Executive Director for Campaigns and Donor Relations
Salary
Depends on Qualifications
Location
Main Campus (BG), OH
Job Type
Full-Time
Job Number
BGSU01731
Division
V P University Advancement
Department
V P University Advancement
Opening Date
06/26/2026
Closing Date
Continuous
Pay Grade
362
Summary
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) has launched a national search to secure its Executive Director for Campaigns and Donor Relations. Partnering with Lindauer, the University invites applications and nominations for this critical leadership position.
Link to the prospectus and application instructions: https://www.lindauerglobal.com/searches/open-searches/executive-director-campaigns-donor-relations-bowling-green-state-university/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&utm_campaign=bgsu-edcdr
This is a senior leadership role requiring both strategic vision and operational precision. The person who holds this position will be the connective tissue of the campaign, ensuring that strategy, execution, and relationships are aligned from the quiet phase through public launch and beyond. In addition to leading campaign operations, the Executive Director will assume oversight responsibility for the Universitys donor stewardship function by providing strategic leadership that elevates how University Advancement as a whole approaches donor relations. This includes creating systems for consistent stewardship practice, deepening alignment with colleges and administrative units and the fundraisers who work in support of those colleges and units, and personally managing stewardship touchpoints at the principal gift level. The Executive Director reports to the Vice President for University Advancement/President and CEO of the BSGU Foundation Inc. and serves as a key strategic partner across the campaign lifecycle, working collaboratively with frontline fundraisers, communications, alumni engagement, and campus leadership.
Essential Functions
Campaign Strategy & Leadership
- Serve as the primary campaign strategist and internal lead, coordinating across all campaign activity throughout the campaign lifecycle.
- Lead the development and ongoing refinement of the comprehensive campaign plan, including goals, case for support, priorities, timeline, and phased strategy from quiet phase through public close.
- Translate institutional priorities into a clear, actionable campaign framework, ensuring alignment between advancement leadership, academic units, and key stakeholders.
- Act as a strategic partner and thought leader to the Vice President and senior advancement leadership on campaign direction, pacing, and decision-making.
- Monitor campaign momentum and proactively identify and address risks, gaps, or opportunities.
Campaign Execution & Coordination
- Oversee day-to-day coordination of campaign activity across development, alumni engagement, communications, and stewardship, providing direction and accountability to campaign director and campaign communications staff.
- Manage campaign timelines, benchmarks, and deliverables, maintaining forward momentum and ensuring cross-functional accountability.
- Ensure alignment of campaign initiatives across colleges, units, and key stakeholders; serve as a convener and connector across the organization.
- Establish and monitor campaign metrics, reporting systems, and progress toward goals; provide regular analysis and updates to senior leadership.
- Ensure consistent tracking of activity and pipeline through CRM and reporting tools.
- Volunteer & Leadership Engagement
- Lead the structure, strategy, and engagement of campaign volunteer leadership, including the campaign cabinet and any advisory committees.
- Partner with frontline fundraisers to align principal and major gift activity with campaign priorities and phased goals.
- Provide guidance, coaching, and support for leadership engagement and donor strategy in partnership with gift officers.
Campaign Communications Alignment
- Develop and guide campaign messaging and positioning to ensure clarity, consistency, and strategic intent across all audiences and phases.
- Oversee campaign collateral and assets across platforms, partnering with University marketing and communications and external vendors.
- Support internal alignment and external visibility leading into and following the public launch.
- Create select campaign materials independently as needed.
Campaign Events & Engagement
- Lead strategic planning and execution of campaign events to build awareness, momentum, and donor engagement.
- Determine event strategy across the campaign arc, including launch events, on-campus and regional engagement experiences, and targeted cultivation and stewardship moments.
- Partner with University Advancement colleagues, campus units, and external vendors to deliver events that advance campaign goals.
Donor Relations & Stewardship Leadership
- Lead the Universitys donor relations and stewardship program, setting strategic direction, managing the team, and driving continuous improvement in how BGSU acknowledges, recognizes, and cultivates its donor community.
- Directly supervise stewardship staff, providing leadership, professional development, and accountability for program outcomes.
- Design and implement scalable systems and processes for consistent, high-quality stewardship practice across University Advancement, including gift acknowledgement workflows, fund reporting standards, and donor recognition frameworks.
Other duties as assigned
Minimum Qualifications
The following Degree is required:
The following Degree is preferred:
The following Experience is required:
- Minimum of eight years of progressive experience in advancement, with meaningful depth in campaign management, major gifts, and/or donor relations
Additional Information
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
- Demonstrated experience leading or playing a senior role in a comprehensive campaign, including quiet phase strategy, volunteer management, and cross-functional coordination.
- Strong working knowledge of donor stewardship principles and best practices, including acknowledgement, gift fund reporting, recognition, and principal gift relationship management.
- Experience managing or directing staff, with the ability to provide strategic oversight and coaching across functional areas.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex information into clear, compelling narratives for multiple audiences.
- Proficiency with advancement CRM systems (e.g., Blackbaud Raisers Edge/NXT, Salesforce, or similar).
- Experience at a public research university or comparably complex advancement operation.
- Familiarity with campaign event strategy and execution.
- Experience managing relationships with senior volunteers and board-level campaign leadership.
- Comfort operating in a matrixed environment with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
Bowling Green State University is an equal opportunity employer. The University is committed to maintaining an employment and educational environment that is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected class: age (40 years of age or older), ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity and expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, marital status, military status, national origin, political affiliation, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
EEOC Know Your Rights
OCRC Know Your Rights
In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Bowling Green State University, please call 419-372-8421 or email ohr@bgsu.edu.
BGSU is an E-Verify employer. If hired into this position, you will be required to provide satisfactory proof of employment eligibility by providing acceptable, original forms of identification for employment verification via the Federal I-9 employment verification process. A list of acceptable documents can be seen here: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents
Benefits
Bowling Green State University provides a comprehensive benefit program as part of a total compensation package. This includes medical, prescription, dental, vision, health accounts (medical & dependent), life & disability insurance, retirement plans, employee assistance program and tuition fee waivers for employees and their eligible dependents as well as paid time off, flexible work options, holidays and parental leave. For more information, please visit Benefits-at-a-Glance.
Employer Bowling Green State University
Address 1851 N Research Drive
Huntington Building
Bowling Green, Ohio, 43403
Phone (419) 372-8421 Human Resources
(419) 372-2865 Student Employment
Website https://www.bgsu.edu/human-resources/careers.html