Division Leadership and Structure

Under the leadership of Rodney M. Grabowski, CFRE, UCF's Senior Vice President for Advancement & Partnerships and CEO, UCF Foundation, Inc., UCF Advancement is the UCF division made up by Development, Administration and Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving. Advancement staff members include major gift officers assigned to UCF colleges and major program areas, and professional staff in the areas of alumni outreach, annual giving, administration, records and gift processing, communications, donor relations, real estate, human resources, information technology, legal, and accounting and financial management services.

Rodney M. Grabowski, CFRE

A passionate advocate for higher education and its power to transform lives, Grabowski oversees the university’s fundraising, alumni relations, partnership, communications and marketing efforts.

Under his leadership, the Division of Advancement and Strategic Partnerships builds meaningful, fruitful connections that enhance UCF’s impact and result in new sources of revenue to fuel our excellence and unleash the potential of our students, faculty and community.

Grabowski has more than three decades of experience in nonprofit and advancement leadership, including extensive experience in higher education and health care philanthropy. He is a national leader in the use of artificial intelligence, data-driven strategy and innovative management strategies.

Before joining UCF in September 2022, Grabowski served as vice president for university advancement with the University at Buffalo. His team surpassed the university’s fundraising goal of $650 million a full year early and increased the goal to $1 billion for the same time period of the campaign — an effort boosted by back-to-back record setting years for UB.

Prior to his years at UCF, Grabowski was at the University of Cincinnati as president of the University of Cincinnati Foundation, vice president of advancement, and president and CEO of the UC Health Foundation. At Cincinnati, he successfully concluded a $1 billion campaign, surpassing the goal by 10 percent. In Florida, he served as the University of South Florida’s senior associate vice president for advancement and campaign director, where he managed the university’s $600 million fundraising campaign. He also served in fundraising leadership positions at the University of North Florida and at Jacksonville University.

A native of Phoenix, New York, Grabowski holds the prestigious CFRE credential — Certified Fund Raising Executive. He earned an MBA from the University of North Florida and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Syracuse University. He is an active member and leader in the Association of Fundraising Professionals and CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. An Eagle Scout, he is active in the Boy Scouts of America.

Development

UCF Advancement’s staff members work in close partnership with university administrators, deans, faculty and friends to raise money to support identified priorities for the university. The department of development is made up of five key areas: Central Development, Principal Gifts, Colleges and Units (including Athletics Development), Communications and Marketing, and Donor Relations and Stewardship. Their combined purpose is to cultivate and foster relationships with donors and secure gifts on behalf of the university. These employees increase the number and quality of donor prospects through individual visits, solicitation, stewardship, marketing and networking.

• PRINCIPAL GIFTS: Gifts and pledges to the university of $500,000 or more are defined as principal gifts. Principal gifts have the power to dramatically impact existing programs or create new ones.

• MAJOR GIFTS: Gifts and pledges to the university of $25,000 or more are defined as major gifts. Major gifts are most often in the form of endowments, scholarships, professorships or capital donations.

• PLANNED GIVING: Planned Giving refers to the process of making a charitable gift of estate assets. This type of gift requires consideration and planning in light of the donor's overall estate plan.

• ATHLETICS DEVELOPMENT: The major gifts section of Athletics Development secures gifts and pledges to university athletics of $25,000 or more.

• COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING: The department also oversees the creation of collateral to advance UCF’s funding priorities, including a magazine, and supports the efforts of the development team and the UCF Board of Directors. In addition, the department contributes editorial content and manages the distribution of Pegasus, the university’s magazine.

• DONOR RELATIONS: Donor Relations works to acknowledge and steward the gifts our donors give, as well as providing opportunities to engage with donors as we recognize them for their gifts to UCF.

Annual Giving & Parent Philanthropy

Annual Giving seeks regular, repeatable and unrestricted gifts of cash, securities and other property that effectively builds the university’s base of support. This team also focuses on student giving, the Class Gift Campaign and the Faculty and Staff Campaign.

Alumni Engagement

Alumni Engagement develops relationships with alumni, students, parents and friends by providing meaningful services, tangible benefits and engaging programs that inform, educate and inspire.

• ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

  • Helps alumni connect with classmates, friends and the university's resources

  • Provides "alumni exclusive" programs for social, networking, career and ongoing education

  • Strengthens ties between the university and alumni, students, parents and friends

• UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center: Besides housing the Alumni Engagement staff offices, the FAC offers nearly 10,000 square feet of conference space with state of the art audio visual equipment and indoor/outdoor areas.

OPERATIONS

The Operations division serves as the backbone of the organization and ensures ethical management of alumni and donor information, while providing high-quality financial, legal, personnel, and technology services. This team consists of Board Relations, Record and Gifts, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, Prospect Development, Legal Services, and Accounting and Financial Management.

• BOARD RELATIONS: This area is responsible for communication and interaction with UCF Foundation Board of Directors and its committees.

• RECORDS AND GIFTS: Biographical updates, processing and acknowledgement of private gifts to the university include gifts of cash, credit card, stock and gifts-in-kind. This area also administers the corporate matching gifts program and invoices active pledges.

• INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES: Information Technology (IT) manages UCF Advancement’s technology infrastructure and environment to ensure availability of organizational applications and systems. They are responsible for evaluating the level of security needed to safeguard the integrity of all data. In addition, they generate fund-raising reports for both internal use and for colleges and units across campus.

• PROSPECT DEVELOPMENT: The Prospect Development department works in conjunction with development officers by providing information about individuals, companies and foundations. Its goal is to research prospects with the highest giving potential and match their interests and needs with those of the university.

• LEGAL: This department ensures all Advancement agreements meet legal and ethical standards. It also advises the UCF Foundation Board and the alumni advisory board.

• ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES: This department is responsible for accounting, budgeting, financial analysis, investment programs, coordination of annual tax reporting, audit and financial presentations to the Board of Directors.