Assistant Director, Annual Giving Channel Fundraising Operations

University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago Advancement team seeks an Assistant Director to run the day-to-day operations of centralized annual giving direct marketing programs. You will own campaign production, data segmentation, reporting, and vendor coordination for the Chicago Fund, schools, divisions, and units, focusing on accuracy and timely delivery.

This role supports donor participation and retention while solving straightforward problems and driving continuous process improvement within the Office of

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• 2–5 years of work experience in a related discipline.
• Experience with annual giving or direct marketing is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Owns end-to-end execution of annual giving campaigns across central Advancement.
• Liaises with unit partners to align appeals with priorities.
• Defines segmentation needs and supports multichannel solicitation strategies.
• Coordinates with external print vendors for production and delivery.
• Develops and maintains annual giving reporting and tracks participation and revenue goals.
• Maintains data accuracy and hygiene throughout the appeal lifecycle.
• Identifies process improvements and attends professional development opportunities.
• Engages prospective donors and supports campaign goal attainment.
• Monitors marketing channels to ensure quality and timely delivery.

Skills

Campaign management

Data segmentation

Reporting

Vendor coordination

Multichannel marketing

A/B testing

Data hygiene

Donor engagement

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

Salesforce Ascend CRM

Job description

Department

ADV Annual Giving Appeals

About the Department

The University of Chicago Advancement team cultivates lifelong connections with more than 220,000 alumni, current students, parents, and friends worldwide, building community through intellectual, professional, and other meaningful experiences on campus, around the world and online. Advancement empowers every division, school, department, and institute to thrive, generating support for esteemed faculty, pioneering researchers, visionary practitioners, and ambitious students.

During the Chicago Minds campaign, Advancement seeks to raise over $1 billion annually. This unprecedented philanthropic effort is designed to stretch the boundaries of what is possible, fueling bold discovery and amplifying the University's global impact.

Our work is rooted in the belief that meaningful connection and lasting experiences inspire ambassadorship and enduring commitment. We champion a culture of innovation and excellence, inviting every member of our community to participate in a future defined by creativity, intellectual rigor, and shared purpose. Through collaborative partnerships, strategic stewardship, and investment in talent, Advancement is reimagining alumni and donor engagement while ensuring UChicago remains a catalyst of impact for generations to come.

The Communications team within the Office of Advancement advances ambitious fundraising and constituent engagement goals by partnering with stakeholders across the University to shape and brand communications that engage, inspire, steward, and inform alumni, donors, and friends of the University of Chicago.

Job Summary

The Assistant Director executes and manages the day-to-day operations of the University's centralized annual giving direct marketing programs. This role owns campaign and appeal production, data segmentation, reporting, and vendor coordination for the Chicago Fund, schools, divisions, and units, with a focus on accuracy, timeliness, and continuous improvement of processes that drive donor participation and retention. This position plans and executes the institution's campaign for annual gift support from all constituents, including alumni, and solves straightforward problems as they arise.

This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Responsibilities

• Owns end-to-end execution of annual giving campaigns across central Advancement, including timelines, production schedules, and quality control.
• Serves as a liaison to assigned unit partners, ensuring appeal execution reflects unit priorities and maintains strong working relationships.
• Builds and manages appeal codes and segmentation in Phoenix (Salesforce Ascend CRM), working with the Senior Associate Director to define segmentation needs and partnering with Advancement Technology and Prospect Development and Decision Support on complex list pulls, data delivery, and analytics, supporting targeted, multichannel (mail, email, social media, texting, social fundraising) solicitation and stewardship strategies, including the University's annual Giving Day.
• Coordinates with external print vendors and mail houses on production specs, schedules, and deliverables, in partnership with and under the direction of the Senior Associate Director, Annual Giving Channel Fundraising.
• Develops and maintains annual giving reporting, including pulling and summarizing reports for leadership and unit partners; tracking progress against participation; retention, and revenue goals; partnering with internal analytics teams to flag trends and anomalies to inform strategy. Leverages A/B testing and other methods to systematically evaluate campaign effectiveness.
• Maintains rigorous attention to data accuracy and hygiene throughout the appeal lifecycle, from segmentation through to post-appeal reporting.
• Identifies opportunities to improve processes, documentation, and data practices within the direct marketing program.
• Handles sensitive donor and gift data with strict discretion and confidentiality.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance including attending webinars, seminars, building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.
• Contributes to the development of plans to solicit prospective donors and meet campaign goals. This includes speaking to new prospects persuasively about the case for annual giving support.
• Ensures quality control when monitoring various marketing channels by developing a targeted strategy for solicitation and marketing materials as well as campaign appeals, solving a range of straightforward problems as they arise.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications: ---

Preferred Qua