Director, Alumni & External Relations

Salary/Position Classification

• $60,000 annual, Exempt
• 40 hours per week
• This position will work onsite the Grand Forks, ND campus.

Purpose of Position

Outreach, marketing, communication, and events are critical to the success of the College’s fundraising efforts, recruitment and retention efforts, and increasing the visibility of the College’s programs and accomplishments. Reporting to the Dean, this position serves all members of the College community including faculty, staff, and students as well as alumni, donors, and the broader community to meet the goals of the College and University strategic plans. This position requires professional working relationships with colleagues from various departments throughout campus and beyond including the UNDAAF, UND’s Marketing & Communications Division, the offices of the Provost and the President, and the Empire Arts Center, to name a few.

The duties of this position require that the employee occasionally work in the field and may need immediate access and/or need to be immediately accessible to online resources including email, text messages, and social media.

Duties & Responsibilities

Alumni and Donor Relations, Development Support 

• Serve as the college’s liaison with the UND Alumni Association & Foundation (UNDAAF) and support fundraising efforts on behalf of the college and its departments/programs. 
• In collaboration with the dean, craft messages for use in UNDAAF materials such as annual endowment reports and fund reporting (e.g., Carlson Fund annual report). 
• Meet regularly with the UNDAAF development team and campus colleagues to develop and coordinate activities related to stewardship and alumni/donor engagement, including monthly Campus Partners meetings coordinated by UNDAAF. 
• Together with the dean and UNDAAF directors of development, lead College Advisory Board engagement and activities including communication, record keeping, scheduling, meeting coordination, and preparing materials for board meetings. Manage and facilitate the board’s annual Gift Allocation Exercise. 
• Create and direct communication with college departments regarding alumni relations activities, gift reporting, and stewardship as necessary. 
• Create, plan, market, and/or facilitate events that promote the college to alumni and other external stakeholders throughout the year, including social, engagement, and fundraising events (e.g., Alumni & Friends Gatherings, Hockey Suite Night, etc.)  

Marketing & Communications 

• Lead the college’s marketing and communication efforts associated with college events, activities, outreach and special initiatives related to faculty research, student recruitment and retention, alumni and donor relations, and fundraising. 
• Professionally manage relationships, projects, marketing, communication, outreach, events, and activities with a wide variety of constituents, including college departments. 
• Gather news and updates of interest for use in college marketing. Share relevant information from college and university activities with chairs at monthly Chairs Council. 
• Design marketing collateral pieces for college and department promotion, recruiting, and communication purposes. 
• Create content for A&S online blog and aggregate into a semi-annual college newsletter for distribution to alumni, donors, and the college community. 
• Serve as the college’s liaison to the university’s and the UNDAAF’s Marketing & Communication teams. 
• Ensure appropriate execution of the University, College, and UNDAAF’s brand standards. 
• Serve as an active member of UND’s Marketing Council, attending monthly meetings and coordinating university efforts, projects, and directives for the college. 
• Create, contribute to and/or edit communications from the College, Dean, and Office of the Dean. 
• Use OmniUpdate (or other CMS) to update website content as necessary and serve as the college’s liaison and representative with regard to the college and department websites and Program Finder pages. 
• Produce and direct high-quality, relevant, and appropriate social media content for the College’s social media accounts and serve as the College’s liaison and representative with regard to social media. 
• Select, order, and manage inventory of promotional items and materials in accordance with institutional policies and needs of the college. 

Event Planning 

• Develop and direct all aspects of high-quality special events and activities for the college including – but not limited to – visiting scholars or speakers (e.g., Eye of the Hawk Lecture, Hagerty Lecture), alumni gatherings (