Associate Director of Advancement Communications

The Associate Director of Advancement Communications develops, coordinates and executes communications that support annual giving, constituent engagement and the broader priorities of College Relations.

The position manages communication projects across College Relations from concept through production, oversees the division’s email, web and social media channels, and partners closely with the Annual Giving team to execute fundraising campaigns that inspire greater philanthropic support.

Position Title: Associate Director of Advancement Communications

Pay Status and Classification: Exempt, Regular full time. This position is not eligible for relocation assistance or visa sponsorship.

Supervisor: Senior Director of Advancement Communications/Donor Relations

Position Purpose: The Associate Director of Advancement Communications develops, coordinates and executes communications that support annual giving, constituent engagement and the broader priorities of College Relations.

The position manages communication projects across College Relations from concept through production, oversees the division’s email, web and social media channels, and partners closely with the Annual Giving team to execute fundraising campaigns that inspire greater philanthropic support.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties:

• Strategy Management: Develop and maintain an annual communications calendar that supports annual giving, engagement, stewardship and other College Relations communications.

• Annual Giving Partnership: Serve as the embedded communications partner for the Annual Giving team. Coordinate multi-channel fundraising campaigns, develop donor-facing communications and manage production schedules to ensure projects are delivered accurately, on time and in alignment with the College’s messaging priorities. 

• Project Management: Develop project timelines, track production schedules, manage approval processes and oversee multiple projects simultaneously. Monitor and report on communications metrics and recommend improvements to increase audience engagement and fundraising success. Maintain files, templates, mailing lists and communications assets to support project management and consistency.

• Materials Development: Conceive, draft, edit and proofread fundraising appeals, donor impact reports, event invitations and other donor-facing communications that support annual fundraising and/or engagement objectives. 

• Email Marketing and Web Management: Administer and optimize the College Relations email marketing platform and website, including audience segmentation, testing, deployment, analytics and webpage maintenance. 

• Social Media Management: Develop and implement social media strategies that strengthen relationships with alumni, donors, parents and friends. Create engaging content, monitor conversations, analyze performance metrics and recommend opportunities to increase audience engagement.

• Brand Alignment: Ensure that communications adhere to institutional brand standards, style guidelines, visual identity requirements and messaging priorities.

• Vendor Management: Manage relationships with external vendors, including graphic designers, printers, mail houses and other service providers. Prepare project specifications, coordinate production schedules, review proofs and monitor quality.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and/or 5+ years of relevant experience in communications, marketing or advancement, preferably in higher education or nonprofit settings. 

• Familiarity with fundraising principles and alumni engagement best practices.

• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.

• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading and storytelling skills, and superior attention to detail.

• Experience writing content for print, social media and web.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute multichannel communication strategies.

• Experience in email marketing and social media marketing is required. 

• Strong organizational, planning and project management skills.

• Ability to analyze and interpret data to guide communication strategies.

• Graphic design exp