Director of Annual Giving Storytelling and Constituent Engagement

Posting Details

Posting Summary

Logo Posting Number STA00780PO26 Job Family Alumni Relations and Development Job Function Annual Giving USC Market Title Director of Annual Giving Link to USC Market Title https://uscjobs.sc.edu/titles/131965 Job Level M3 - Managerial Business Title (Internal Title) Director of Annual Giving Storytelling and Constituent Engagement Campus Columbia Work County Richland College/Division Division of Development Department DEV Annual Giving State Pay Range G12 USC Market Range MRK - $86,515 $110,307 $134,098 Anticipated Hiring Range $86,515 - commensurate with qualifications Location of Vacancy Columbia, SC on-site Part/Full Time Full Time Hours per Week 37.5 Work Schedule

• The standard hours are generally 8:30am - 5:00pm with one hour for lunch, 37.5 hours per week.
• Required to travel overnight to conferences for continuing education and professional development.
• Must have reliable means of transportation.

Basis 12 months Job Search Category Alumni Development

About USC

About University of South Carolina

From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor's degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service - helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.

Veterans' Preference Statement

The University of South Carolina is committed to equal opportunity and proudly values the skills and experience military veterans bring to our workforce. Across South Carolina, we are making veterans a priority for employment and recognize their vital contributions to our state and our communities.

Benefits for FTE Positions

The University of South Carolina (USC), through the State of SC and Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA), offers employees a valuable benefits package, including health and life insurance, generous paid leave and retirement programs. To learn more about USC benefits, access the "Working at USC" section on the Applicant Portal at https://uscjobs.sc.edu. Research Grant or Time-limited positions may be eligible for all, some, or no benefits, based on the grant or project funding.

Position Description

Advertised Job Summary

Under limited supervision, reporting to the Senior Director of Annual Giving Programs and Unit Strategy, the Director of Annual Giving Storytelling and Constituent Engagement (Director) is responsible for leading storytelling, constituent engagement, and donor retention strategies for the Annual Giving and Donor Experience programs. The Director will serve as the lead storytelling strategist, creative writer, and content curator for annual giving, developing donor-centered content that supports direct mail, email, digital, social media, crowdfunding, giving day, employee philanthropy, next-generation philanthropy, stewardship, and other engagement efforts. This position will provide strategic direction for key constituent engagement programs, including employee philanthropy, student and young alumni engagement, crowdfunding, assigned unit-based annual giving programs, and metrics-driven donor retention and stewardship strategies designed to improve renewal, second-gift conversion, lapsed donor reactivation, loyalty giving, and long-term donor engagement. The Director will lead a team of fundraising professionals and develop and execute the overarching omnichannel strategy for a complex set of annual giving solicitations for the University of South Carolina and its academic units, university priorities, and special interest programs across assigned programs and portfolios. The Director will utilize Blackbaud CRM and other analytics, project management, digital fundraising, and reporting tools to ensure that strategies are data-driven, personalized, relevant, timely, measurable, and consistent with the goals set forth within the Annual Giving and Donor Experience programs.

Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience

• Requires a bachelor's degree in a job related field and 5 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.

Required Certification, Licensure/Other Credentials Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Annual Giving, Donor Relations, Alumni Relations, Advancement Communications, Higher Education Fundraising Operations, or nonprofit fundraising.
• Proven experience in creative writing, storytelling, donor-centered communications, constituent engagement, stewardship, donor retention, and integrated fundraising campaigns.
• Previous experience supervising professional staff and managing complex projects across multiple partners or units.
• Previous experience with Blackbaud CRM, crowdfunding platforms, digital fundraising tools, project management tools such as JIRA, or other higher education and/or nonprofit donor systems.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Comprehensive knowledge of principles and methods of planning and conducting a comprehensive integrated and omnichannel annual giving program.
• Strong knowledge of storytelling, creative writing, donor-centered communications, constituent engagement, donor retention, annual giving stewardship, and metrics-driven fundraising strategies.
• Ability to develop compelling content for multiple audiences and channels, including direct mail, email, digital advertising, social media, crowdfunding, giving day, stewardship, and engagement communications.
• Ability to supervise staff, manage complex projects, align work across multiple programs, and maintain effective relationships with development colleagues, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, students, volunteers, external vendors, and campus partners.
• Understands best industry practices as they relate to annual giving, donor experience, segmentation, UX, content optimization, stewardship, digital fundraising, and analytics tools for fundraising success.
• Utilizes quantitative and qualitative information to improve decision-making, document outcomes, and refine strategies.
• Works with a high degree of flexibility in a collaborative, fast-paced, goal-oriented environment.
• Applies creative and entrepreneurial thinking while using sound judgment and conducting oneself with integrity.
• Outstanding oral, written, editing, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to adhere to industry guidelines, methodologies, and codes of ethics as defined by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and other professional organizations and associations.

