Senior Director of Advancement, Regional Programs - West Coast

The Senior Director of Advancement, Regional Programs - West Coast position will join the Regional Programs Team committed to fundraising by geographic area. The role focuses on the West Coast Region of the United States with emphasis on Southern California (Los Angeles and Orange County), and Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming (subject to change). Extensive travel, up to 50% within the region, including overnight trips, is required. The successful candidate will achieve fundraising metrics while collaborating with other University Advancement staff members to remain donor centered. This candidate will utilize best practices to identify, evaluate, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospective and current donors, alumni, and friends of the university with a philanthropic capacity of $50,000 and higher. The Senior Director will achieve a high level of annual productivity for contacts, visits, and proposals presented and closed. Through a collaborative approach, the Senior Director will partner with Advancement colleagues in the schools, colleges, and programs to coordinate strategy and planning. 

Since 1839, and as Missouri’s only state-supported member of the Association of American Universities, the University of Missouri (MU) has been engaged in groundbreaking research and comprehensive academics that define its strength as a higher education institution. Today, MU supports 31,103 students in 300+ degree programs, including 97 undergraduate majors, 96 master’s degrees, 69 doctoral degrees, and over 70 certificates. Students work side by side with some of the world’s best faculty to advance the arts and humanities, the sciences, and the professions. At MU, scholarship and teaching are driven daily by a commitment to public service—the obligation to produce and disseminate knowledge that will improve the quality of life in the state, the nation, and the world. MU’s NCAA Division I Athletics program in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has 550 student-athletes across 20 sports. There are 344,000 MU alumni living around the world, 185,000 of which remain in the state of Missouri, maintaining MU’s positive impact globally and locally.

University of Missouri takes pride in driving innovation and the state of Missouri economy through its extensive research and outreach programs which support local families, business owners, farmers, firefighters and police, and healthcare providers. In 2021, the university secured $389 million on total research via the National Science Foundation. It boasts about 100 new inventions each year and infuses the Missouri economy with approximately $5B on an annual basis. Overall, the University of Missouri the Missouri economy with approximately $5B on an annual basis. Overall, the University of Missouri positively impacts 1 million Missouri residents through its offerings.  

On the heels of record retention and enrollment growth amidst unprecedented challenges facing higher education in 2020, the University of Missouri jumped 15 spots in the U.S. News & World Report list of top national universities, rising to 124 in the publication’s newest rankings of more than 380 public and private institutions. MU also moved up five spots, from No. 90 in 2020 to No. 85, among the Best Value Schools— a measure of colleges that offer the best value for students getting need-based financial aid. Additionally, the university climbed 13 spots to No. 86 among the Best Colleges for Veterans.  

Mizzou Advancement emphasizes talent acquisition and professional development in service to its overall mission of enhancing private support of the University of Missouri. As a result, the division continues to attract top talent from around the country. Comprising 180 staff members with a presence across the United States and around the world, Mizzou Advancement announced the $1.3 billion Mizzou: Our Time to Lead campaign in October 2015. At its conclusion in 2020, it was the most successful philanthropic campaign in the university’s history, at over $1.4 billion.