Director of Annual Giving

WARTBURG COLLEGE

Title of Position: Director of Annual Giving

Function of Position:

Responsible to the Executive Director for Advancement to develop, execute, and assess effective and evolving strategies to enhance constituent engagement and philanthropic support, resulting in growth of annual giving initiatives and contributing to the division's strategic planning and goal fulfillment.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage a comprehensive and strategic annual giving program that maximizes philanthropic support and involvement of alumni, parents, and other friends of the College, and meets Institutional Advancement goals.

• Coordinate, execute, and assess direct mail, e-solicitation, and other strategies designed to increase alumni giving and participation.

• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications and/or outside vendors to create and produce effective collateral materials in support of annual giving initiatives, including donor-centric storytelling and personalization strategies across all solicitation and stewardship touchpoints.

• Collaborate with the Advancement Data Manager to effectively leverage constituent data in support of effective donor identification, cultivation, and solicitation, including segmentation efforts.

• Oversee development and coordination of student-supported fundraising activities.

• Develop, continuously evaluate, and adapt annual giving strategies using key performance indicators including donor retention, participation rate, new donor acquisition, leadership annual giving growth, and digital conversion metrics. Leads continuous evolvement of fundraising approaches in response to shifting donor behaviors and market conditions.

• Design and execute strategies to engage targeted annual giving donors through digital and other non-face-to-face channels to sustain and increase annual support and grow membership of the Tower Society.

• Supervise the Graduate Assistant for Institutional Advancement Annual Giving Engagement, directing that position's activities to support the Annual Giving program.

• Manage the identification and execution of crowdfunding appeals (i.e. Fund the Fortress), administering the mini-campaigns from start to finish.

• Lead, in collaboration with the Director of Stewardship and the Director of Alumni & Parent Engagement, the development and execution of plans for UKnight Day, the College's annual day of giving, to motivate and strengthen engagement of alumni, parents, and friends, and build enthusiasm and support for the College.

• Design and implement donor retention and reactivation strategies that strengthen long-term philanthropic relationships and develop and support a strong pipeline for major and planned giving. This will include creating strategies in support of leadership annual giving efforts and engaging with key donors around Tower Society cultivation, movement through tiers, and handoff to major gift officers.

• Lead strategies and efforts designed to engage young alumni as first-time and repeat donors, strengthening lifelong philanthropic behaviors.

• Oversee and grow recurring giving initiatives, matching gift participation, and loyalty-based donor programs to stabilize and increase annual revenue.

• Lead efforts to engage faculty and staff in support of annual giving, including promoting philanthropy during employee benefits enrollment and onboarding of new employees.

• Collaborate with the Director of Athletic Development to coordinate donor solicitations and communications.

• Manage student workers supporting solicitation and annual giving stewardship; coordinate annual giving solicitations with assigned major gift officers; and ensure all inbound communications are handled professionally and promptly.

• Manage annual giving budgets and meet established performance goals and key metrics.

Supervision:

• Employee works independently but reports directly to the Executive Director for Advancement and is expected to proactively collaborate with colleagues in Marketing & Communication, Alumni & Parent Engagement, and Development.
• Employee is expected to demonstrate initiative and pursue completion of all objectives and goals, planning and prioritizing their own work and resolving unusual cases in consultation with their supervisor.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required with a minimum of four years of related experience and a demonstrated commitment to the mission of a private liberal arts college; strong communication, analytical, organizational, and project management skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively; demonstrated initiative, adaptability, creativity, and professionalism; willingness to work nights and weekends as required and travel occasionally.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with annual giving programs preferred.
• Experience analyzing data and using CRM systems, digital engagement tools, and emerging technologies to inform strategy and personalize outreach.

Application Procedure:

Please upload the following by selecting the "Apply for this Position" below:

1) resume

2) a letter of interest including a statement regarding qualities within the context of the Wartburg College mission

3) contact information for three references. See www.wartburg.edu for further information about the college and the city of Waverly. Screening begins immediately and continues until position is filled