Assistant Athletic Director, Annual Giving and Premium Seating

The Office of Advancement encourages applications for an Assistant Athletic Director of Annual Giving and Premium Seating! This role plays a significant role in strategizing, leading and executing programmatic donor relations and alumni engagement efforts for the CU Athletics. This position is critical to the engagement efforts for the Office of Advancement at CU Boulder and manages a team of 3 full-time staff responsible for donor relations, alumni engagement, events, and annual giving programs and premium seating sales and service.

Reporting to the Deputy Athletic Director, this position and its team are tasked with stewarding donors, engaging alumni and other constituents, promoting the reputation of the CU Athletics, and increasing overall donor support for CU Boulder. This position will successfully navigate the complexity of working with various internal and external constituents and balancing the needs of separate entities while still fulfilling the strategic needs of the unit and the Office of Advancement.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

CU Boulder Advancement is committed to a culture of joy, motivated by collaboration, passionate about excellence and driven by impact. These four values define the culture and drive engagement and fundraising success.

We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone matters and all can thrive. This dedication is rooted in our core values and our mission to drive impactful fundraising and engagement. Our team actively engages in learning, reflection, and the transformation of systems, policies, and practices that perpetuate oppressive ideologies—including racism, sexism, ableism, and heterosexism. We recognize our responsibility to lead by example in building a supportive and inclusive culture for both internal colleagues and external partners. We hold ourselves accountable through individual and divisional goals that continuously assess our progress, growth, and outcomes—ensuring alignment with our mission and values every step of the way.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Strategy and Execution

• Lead initiative planning for programs that grow the overall Buff Club membership, enhance donor stewardship, engagement and events.

• Lead implementation of programmatic strategy to engage and cultivate donors and alumni in ways that support the unit’s vision and strategic direction.

• Supervise the development of team goals and metrics to:

  • Increase and measure donor retention, satisfaction, and engagement.

  • Increase donor engagement.

• Create strategy for 5-10 high-impact annual events for donor stewardship and alumni engagement. Oversee events to ensure they are consistently providing an excellent experience for our donors and alumni.

• Regularly collaborate with senior leadership team to develop strategies, processes and procedures that will evolve our engagement activities to better demonstrate outcomes and produce results to move the organization forward.

Team Management and Leadership

• Implement all aspects of managing and leading a team of employees responsible for alumni engagement, events, board engagement, compliance and donor relations. Examples include:

  • Provide coaching and mentorship, especially to new team members.

  • Carry out administrative personnel actions (performance management, hiring, training, onboarding, offboarding, etc.).

  • Serve as a member of the Advancement Management Team. Attend scheduled meetings and collaborate with colleagues on a regular basis.

  • Set the overall direction for the team engagement activities annually. This includes defining success metrics, setting goals and developing processes for metrics reporting. Keys to success include leading the team to develop priorities and schedules prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year, being clear on roles, responsibilities and expectations, setting overall timelines and providing the needed processes to support the staff work.

  • Develop a team culture which encourages innovative ideas for engagement and cultivates a sense of confidence in trying new activities without the fear of consequences from failure.

Other Engagement Duties as Assigned

• Partner with colleagues within athletics and across advancement to engage, steward and manage important donors, volunteers and allies to the Buff Club.

• Attend and be an influential member of the monthly meetings with alumni directors across campus to share information, discuss standard practices and identify potential partnerships and joint initiatives.

• Attend and be an influential member of monthly meetings with donor relations staff across campus to share information, discuss standard processes and collaboration opportunities.

• Work with CU system, CU Foundation and CU Boulder Advancement staff to assist with the effective identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of donors to the Buff Club.

• Meet annual contact metrics.

What You Should Know

• This position is working on-site.

• This position will require local, regional, and out-of-state travel to meet with donors.

• This position will occasionally be required to work evenings/weekends.

What We Can Offer

The salary range for this position is $115,000 - $135,000 annually. Relocation assistance is available within Advancement guidelines.

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

What We Require

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience: 4+ years of professional, job related experience including 1+ years of team lead or supervision experience.

• Experience developing, planning and rolling out strategy.

• Program management experience.

Special Instructions

Application Link: Assistant Athletic Director, Annual Giving and Premium Seating

Please apply by September 15, 2026 for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.