develop and improve on existing standards to promote maximum team/organization effectiveness.
• Manage projects and reviews the work of the Principal Gifts team.

15% - Strategy Development

• Lead and execute regular Prospect Power Hour meetings focused on developing cultivation and stewardship strategies for principal gift donors and other top university prospects.
• Partner with the President’s Cabinet to execute Presidential Roundtables—intimate partnership and donor-cultivation events aimed at fostering strategic engagement and partnership and gathering insights from key stakeholders.
• Prepare research profiles for each prospect and make an initial determination of the key partners/relationship builders for each.

5% - Other

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field.
• 3 years of management experience.
• 5 years of experience as a front-line fundraiser with personal solicitation of individual major gifts, or relevant experience.

*A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in relevant field.
• Established record of closing major gifts of $50,000 or more, or revenue metrics that support organizational priorities.
• Experience in higher education or non-profit setting.
• Experience in major gift fundraising principles and practices at a major university.
• Capital/comprehensive campaign experience.
• Proven ability to engage, motivate, and work with prospects, volunteers, university officials, faculty and staff or similar constituencies.
• Working knowledge of a donor database.
• Understanding of and appreciation for Northern Arizona University, its cultural and geographic specificity, and its commitment to student success.
• Proven ability to work independently; a self-starter with energy, humility, and enthusiasm.
• Experience/knowledge of business practices/studies.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Knowledge

• Direct experience with fundraising, volunteer management.
• Proven ability to solicit and close philanthropic gifts at the five and-six-figure level, or equivalent experience in a related field such as sales.
• Knowledge of common management tactics.

Skills

• Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to initiate, collaborate, implement, monitor, evaluate, advance, and report on strategic plans that support the activities of, and contribute to, NAU Advancement | Foundation’s overall strategic goals and targets.
• Excellent leadership skills with an ability to manage relationships drives change.
• Superior interpersonal skills with proven ability to successfully interact and collaborate with varied constituencies in a professional manner, exhibiting excellent communication skills, and demonstrating tact, poise and diplomacy while working with a wide variety of personalities.

Abilities

• Demonstrated team player with the ability to gain trust and confidence of colleagues and constituents.
• Experience and credibility when presenting materials to both internal and external constituents including individuals from a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds.
• Demonstrated commitment to excellence, honesty, transparency, and high levels of collaboration.
• Must be a detail-oriented, self-starter with a demonstrated ability to work independently and manage multiple projects and priorities to meet aggressive timelines and challenging deadlines with minimal staff support.
• Deep commitment to higher education and with the knowledge and ability to champion Northern Arizona University and its mission.
• Working knowledge of electronic mail and calendars, the Microsoft environment, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and other software such as donor databases, etc. and ability to run, analyze, and summarize computer-generated reports.
• Must be able and willing to travel frequently to attend relevant programs and events, and to meet with current and prospective donors to further cultivation and solicitation strategies (approximately 25 – 50% time).
• Ability to make travel arrangements using prudent fiscal considerations.
• Must be able and willing to work occasional evenings and weekends.
• Entrepreneurial spirit, taking initiative and actively seeking to deepen current donor relationships and forge new ones.
• Experience working with sensitive information and ability to maintain strict confidentiality.

Compensation

Salary range begins at $136,194 to $169,853. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.

Pre-Employment Check

Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, an employment history verification and a degree verification (in some cases) prior to employment. You may also be required to complete a fingerprint background check. Also, as an employer in the state of Arizona, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees' right to work in the United States.

This position has been identified as a safety/security sensitive position. Therefore, per AZ Revised Statute, Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, employment history investigation, degree verification (in some cases) and fingerprinting. If you are applying for a job that requires a CDL, you will be required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse and adhere to the clearinghouse requirements.

Notice of Availability of the Annual Fire and Security Report

Each year Northern Arizona University releases an Annual Security Report. The report is a result of a federal law known as the Clery Act. The report includes Clery reportable crime statistics for the three most recent completed calendar years and discloses procedures, practices and programs NAU uses to keep students and employees safe including how to report crimes or other emergencies occurring on campus. In addition, the Fire Safety Report is combined with the Annual Security Report for the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus as this campus has on-campus student housing. This report discloses fire safety policies and procedures related to on-campus student housing and statistics for fires that occurred in those facilities. If you would like a free paper copy of the report, please contact the NAUPD Records Department at (928) 523-8884 or by visiting the department at 525 E. Pine Knoll Drive in Flagstaff.

Immigration Support/Sponsorship

]Northern Arizona University welcomes applications from U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and individuals who already hold valid authorization to work in the United States or who may qualify for a change of status within the United States under current USCIS regulations. NAU is unable to initiate new employment-based visa sponsorships that require payment of the federal H-1B supplemental fee including for candidates residing outside the United States.

Submit your Application

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply" button on this page. You must submit your application by midnight of the application deadline.

If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact the Disability Resources Office at 928-523-8773, DR@nau.edu, or PO Box 5633, Flagstaff AZ 86011.