Annual Giving Officer, COLSA

CP02 University of New Hampshire Foundation; New Hampshire; Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Location Durham, NH campus

Job summary

The University of New Hampshire invites applications for an Annual Giving Officer (AGO) in COLSA. You will lead annual giving strategies, manage a donor portfolio, and coordinate with campus partners to expand funding and participation across alumni, faculty, students, and friends.

This role emphasizes frontline fundraising, engagement, stewardship, and travel to cultivate relationships in New Hampshire and beyond, with a hybrid work arrangement and strong emphasis on DEI in fundraising practice.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 2–3 years of fundraising or equivalent experience.
• Knowledge of annual giving strategies, donor qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work in a metrics-driven environment.
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in fundraising practices.

Responsibilities

• Fundraising Coordination: develop COLSA annual giving strategy and oversee multi-channel campaigns.
• Front-Line Fundraising: manage a donor portfolio and conduct 100–125 visits per year.
• Collaborate with Development/Advancement teams and campus leadership to meet revenue and participation goals.
• Recruit and train volunteers; monitor metrics and adjust strategies.

Skills

Annual Giving

Donor stewardship

Relationship building

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Database technologies

Job description

Annual Giving Officer (AGO), College of Life Sciences and Agriculture

The Annual Giving Officer (AGO), College of Life Sciences and Agriculture (COLSA) spearheads all annual giving efforts for the college and its various departments and programs. Reporting to the Director of Annual Giving and partnering with the centralized Annual Giving team members, the incumbent will help set COLSA’s annual giving strategy and execute a comprehensive annual giving program that reaches all constituencies (alumni, students, faculty, staff, families and friends) through omni-channel marketing and personal interactions (utilizing all available vehicles such as phone, email, mail, social media, and other digital methods). The AGO will also liaison with the Dean, faculty, staff and students across COLSA to deeply integrate annual giving practices across the college, determine funding priorities, support their fundraising initiatives, and leverage their connections and motivations to expand the already robust annual giving program. Additionally, the AGO will manage a portfolio of donors and prospects and work directly with individuals to secure financial contributions that will advance the college and/or university’s mission and strategic plans. This entails identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding prospects and continually improving relationships with all constituencies in ways that have a quantifiable impact on philanthropic revenue. These collective efforts will aim to capitalize on the energy COLSA’s passionate and spirited community and ultimately increase funds raised and the pipeline of donors. The incumbent will embrace goal-oriented outcomes and be an entrepreneurial, strategic, and creative thinker who is capable of building and expanding relationships with constituents in ways that have a quantifiable impact on philanthropic achievement. They will have a proven track record in fundraising or a closely related field of expertise, and will possess outstanding interpersonal competencies, ability to effectively manage projects/priorities, and be highly motivated, organized and detail oriented.

Duties/Responsibilities

Fundraising Coordination (30%) Partner with the Director of Annual Giving to develop an Annual Giving strategy for COLSA that aligns with the Dean’s vision and priorities and with the overall Annual Giving strategy for the university that aims to significantly increase revenue and constituent participation in the current campaign. Oversee the effective implementation of these strategies across COLSA, partnering with Annual Giving colleagues, COLSA Development colleagues and leadership. Partner with the central Annual Giving team members on all direct marketing efforts and communications they are executing on behalf of COLSA (mail, phone, email, social media, etc.) to provide COLSA specific messaging, content, and strategies. Serve as the COLSA representative for The (603) Challenge by securing underwriter funds, coordinating multi-channel outreach, driving goals and strategies, recruiting volunteers, and motivating faculty and staff to participate. Assist in the determination of metrics and goals for COLSA’s Annual Giving program; regularly monitor progress via reports to ensure these goals are achieved. Participate in events, programs, meetings, and initiatives that support UNH and COLSA’s Annual Giving program as directed by academic and Advancement leadership. Consult with faculty and staff from the various departments and programs to provide guidance on any Annual Giving efforts they may be conducting to ensure they have a coordinated strategy and follow policies and procedures. Engage, educate, and train key volunteers on Annual Giving and recruit new volunteers. Work collaboratively across the entire Development and Advancement teams to support UNH’s overall Annual Giving and other fundraising and engagement goals and strategic plans.

Front-Line Fundraising (70%) Manage and actively expand a portfolio consisting of alumni, faculty, staff, friends, corporations and other constituents as appropriate capable of making annual gifts up to $25,000 and maintain frequent contact with these prospects to build relationships and increase philanthropic support. Conduct 100-125 visits each fiscal year via video conference, phone, and/or in-person; meeting this activity goal will require travel across the state, region, and, on occasion, the U.S. Solicit annual gifts for COLSA and UNH toward achieving personal and unit-wide annual revenue and donor participation goals. Partner with colleagues across Development/Advancement to plan effective engagement, solicitation, and stewardship strategies that will move prospects forward. Qualify prospects for potential leadership, major and planned giving capacity and interest and provide background to appropriate colleagues to effectively move them through the pipeline.

Requirements

• Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of 2-3 years of fundraising experience or equivalent (sales, business development, account/relationship management, marketing and/or public relations).
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Experience with Annual Giving strategies and donor qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies (or demonstrated equivalent sales/marketing experience).
• Understanding of the relevance of philanthropy.
• Successful experience working in a metrics-driven environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, about fundraising support; requires the ability to build rapport in an open, friendly, and accepting way, listen attentively and change the thinking of, or gain acceptance of, others in sensitive situations.
• Strong interpersonal skills including negotiation and communication; able to reach across a wide variety of audiences.
• Sensitivity and experience interacting with internal and external constituents who are diverse in characteristics such as age, education level, race, gender identity and expression, ability, and socioeconomic backgrounds in a culturally competent and supportive manner.
• Demonstrated understanding of the responsibility to maintain sensitive information and appreciation of ethics and compliance.
• Sound judgment and ability to work well as part of a team, including collaboration with diverse university units and others.
• Ability to provide effective project management.
• Ability to travel on behalf of the university including local, regional, and domestic trips.
• Commitment to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and advancement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of the fundraising profession, theories, and standards.
• Knowledge of philanthropy policies, practices, and systems.
• Familiarity with a university setting and fundraising campaigns.
• Proficiency in database technologies and Microsoft Office.
• Experience with portfolio and volunteer engagement.

Hybrid Workplace Expectation

University Advancement has implemented a hybrid work model, and this is a hybrid position. The expectation is that employees reside within reasonable distance to the Durham, NH campus (under three hours) so they are available to come to campus as often as business needs dictate, which vary depending on the position and assigned areas. The hiring manager will determine and communicate exact expectations of in-person versus remote working time for each specific position.

The University of New Hampshire

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

EEO Statement

The University System of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access employer. The University System is committed to creating an environment that values and supports diversity and inclusiveness across our campus communities and encourages applications from qualified individuals who will help us achieve this mission. The University System prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or marital status.

Compensation Pay Range

$54,990.00 - $98,150.00

The pay range for this position is listed above. Actual offer will be based on skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity, in addition to relevant business considerations.

More information on benefits can be found here: USNH Employee Benefits | Human Resources

Location: Durham