David S. Jones has built a twenty-eight-year career in higher education and served in advancement roles for the majority of that time.  He presently leads a department at UGA including the unit areas of Annual & Special Giving and Advancement Services. A large and critical component of the overall Development operation, the department is a catalyst for both annual and major gift support bridging the flow between annual giving cycles, data analytics, alumni engagement, and the systems for marketing, prospect identification and management.

He began his work experience as Director of Student Activities at Gordon College, a small two-year school in Barnesville, GA.  Returning to his alma mater with a deeper understanding of the student experience influence on philanthropic support, he then coordinated the alumni and development programs for UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources.  David transitioned to the university’s central advancement office in 1998 overseeing the annual giving programs for the institution and later also provided leadership for donor relations, advancement research, and prospect management.  The Georgia Fund presently raises more than $20 million through an integrated phone, mail, and digital campaign.  David led Georgia’s annual giving programs through several strategic transitions including multiple-ask strategies and a shift from alumni dues to charitable giving. He was the lead contact for development in a donor database conversion to Blackbaud CRM and is a change agent for continued innovation in fundraising marketing approaches and processes. His latest projects at UGA include centralizing all solicitation marketing efforts for 13 Schools and Colleges and also evolving the calling program into the University’s first Alumni Digital Engagement Center.

David is a “double dog” alumnus of UGA, with an undergraduate degree in public relations from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and a Master’s degree in organizational development from the College of Education. A CASE Crystal Apple award recipient for excellence in teaching, he has chaired numerous CASE programs and is a frequent presenter and facilitator at professional regional and national conferences including Persuasive Development Writing and the CASE Summer Institute in Educational Fund Raising.