David Davis
Decatur,GA
Summary
Seasoned executive leader with 12+ years of focused experience in advancement and strategic planning with a wide range of administrative and fundraising experiences including team building, cultivating strategic relationships, managing volunteer relationships, generating principal and major gifts, enhancing corporate and foundation relations, and promoting annual fund, direct mail and gift planning. Leading top-performing teams that have led to sustainable growth through ongoing operational improvements. Generated more than $50 million in gifts and contributions including securing complex multi-year commitments.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Managing Senior Director of Development, Regional Advancement
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
04.2023 - Current
- Serve as a key member of the leadership team, spearheading the design, development, and execution of strategic fundraising initiatives for the Regional, International, and Parent Advancement teams.
- Drive efforts to identify, cultivate, and secure transformative gifts ranging from $100K to $15M+ from individuals, corporations, and foundations, supporting education, patient care, and research programs across Emory’s schools and units.
- Provide successful leadership experience to a team of six experienced full-time fundraising professionals while overseeing all revenue generation and budgets associated with the West Coast, Midwest, and Southern regions of the country
- Successfully led a team that raised over $10M in the first year, leveraging strategic planning and market analysis to identify new business opportunities
- Expertly articulate and close planned gifts
- Impactfully enhance and streamline the organization's philanthropic efforts, effectively increasing donor retention by 20%
- Generate school/unit strategic planning and goal-setting
- Synthesize relationships among prospective donors, alumni, and volunteers and employ sales experience to support programs and priorities
- Partner with central advancement offices to ensure that potential gift prospects are properly qualified, cultivated, and stewarded
- Consistently evaluate program outcomes and impact data, using results to inform future strategy and resource allocation decisions
- Mentor staff members to build their skills and advance within the organization, contributing to employee satisfaction and retention
- Optimize new business development strategies to foster partnerships and expand market presence
- Direct a high-performing team in executing comprehensive principal-level fundraising plans
- Built and managed long-term relationships with key stakeholders, creating tailored growth plans that exceeded fundraising targets by 15%
- Empathetically navigate sensitive cultural and religious issues during global events
Director of Development
Georgia Tech
Atlanta, GA
06.2018 - 03.2023
- Member of an advancement team that raised over $30M annually in new revenue
- Personally secured over $22M from 2022 - 2023
- Assisted in leading development team to three of the best fundraising fiscal years ever in gifts/pledges in Georgia Tech Athletics history ($30M, $32M and $35M)
- Managed relationships of over 250 high-level donors and prospects with giving capacities ranging from $100K to $25M
- Spearheaded and obtained funding for Georgia Tech Track & Field's largest-ever capital project, totaling $7.5M
- Oversaw a diverse team of three development professionals and exceed fundraising goals through effective team management
- Increased annual cash giving from $2.5M to more than $5.1M in 2022
- Utilized strong interpersonal skills to build and maintain relationships with regional partners, driving forward development initiatives
- Secured new donors through resourceful research and dynamic networking
- Identified new major donors by developing and executing long-range and short-range strategies and plans to identify, cultivate, and solicit prospects, producing a continuous stream of new revenue generation exceeding annual goals
- Collaborated with the Athletic Development and cross-campus colleagues to develop, plan and execute differentiated foundation fundraising strategies
- Responsible for budget and revenue generation associated with several regions
Associate Director of Development
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
07.2015 - 06.2018
- Member of an advancement team that raised over $64M annually in new fundraising revenue
- Personally secured over $10.5M
- Managed relationships of 225 high-level donors
- Oversaw all revenue generation, events and budget associated with the Southern States region
- Liaison for seven athletic programs, coaches and their staff while supporting their development plans and initiatives
- Provided strategic direction for two direct reports ensuring that the responsibilities and objectives were well-defined and achieved
- Developed relationships with C-level executives, board members and alumni
- Coordinated relationship-building activities with appropriate partners in a successful effort to help ensure they were well-advised on important matters
- Demonstrated proficiency in Power Point for creating compelling visuals to communicate complex fundraising data to stakeholders
Assistant Director of Development
Miami University
Oxford, OH
05.2013 - 06.2015
- Member of the Farmer School of Business advancement team that raised over $7M annually in new revenue
- Personally secured over $3.4M
- Developed and managed a portfolio of over 175 donors
- Gathered data, assessed prospects, and developed strategies designed to realize the current and lifetime giving potential of individual prospective donors
- Ensured consistent and appropriate contact, facilitated solicitations, closed several major deals, and ensured effective long-term relationship building
- Focused on soliciting new gifts in the range of $50K - $500K with the intent of moving these donors to a higher level annually
- Enhanced donor relationships through strategic fundraising initiatives, resulting in increased annual contributions
Education
Master of Education - Sport Administration
Tennessee State University
Nashville, TNBachelor of Education - Health and Society, Kinesiology
Miami University
Oxford, OHSkills
- Fundraising Strategies
- Team Leadership
- Relationship Building
- Interpersonal Communication
- Diverse and Inclusive Community Development
- Board Relations
- Community Outreach
- Client Relationship
- Direct Mail Campaigns
- Resource Development
Trainings & Competencies
- Plus Delta Partners Disciplines of Frontline Fundraising
- Proficient in Microsoft Office and Salesforce
Timeline
Managing Senior Director of Development, Regional Advancement
Emory University
04.2023 - Current
Director of Development
Georgia Tech
06.2018 - 03.2023
Associate Director of Development
University of Michigan
07.2015 - 06.2018
Assistant Director of Development
Miami University
05.2013 - 06.2015
Master of Education - Sport Administration
Tennessee State University
Bachelor of Education - Health and Society, Kinesiology
Miami University
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