Development Officer, Athletics

Description

USF Advancement connects the university with donors who want to make a difference by providing philanthropic support to promote student success research academic excellence and other strategic priorities. With an endowment that now exceeds $700 million in value our dedicated team of approximately 200 professionals including 60 fundraisers encompasses alumni development and foundation operations. The team is responsible for raising more than $150 million annually and has broken records year after year with more than $184 million raised in fiscal year 2025.

The Development Officer Athletics serves as a key member of the USF Athletics Development team and is responsible for leading annual giving strategy donor engagement and operational support for the Bulls Club. This position drives philanthropic support through direct marketing personal solicitation stewardship donor benefits administration and data-driven fundraising initiatives designed to increase annual fund revenue and donor participation.

The Development Officer Athletics oversees the day-to-day administration of Bulls Club membership and benefits while executing comprehensive annual giving strategies that cultivate solicit retain and upgrade donors at all giving levels. Working collaboratively with Athletics Advancement Ticket Operations and external stakeholders this position ensures exceptional donor experiences while building a pipeline of future major gift prospects in support of USF Athletics priorities.

The role combines frontline fundraising annual giving operations donor relations analytics and strategic communications to increase unrestricted philanthropic support and strengthen long-term donor engagement with USF Athletics.

Employees of USF Advancement live out the values of responsibility innovation service and excellence in each of its highly collaborative departments. We use trusted data and ethical AI to enhance decision-making strengthen engagement and enable our teams to focus on what matters most: relationships and impact.

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa St. Petersburg and USF 2025 U.S. News & World Report recognized USF with its highest overall ranking in university history as a top 50 public university for the seventh consecutive year and as one of the top 15 best values among all public universities in the nation. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in the highest tier placing it as one of the top 16 medical schools in the nation and inside the top 10 among public universities. 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 $750 million in research funding in 2025 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 nearly $10 billion for the state of Florida. USFs Division I athletics teams compete in the American Conference. Learn more at .

Annual Giving Strategy & Fundraising
Lead the planning execution and evaluation of all annual giving initiatives supporting the Bulls Club Annual Fund.
Design and implement multi-channel fundraising campaigns including direct mail email marketing digital outreach phone solicitation text messaging social media engagement and special appeals.
Develop annual fundraising strategies focused on increasing donor participation donor retention donor upgrades and unrestricted giving.
Personally solicit annual gifts and leadership annual fund gifts while identifying prospects for major gift cultivation.
Partner with development officers to transition qualified prospects into major gift portfolios.
Develop donor-specific strategies that advance relationships and maximize philanthropic support.
Assist with capital campaign premium seating and priority seating fundraising initiatives when appropriate.

Bulls Club Operations & Membership Management
Serve as the primary operational lead for daily Bulls Club functions and membership administration.
Coordinate with Athletics and Advancement partners to administer donor benefits and membership fulfillment.
Oversee annual donor benefit allocation processes including seating parking and priority ranking programs.
Ensure accurate processing allocation and reconciliation of gifts associated with donor benefits and ticket-related programs.
Work collaboratively with Athletics ticketing and fan engagement personnel to ensure a seamless donor experience..
Assist with game-day operations and donor hospitality initiatives.

Data Analytics & Performance Management
Maintain comprehensive and accurate donor records within CRM systems.
Utilize data analytics reporting tools and fundraising technology to guide donor strategy and campaign performance.
Analyze giving trends donor behavior renewal rates segmentation strategies and fundraising outcomes.
Develop reporting and forecasting tools to measure progress toward annual fundraising goals.
Maintain exceptional data hygiene standards and ensure timely recording of donor activity and strategy updates.
Leverage data to identify prospects for leadership annual giving and major gift cultivation.

This position requires Bachelors degree and one year of development fundraising or other appropriate related experience.
Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate ( is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required not to exceed:
(a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
(b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelors degree;
(c) Six years of direct experience for a masters degree;
(d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
(e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure certification or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Required Experience:

Unclear Seniority