Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

Lees-McRae College; Banner Elk (NC); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Lees-McRae College is seeking an Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund to grow meaningful relationships with alumni and expand philanthropic support through the Annual Fund. The role provides operational, administrative, and donor relations support within the Office of Institutional Advancement.

The position requires coordination of events, communications, and data management, working closely with the advancement team to ensure timely, accurate, and impactful engagement with

Qualifications

• Minimum of one year’s experience in alumni relations, advancement, non profit or higher education operations.
• Experience in communications, event management, sales or a related field may be considered in lieu of field-specific experience.
• Degree in public relations, communications/English, or marketing with preference for higher education experience.

Responsibilities

• Supports the College’s alumni and donor engagement through the Annual Fund and related programs.
• Plans and coordinates alumni events, donor communications, and stewardship activities.
• Maintains accurate records of alumni interactions and reporting in the CRM system.
• Contributes to content development for newsletters, email campaigns, and website materials.
• Works with the Director to identify prospective donors and coordinate fundraising initiatives.

Skills

Alumni relations

Event management

Communications

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in related field

Tools

Ellucian products

Job description

Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

Position Title Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund

Department

Department MNC

Job Description

Position Title: Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund Department: Alumni Relations and Annual Fund/Institutional Advancement Reports To: Director of Annual Fund and Alumni Relations

Lees-McRae is a small, four-year, liberal arts college serving Appalachia and the southeastern United States. The College is located in the town of Banner Elk in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina. Banner Elk is nestled between two popular ski areas and is within a short drive of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail. The area is popular to outdoor enthusiasts: skiing, cycling, hiking, climbing and fly fishing are among the many attractions. The college also owns and maintains the Elk Valley Preserve and Field Station and the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Please visit our website at www.lmc.edu.

Lees-McRae College offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield medical plans with wellness incentives, Aetna dental coverage with orthodontia for children, and a voluntary vision plan for all employees. Life and long-term disability insurance are employer-paid, with optional voluntary life coverage available. Employees can take advantage of flexible spending accounts, a retirement plan with up to 5% employer match after one year, and generous paid time off including vacation, sick, personal, holiday, and college-closed days. Tuition waiver benefits are available for employees and dependents, along with access to a national tuition exchange program. Additional perks include free monthly dining, discounted meal plans, and required direct deposit for payroll.

Job Summary/Objective

The Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund supports the College’s efforts to build meaningful, lifelong relationships with alumni and strengthen broad-based philanthropic support through the Annual Fund, helping build constituent relationships to optimal engagement and higher levels of support. The role provides critical operational, administrative, and constituent support for the Office of Institutional Advancement. This position ensures that advancement activities—including alumni and donor engagement, events, communications, cultivation, stewardship, and data management—are executed accurately, efficiently, and professionally. Working closely with all members of the Advancement team, the Assistant Director serves as a highly organized and dependable partner who anticipates needs, coordinates details, and ensures responsibilities and projects move from planning through successful completion.

Essential Functions

• Creates positive and consistent experiences for alumni and donors while increasing participation, engagement, and philanthropic support for Lees-McRae College.
• Assists with the planning, coordination, execution, and follow-up of all Alumni and Advancement events and programs (including event logistics, invitations, registration, guest lists, nametags, materials, décor and set up, vendors, volunteers, and post-event follow-up).
• Supports the Alumni Board and its ad-hoc committees, ONE Lees-McRae Chapters, and Affinity Groups through meeting preparation, communications, follow-up, and project coordination.
• Assists in the development and execution of annual giving campaigns, including direct mail, email, social media, and other communication channels.
• Oversees and leads student philanthropy and engagement programs, including Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow ( STAT ) Club (regular meetings, member training and development, and participation in club meetings and activities), fostering a spirit of generosity and involvement from the freshman year through graduation and promoting student giving and recognition.
• Develops and implements strategies to engage young alumni (graduates from the last decade) and encourage annual giving.
• Supports the Parents Council or other parent volunteer groups to strengthen relationships and increase parent participation in giving.
• Supports employee giving programs, encouraging faculty and staff to support the institution through charitable contributions.
• Manages the matching gift program, working with donors and their employers to maximize the impact of their contributions.
• Coordinate reunion giving programs, working with alumni celebrating milestone reunions to encourage special gifts in honor of their class.
• Works with the Director to identify and cultivate prospective donors, leveraging data and analytics to inform strategies.
• Collaborates with colleagues in the Advancement team and other university departments to support comprehensive fundraising initiatives.
• Prepares reports and analyses to evaluate the effectiveness of annual giving programs and make recommendations for improvement.
• Prepares annual fund donor lists, mailing lists, reports, and other materials to support Advancement activities.
• Develops content for alumni and donor communications, including newsletters, email campaigns, print materials, and website content.
• Manages and creates content for the Alumni Association’s social media pages and all regional chapter and affinity group pages, with the approval of the Director.
• Assists with post-event communications, evaluations, and record keeping
• Maintains accurate records of alumni and donor interactions and contributions in the university’s CRM . Ensures engagement activities are properly documented in the college’s database. Supports data entry efforts and report building as needed.
• Assists with the college’s donor engagement, appreciation, and recognition efforts, ensuring donors receive timely and meaningful acknowledgment of their support.
• Represents the college at events and activities, both on and off-campus, to promote the college’s interests and achieve its goals.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Written and verbal communication proficiency
• Proficient in MS Word/365 suite, social media channels, and CRM management
• Acts with integrity in all work
• Confidentiality
• Highly organized and exceptionally detail-oriented
• Relentlessly focused on follow-through
• Anticipatory of role’s and division’s needs
• Takes ownership of getting work completed with excellence
• Professional in demeanor and appearance
• Responsive, warm, and welcoming to all
• Time management
• Problem solving/analysis
• Teamwork orientation, but comfortable working independently

Supervisory Responsibility

Supervision of students and volunteers

• Environment varies by project and need.
• Typical office environment for daily work
• Special event venues and environments will vary both on and off campus.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time, exempt position. Typical days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but schedule regularly requires evening and weekend work.

Travel

This position requires occasional travel, generally less than 30%, for alumni events, donor and constituent activities, professional development, and other College-related activities.

At-Will Employment Disclaimer

This job description is not intended to be a contract of employment. Employment with the Company is at-will, which means that either the employee or the Company may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice, subject to applicable law. The Company reserves the right to revise, modify, or change job duties and responsibilities as business needs dictate.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of one year’s experience in alumni relations, advancement, non profit or higher education operations
• Experience in communications, event management, sales or a related field may be considered in lieu of field-specific experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in public relations, communications/English, or marketing
• Experience managing Ellucian products

Physical Demands

• Ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and through electronic communication.
• Ability to independently and routinely move throughout campus and travel to event locations.
• Ability to lift and carry materials weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to assist with event set-up, breakdown, and movement of event materials as needed.
• Ability to work evenings and weekend and to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).