Stanford University
Stanford University seeks an entrepreneurial, strategic, and accomplished fundraising leader to serve as its inaugural Chief Athletics Development Officer (CADO). Reporting directly to the Associate Vice President for Development and with a dotted line to the Director of Athletics, the CADO will design and execute the philanthropic strategy for the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) at a defining moment in the history of American collegiate athletics.
About the Opportunity: Conference realignment, the implementation of the House settlement, and the introduction of direct revenue sharing with student-athletes have together rewritten the economics of college sports. In this environment, DAPER is prioritizing philanthropy as the primary engine for competing at the highest academic and athletic levels. The CADO will build a donor pipeline capable of securing transformational, eight- and nine-figure commitments.
Key Responsibilities: Set the strategic direction of, and produce results from, Stanford's athletics fundraising program; lead and manage a team of approximately 15 development professionals; partner with the Director of Athletics, the cabinet, head coaches, senior administrators, university trustees, and key volunteers; and cultivate relationships to secure major, transformational gifts.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate is an accomplished fundraising leader with a strategic, entrepreneurial mindset, able to combine the discipline and donor-centered ethos of a sophisticated university advancement enterprise with the speed, public perception acumen, and high-stakes relationship management required for big-time collegiate athletics.
The full position description is available here: https://www.searchlink.cloud/public/website/searches/11049/file/1156007
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, please visit the Isaacson, Miller search page: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/stanford-university/chief-athletics-development-officer
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Posted
08/14/2026
Website
https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/stanford-university/chief-athletics-development-officer
City
Stanford
State
California
Functions
Advancement, Capital Campaigns, Fundraising, Leadership, Major Gifts, Senior Management
Industries
Higher Education, Philanthropy, Recreation/Sports
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