Director of Annual Giving

The Director of Annual Giving will supervise and mentor all Annual Giving team members to elevate its existing fundraising efforts into a high-performing, mission-driven program that reflects the unique culture, goals, and strategic plans of the university. Working closely with donors, alumni, faculty, staff, families, community members, board members, and senior leadership, the Director will guide planning and strategy for Annual Giving initiatives across the university. They will oversee team members assigned to individual colleges and athletics who manage portfolios and coordinate efforts for their respective units. While the Director of Annual Giving will lead their team to focus on portfolio management and frontline fundraising, they will also set strategies and collaborate on marketing/communications with the Integrated Development Programs team.

Job Duties/Responsibilities

Strategy, Planning, and Management - 60%

• Set the overall strategy for the Annual Giving program. This entails informing annual operational plans, campaign business plans and resource planning to help achieve both short- and long-term goals.

• Oversee the implementation of effective Annual Giving fundraising strategies that align with university and Development priorities.

• Lead the process for determining annual fundraising metrics and goals, regularly monitoring progress and ensuring goals are achieved.

• Manage the Annual Giving staff, provide mentorship, help develop/execute plans and guide their activities; facilitate a collaborative and ambitious team environment in which information is shared, relationships are strong, and everyone is motivated to exceed expectations.

• Participate in planning and execution of fundraising events, programs, and initiatives, including board meetings and donor engagement events.

• Collaborate with the the Development Outreach and Engagement Strategies team, especially as it pertains to growing Annual Giving revenue for the units managed by the Annual Giving Officers.

• Act as the primary authority and resource for all frontline fundraising strategy, execution, and best practices at the Annual Giving level.

• Serve as a senior leader across Development and as a thought partner to the Managing Director of Leadership and Annual Giving, helping to shape the overall vision, strategy, and team culture for the annual and leadership giving programs as they work in tandem.

• Work collaboratively across Development and Advancement to support university-wide fundraising goals.

Front-Line Fundraising - 40%

• Manage and expand a portfolio of prospects and donors capable of leadership-level annual fund gifts; maintain frequent contact to build relationships and increase support.

• Conduct up to 80 visits per year via Zoom, phone, and/or in-person, requiring travel across the state, region, and occasionally the U.S.

• Solicit annual gifts from assigned prospects to achieve both personal and unit-level revenue goals.

• Facilitate pipeline movement across all laterals (Annual Giving, Leadership Giving, Major Giving, and Planned Giving) and assist LG team with qualification.

Requirements 

Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 5-7 years of fundraising experience (or equivalent experience e.g., sales/marketing).

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrated experience with Annual Giving strategies and donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

• Demonstrated understanding of the relevance of philanthropy and knowledge of the fundraising profession and its theories, practices, standards, and principles

• Demonstrated understanding of the relevance of back-end fundraising support in the form of gift processing and data management, research and prospect management, and information technology Advanced experience with Annual Giving programs, including but not limited to direct marketing and donor qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies

• Extensive experience managing professional staff and complex teams

• Exceptionally strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively

• Exceptionally strong organizational skills and ability to provide effective project management

• Exceptionally strong analytical skills and experience working in a metrics-driven environment

• Expertise in fundraising databases and technologies (such as Blackbaud CRM, EverTrue, GiveCampus, etc.)

• Orientation as a team player and demonstrated strength a