Job Duties

Job Duty

Develop and implement an annual storytelling and constituent engagement strategy to support the goals of Annual Giving and Donor Experience and the priorities of the university, colleges, schools, campuses, and units. Build and maintain an annual content and engagement plan that supports direct and digital solicitations, stewardship, giving day, crowdfunding, employee philanthropy, next-generation philanthropy, and assigned unit-based campaigns. Establish a consistent story pipeline by partnering with development officers, communications colleagues, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and campus partners to identify stories that demonstrate donor impact and inspire annual giving. Coordinate staff and partner contributions to ensure annual giving communications are timely, audience-specific, and aligned with campaign goals.

Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 20% Job Duty

Lead creative writing, content curation, and messaging strategy for annual giving solicitations and engagement communications. Serve as the lead creative writer and editor for annual giving storytelling, including direct mail, email, digital advertising, social media, crowdfunding, giving day, stewardship, and other donor engagement communications. Translate institutional priorities, unit needs, student experiences, faculty work, alumni stories, and donor impact into compelling content that strengthens donor connection and supports fundraising outcomes. Ensure messaging is donor-centered, brand-aligned, personalized, and adapted for key constituencies and generations.

Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 25% Job Duty

Manage and implement constituent engagement programs for key annual giving audiences. Provide strategic direction for employee philanthropy, next-generation philanthropy, student and young alumni engagement, crowdfunding, volunteer or ambassador-based engagement, and other targeted annual giving constituencies. Guide the Next Generation Philanthropy program in developing and implementing strategies that connect students, young alumni, and crowdfunding efforts to broader annual giving goals. Develop strategies to increase employee giving, strengthen engagement, and build a culture of philanthropy across the university. Assist with the coordination and implementation of the university-wide giving day, currently known as Give 4 Garnet.

Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 20% Job Duty

Develop and implement metrics-driven annual giving donor retention and stewardship strategies. Create strategies to improve renewal, second-gift conversion, lapsed donor reactivation, loyalty giving, and continued engagement among annual giving donors. Develop tailored stewardship and engagement approaches for key segments, including first-time donors, consecutive donors, loyal donors, lapsed donors, employee donors, student donors, young alumni donors, crowdfunding donors, giving day donors, and donors to assigned colleges, schools, campuses, and units. Collaborate with Donor Experience; Donor Relations, Communications and Marketing; Advancement Services, and unit development teams to develop meaningful donor touchpoints that demonstrate appreciation and impact. Track progress, analyze results, and recommend adjustments based on donor behavior, retention trends, and engagement outcomes.

Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 20% Job Duty

Provide strategic support, reporting, and best-practice guidance for assigned annual giving programs and unit portfolios. In collaboration with the Senior Director, supervise and guide assigned units in developing direct and digital marketing strategies . Support the development of annual plans, campaign calendars, segmentation strategies, content plans, and performance reports. Provide timely qualitative and quantitative reports of solicitation, engagement, stewardship, and retention performance for the Annual Giving and Donor Experience department, assigned units, and other partners as needed. Build and maintain a portfolio of best practices and emerging trends in storytelling, annual giving, donor retention, constituent engagement, employee philanthropy, next-generation philanthropy, crowdfunding, and stewardship to enhance fundraising outcomes.

Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 10% Job Duty

Performs other duties as required or assigned.

Essential Function No Percentage of Time 5%

Position Attributes

Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing.

Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive No Hazardous weather category Non-Essential

Posting Detail Information

Number of Vacancies 1 Desired Start Date 01/18/2027 Job Open Date 10/15/2026 Job Close Date 11/30/2026 Open Until Filled No Special Instructions to Applicant

Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.

We are only accepting applications submitted by November 30, 2026.

The University of South Carolina offers a valuable benefits package including but not limited to:

• Health and Life Insurance
• Retirement Programs
• Paid Tuition
• Dependent Scholarships
• Annual Leave
• Sick Leave
• 13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Professional Development Opportunities

Click here to learn more about why you should work at USC.

Quicklink for Posting https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/214660 EEO Statement

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• • Do you have at least a Bachelor's degree in a job related field and 5 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience?

• Yes

• No

• • If so, please tell us how you qualify?

(Open Ended Question)

• • Are you willing to travel to conferences as part of continual educational development and professional growth?

• Yes

• No

• no response

• • Do you have a reliable means of transportation?

• Yes

• No

• • Although we accept resumes for review, the application is the official hiring document maintained by the university. Offers of employment and starting salaries are based on the education and work experience (including beginning and end dates) included in the university application only, not your resume. Have you included all details for all education, volunteer and work experiences in your job application?

• Yes

• No

• No Answer

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• List of References and Contact Information

Optional Documents