Director of Development (Regional)

Director of Development (Regional)

Located near Los Angeles, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona College is known for small classes, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, and a range of student research and leadership opportunities. Pomona is a member of The Claremont Colleges.

The Director of Development (Regional) DOD(R) is a frontline major gifts fundraiser responsible for securing philanthropic support from alumni, parents, and friends of Pomona College. The DOD(R) manages a portfolio of prospects located primarily in Northern California and the Seattle/Tacoma region, with additional responsibility for select high-capacity prospects across the Western United States. The DOD(R) develops and implements comprehensive, individualized strategies to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors capable of making leadership and major gifts of $100,000 or more in support of the College's top priorities.

As Pomona College prepares to enter the public phase of a comprehensive campaign, the DOD(R) will play a critical role in advancing campaign priorities across these key regions distinguished by strong alumni participation, philanthropic opportunity, and deep engagement of leadership volunteers. Working in close collaboration with colleagues across Advancement and the campus community, the DOD(R) will strengthen relationships, deepen engagement, and inspire support for Pomona's mission to provide a transformative liberal arts education to the most talented students regardless of financial means.

The DOD(R) must have the ability to build productive relationships with a variety of constituents, including alumni, parents, and friends of the College. Demonstrated experience cultivating and soliciting major gifts is essential, and campaign experience is highly desirable. The DOD(R) must demonstrate familiarity with a variety of fundraising concepts and demonstrate a command of industry standards and procedures. The position also requires sound judgment and the ability to act independently to accomplish annual goals while building a sustainable donor pipeline.

Reporting directly to the Senior Director of Major Gifts, the Director of Development (Regional) must work independently and collaboratively to perform the following essential duties and responsibilities:

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 125 major gift prospects and donors.
• Develop and execute individualized strategies to secure major ($100K or more) gifts in support of campaign priorities.
• Conduct regular in-person and virtual visits to advance donor relationships and move prospects through the engagement pipeline.
• Prepare compelling proposals, gift agreements, and presentations aligned with institutional priorities in consultation with campaign and development leadership.
• Solicit and close major gifts and maintain a robust pipeline of prospects at various stages of engagement and philanthropic interest.
• Ensure thoughtful stewardship and long-term engagement of donors.
• Serve as a key contributor to campaign outreach, support, and execution within Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.
• Partner with Advancement leadership to identify and cultivate high-capacity and leadership-level donors.
• Develop long-term strategies to build sustainable philanthropic support in assigned regions.
• Represent Pomona College as a knowledgeable and persuasive ambassador of its mission, priorities, and impact.
• Engage and steward high-level institutional volunteers, including campaign leaders, advisory members, and regional volunteers.
• Partner closely with the Alumni and Family Engagement and Office of College Events teams team to coordinate and support regional programming, events, and volunteer initiatives.
• Leverage volunteer networks to deepen relationships, expand prospect pipelines, and enhance the College's presence in key regions.
• Represent Pomona at regional events, fostering meaningful and enduring connections between the College and its constituents.
• Collaborate across Advancement (major gifts, annual giving, complex assets (principal and legacy giving), Pomona Plan, alumni and family engagement, prospect operations and data strategy, etc.) to align donor strategies and maximize philanthropic outcomes.
• Work with campus partners as necessary to connect donor interests with academic and programmatic opportunities.
• Assist in the preparation of briefing materials and strategic recommendations for senior leadership engagement with prospects.
• Contribute to a culture of collaboration, initiative, and donor-centered engagement.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of donor interactions, strategies, and solicitations in the College's Salesforce/Ascend CRM system of record.
• Monitor progress toward individual and regional fundraising goals.
• Utilize data and prospect research to inform strategy, prioritization, and decision-making.

Education: Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, journalism, business administration, or a liberal arts field.

Experience: Minimum of 6 years demonstrable experience in the areas of major gifts fundraising in a medium to large development operation with a diverse portfolio of prospects preferred. Experience in complex nonprofit organizations with a record of successfully soliciting and closing six and seven figure gifts. Experience in an academic setting is strongly preferred, as is working in a campaign environment.

This position must possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the job or must be able to demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed through knowledge, skills and abilities not listed below:

• Knowledge of fundraising best practices in higher education;
• Experience in capital campaign fundraising in higher education;
• Success in personally qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts with significant institutional impact;
• A high level of comfort and effectiveness working with high-net-worth individuals, domestically and internationally;
• An ability to monitor performance to achieve personal fundraising and metric goals;
• An ability to work effectively in a complex institutional setting and maintain effective relationships with donors, volunteers, faculty, athletics staff, colleagues, and senior management;
• Self-confidence, optimism, personal resilience, and the ability to function at peak levels in a high expectation environment;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills including clarity, crispness, and elegance in writing and speaking;
• An ability to handle highly confidential information with patience, discretion, good judgment, courtesy, and tact while working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds;
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills; and
• An ability to be an effective advocate for the value of a liberal arts education with all constituents.

The regular hours for this full-time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday Friday. Holiday, weekend and evening work hours may be required. Travel may be required. Regular hours may vary due to needs of the College or division. Pomona College has a remote work policy that may be implemented at the discretion of the manager and is subject to business needs.

This position is a regular, full-time, exempt position. Annual Salary for this position is between $130,000 - $150,000 with a competitive benefits package. The specific factors that the College will consider when offering a salary to an individual will include, but not be limited to: education, training, relevant prior experience, and performance in prior roles. All staff positions are ineligible for visa or permanent resident card sponsorship. As a California employer, Pomona College requires all employees to be residents of California.