Chief Development Officer Position Available In Collier, Florida

Chief Development Officer
Ave Maria School of Law
in Naples, FL

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Full-Time

Posted:

04/23/2025

Category:

Development and Fundraising Priority Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with Ave Maria School of Law in the search for a Chief Development Officer. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and Dean, the Chief Development Officer will lead and execute a sustainable development program that broadens the base of philanthropic support for Ave Maria School of Law (Ave Law), particularly for major gifts of $50,000 and above. The Chief Development Officer will provide direct support to the Dean, administrative leadership, faculty, and central and school-based development staff to meet fundraising goals and build affinity in support of philanthropic priorities. The Chief Development Officer will identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of 100 to 120 major gift prospects while developing and executing a strategy to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts up to and exceeding $1 million. To be successful, the Chief Development Officer will collaborate closely with fellow fundraisers, deans, department heads, faculty, and administrative staff to achieve fundraising goals and work closely with prospect research, and development and alumni relations colleagues to identify, cultivate, and track major gift prospects. The Chief Development Officer will play a critical role in developing meaningful connections with alumni, parents, and friends of Ave Law while developing strategies to move them through the donor continuum, resulting in more robust engagement and philanthropic support, including outright and planned gifts. Ave Maria School of Law is a Catholic law school dedicated to educating lawyers with the finest professional skills. Inspired by Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Fides et Ratio, Ave Law offers a distinctive legal education—an education characterized by the harmony of faith and reason. Formed by outstanding professional training and a distinctive educational philosophy, Ave Maria’s graduates are equipped for leading positions in law firms, corporate legal offices, the judiciary, and national, state, and local government. Ave Law offers an outstanding legal education in fidelity to the Catholic Faith, as expressed through Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the teaching authority of the Church. University legal education began in Catholic universities, and Catholic law schools have been the bearers of a tradition that safeguards the dignity of the human person and the common good. Ave Law affirms Catholic legal education’s traditional emphasis on the only secure foundation for human freedom—the natural law written on the heart of every human being. Ave Maria affirms the need for society to rediscover those human and moral truths that flow from the nature of the human person and that safeguard human freedom. Ave Maria School of Law recognizes the central and indispensable role of the Ordinary of the Diocese of Venice in promoting and assisting in the preservation and strengthening of its Catholic identity. Celebrating its 25th anniversary as an independent law school established in 2000; Ave Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association. Ave Law is governed by an educational philosophy that emphasizes the moral foundations of the law, presents insights from the Catholic intellectual tradition, and encourages a broader perspective of the law and its role in society. The curriculum is designed to ensure that graduates will be well prepared to practice law in any jurisdiction and employment area. Ave Law boasts a student body of 270 and a network of over 1,200 alumni drawn from almost every state and several other nations. Ave Law has a successful record of national career placement—its graduates have secured 64 prestigious judicial clerkships, employment in firms of all sizes around the country, positions with federal and state agencies, and jobs with both domestic and international public-interest employers. Chosen as a distinguished guide by the esteemed Cardinal Newman Society, Ave Law is honored to be the only Catholic law school awarded this prestigious recognition. Ave Law consistently ranks as The Princeton Review’s “Most Conservative Law School” and one of its “Best Law Schools,” while also receiving recognition as preLaw’s “Most Devout Law School.” The National Jurist has also listed Ave Maria School of Law among the most conservative law schools in the United States. Ave Maria School of Law’s passage rate for the first-time test takers who sat for the February 2025 exam was 87.5%, placing Ave Law first in the state for this exam administration. A bachelor’s degree and Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) accreditation is required for this position as is at least 10 years of experience in progressively responsible development and external affairs positions, preferably in an educational institution. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of Ave Maria School of Law as well as the responsibilities and qualifications stated in the prospectus. The salary range for this position is $180,000 to $235,000 annually. To apply for this position, visit: https://opportunities.aspenleadershipgroup.com/opportunities/4481 jeid-e95a6500e990394b82e9a4daf47d21d7
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