About the role
The USF Foundation connects the University with donors who want to make a difference by providing private, philanthropic support to promote student success, academic initiatives, research and other strategic priorities of the University of South Florida. With an endowment that now exceeds $700 million in value, our dedicated team of approximately 210 professionals, including 60 fundraisers, encompasses alumni, development and foundation operations. The team is responsible for raising more than $165 million annually and has broken records year after year with more than $184 million raised in fiscal year 2025.
The Director, Audience Growth leads USF Advancement's audience growth efforts by combining marketing, data, technology, and storytelling to attract new supporters and increase philanthropic participation. We are seeking a marketing-minded leader who can help attract new donors, strengthen engagement and accelerate philanthropic growth by connecting people to the university's most compelling opportunities and impact.
Reporting directly to the Vice President for Central Development, this leader will use audience insights, storytelling, digital engagement, direct marketing and emerging technologies to expand donor participation, strengthen retention and create a more personalized and measurable approach to philanthropy.
As a highly collaborative leader, the Director will work closely with fundraisers representing various colleges and units, Advancement Communications and Marketing (ACM), Technology, Innovation and Strategic Solutions (TISS), Donor Relations and the Alumni Association to align audience strategy, campaign execution and fundraising outcomes.
A distinctive aspect of this opportunity is providing leadership for the Digital Engagement Center and its nearly 100 student ambassadors. With day-to-day operations managed by a dedicated leadership team, the Director will guide the center's continued evolution as a modern audience development operation and strategic channel for donor listening, storytelling, qualification, stewardship, reactivation, and pipeline growth.
This role offers the opportunity to build a new approach to audience growth at an AAU member institution with strong executive support, emerging donor intelligence capabilities and significant momentum in data, technology and AI.
Traditional annual giving and higher education experience are welcomed but not required. The strongest candidates will bring demonstrated success growing audiences, increasing customer or donor acquisition, improving conversion and building trusted partnerships across complex organizations.
Employees of USF Advancement live out the values of responsibility, innovation, service, and excellence in each of its highly collaborative departments.
· Lead USF Advancement’s audience growth strategy, driving acquisition, retention, reactivation, and long-term supporter value across the donor lifecycle.
· Create and implement short- and long-term strategies for growing the university’s annual giving program, targeting alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and other potential donors.
· Develop and enhance integrated fundraising and marketing campaigns across channels to drive engagement, donor participation, and philanthropic revenue growth.
· Serve as a strategic partner to colleges, units, and programs, translating philanthropic priorities into compelling donor engagement opportunities.
· Leverage donor intelligence, audience insights, behavioral data, and emerging technologies to inform strategy, optimize campaigns, and improve audience targeting.
· Identify and evaluate new channels, technologies, and engagement approaches to expand reach and accelerate philanthropic growth.
· Develop and inspire a high-performing team of approximately five full-time employees committed to innovation, accountability, and achieving ambitious growth goals.
· Provide leadership and direction for the Digital Engagement Center, advancing its role as a key channel for audience engagement, qualification, stewardship, reactivation, and pipeline growth.
· Serve as lead for all annual giving campaigns, including crowdfunding initiatives and Giving Week.
· Establish and monitor campaign performance measures including donor acquisition, retention, and reactivation; email open/clickthrough and conversion rates; fundraising return on investment and progression into fundraising pipelines.
This position requires a Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of experience related to development. Regular travel and occasional night and weekend work is required. Experience in direct mail campaigns, email retargeting, paid social and paid search preferred.
Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree.
• Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) 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 bachelor’s degree;
• (c) Six years of direct experience for a master’s 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.