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About the Role
The Director of Development & Institutional Advancement is responsible for overseeing SUAPS’ fundraising strategy, donor relations, and long-term financial sustainability efforts. This role comes with broader responsibilities related to institutional advancement, major donors, and financial growth strategies.
Key Responsibilities
Lead SUAPS’ fundraising strategy, including grant acquisition, major gifts, corporate sponsorships, and donor engagement.
Cultivate and maintain relationships with key donors, philanthropic foundations, and research funders.
Develop and execute high-impact fundraising campaigns to support SUAPS' research and educational initiatives.
Work closely with the Director of Institutional Partnerships & External Affairs to align fundraising efforts with institutional collaborations and sponsorships.
Oversee membership-based fundraising programs, recurring donor initiatives, and annual giving campaigns.
Identify and pursue multi-year funding opportunities, ensuring long-term financial stability for SUAPS.
Track and analyze fundraising performance metrics to assess impact and optimize strategy.
Work with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to ensure budget alignment, compliance, and financial reporting for fundraising activities.
Oversee a team of fundraising volunteers and donor relations coordinators
Desired Candidate Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Business, Public Administration, or a related field.
5+ years of experience in fundraising, development, or donor relations.
Strong expertise in major donor cultivation, corporate sponsorships, and grant writing.
Proven ability to manage large-scale fundraising campaigns and long-term financial planning.
Excellent strategic planning, communication, and relationship-building skills.
Experience with membership-driven fundraising and recurring donor programs (preferred).
Knowledge of UAP studies or a background in science funding (preferred).
Expectations
This is a volunteer position; time commitment will be subject to mutual agreement with SUAPS leadership.
Participation in quarterly research progress meetings and biannual Advisory Council sessions.
Ability to dedicate time to developing and overseeing strategic planning and expansion initiatives as SUAPS widens its programmatic reach.
Willingness to engage in external presentations, public forums, and collaborative research efforts.
About Us
The Society for UAP Studies (SUAPS) is a nonprofit learned and professional society dedicated to redefining and redirecting the study of unidentified aerospace/anomalous phenomena (UAP), transforming it into a recognized academic field rather than merely a frontier science. Our approach draws upon multiple disciplines while remaining independent of any single academic framework.
At SUAPS, we uphold the highest standards of academic discourse, rigorous research, and critical debate, while acknowledging the epistemological challenges posed by UAP. We reject both uncritical belief and dogmatic skepticism, fostering an open yet disciplined intellectual space that critically examines what is currently thought to be known about UAP while remaining receptive to their more profoundly anomalous aspects.
Our work complements the efforts of other research organizations by focusing on meta-theoretic studies, examining how UAP research should be conducted and how "UAP Studies" itself ought to be conceived as a structured, interdisciplinary academic field. SUAPS promotes cross-disciplinary coordination between STEM fields, the humanities, and the social sciences, ensuring that UAP research engages meaningfully with fundamental questions about knowledge, science, truth, governance, and culture.
Beyond research, SUAPS is committed to education and outreach, actively developing a university-level UAP Studies curriculum that provides a clear pathway for integration into mainstream academia. We also publish Limina: The Journal of UAP Studies, a biannual, open-access peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing serious scholarship on UAP-related topics.
As a volunteer-driven organization, we seek dedicated professionals, researchers, and subject-matter experts who share our vision of establishing, expanding, and legitimizing UAP Studies as a rigorous, empirically accountable, and interdisciplinary academic field. By joining SUAPS, volunteers contribute to an emerging discipline while shaping the future of UAP research, education, and scholarly collaboration.