Assistant Director of Leadership & Family Giving

Merrimack College; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Merrimack College seeks a driven advancement professional to serve as Assistant Director of Leadership & Family Giving. You will manage a portfolio of leadership and emergent major gift prospects, building relationships with current and former families and high-potential individuals.

Working with colleagues in Annual Giving, Prospect Research and Major Gifts, you will advance donors toward major gifts, support family philanthropy initiatives, and help grow Merrimack’s philanthropic pipeline

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Three to five years of experience in advancement or allied fields; relationship management or fundraising is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and engage donors around an organization’s mission.
• Fundraising experience including donor qualification, cultivation and solicitation preferred.
• Interest in moving donors from annual/leadership giving toward major gifts.
• Excellent organizational and project-management skills with strong follow-through.
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work with donors, families, volunteers and colleagues across a complex organization.
• Willingness to travel periodically; evening and weekend work for events required.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of current and former families and leadership annual donors to grow major gift potential.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward donors; move them toward major gifts.
• Conduct discovery meetings to understand donors’ interests, capacity, and Merrimack connection.
• Collaborate with Annual Giving and Prospect Research to identify rising engagement.
• Develop strategies to advance prospects from annual/leadership giving to major gifts.
• Coordinate with senior leaders to ensure proper prospect assignment as relationships grow.
• Maintain donor engagement pace and track activity in advancement systems.
• Support family philanthropy initiatives, including Parents Leadership Council, BOA engagement.

Skills

Relationship building

Donor cultivation

Communication

Organizational skills

Project management

Travel flexibility

Evening/weekend availability

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Position Description:

Merrimack Collegeseeks a highly motivated, relationship-oriented advancementprofessional to serve as Assistant Director of Leadership &Family Giving. Reporting to the Senior Associate Vice President forPrincipal Gifts & Family Philanthropy, the Assistant Directorwill help build Merrimack’s pipeline of future major and principalgift donors, with particular focus on current and former families,leadership annual donors and other high-potentialindividuals. The Assistant Director will manage a portfolio of leadership andemerging major gift prospects, developing relationships andcreating pathways that move donors toward greater engagement andphilanthropic support. The position will also provide programmaticand administrative support for Merrimack’s family philanthropyinitiatives, including the Parents Leadership Council, and theCollege’s Boards of Advisors (BOA). Working closely with the Senior Associate Vice President, ProspectResearch, Annual Giving, Major Gifts and colleagues across theCollege, the successful candidate will combine fundraising andrelationship-building skills with strong organization andfollow-through to help grow Merrimack’s philanthropicpipeline.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Family Giving

• Manage a portfolio of current and former families, leadershipannual donors and other emerging major gift prospects, developingindividualized strategies to increase engagement and philanthropicsupport.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward donors with the potential to increase their giving and develop into major gift prospects.
• Conduct discovery and qualification meetings to understandprospective donors’ interests, capacity and connection to Merrimack.
• Partner with Annual Giving and Prospect Research to identify donors demonstrating increased engagement, giving and philanthropicpotential.
• Develop and execute strategies to move qualified prospects fromannual and leadership giving toward major gift relationships.
• Coordinate with Major Gifts and the Senior Associate VicePresident to ensure appropriate assignment and transition ofprospects as relationships develop.
• Maintain an active pace of donor engagement, solicitations andclosed gifts consistent with established annual goals.
• Track prospect activity, moves management and pipelinedevelopment consistently within the College’s advancement systems.

Family Philanthropy & Parents Leadership Council

• Support the continued development and growth of Merrimack’sfamily philanthropy program.
• Partner with the Senior Associate Vice President to engage anddevelop current and former families with leadership, major andprincipal gift potential.
• Support the growth and operation of the Parents LeadershipCouncil, including prospective member identification, recruitment,engagement, communications, meetings and events, annual commitmentsand stewardship.
• Build and manage a pipeline of prospective Parents LeadershipCouncil members with the interest, capacity and engagement toassume greater philanthropic leadership.
• Develop relationships with Council members and other families,identifying opportunities for increased giving, volunteerinvolvement, referrals and introductions.
• Coordinate follow-up from family events, meetings andengagement opportunities to advance relationships and philanthropicopportunities.
• Work with colleagues across the College to create meaningfulopportunities for families to connect with Merrimack’s students,faculty, leadership and institutional priorities.

Boards of Advisors & Strategic Engagement

• Provide programmatic and administrative support for Merrimack’sBoards of Advisors in partnership with the Senior Associate VicePresident and academic leadership.
• Support BOA meeting planning and execution, includingscheduling, communications, materials, member coordination,preparation, follow-up and tracking.
• Maintain accurate information on BOA membership, participation,engagement, philanthropic activity, prospective members, referralsand other key measures.
• Partner with Prospect Research and academic leadership toidentify prospective BOA members who bring philanthropic potential,strategic expertise, influence and networks aligned withMerrimack’s priorities.
• Coordinate follow-up on introductions and referrals generatedthrough BOA members, partnering with Prospect Research and giftofficers to assess philanthropic potential and determineappropriate next steps.
• Help create opportunities for BOA members to deepen theirengagement with Merrimack and serve as philanthropic ambassadorsand connectors for the College.
• Support stewardship and engagement activities that connect BOAmembers with institutional, academic and campaign priorities.

Collaboration & Program Support

• Collaborate with Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Prospect Research,Alumni Relations and Advancement Communications to ensurecoordinated donor engagement and solicitation strategies.
• Develop strong partnerships with deans, faculty, Athletics,Student Affairs and other areas of the College to support donor,family and volunteer engagement.
• Assist with donor and volunteer communications, briefings,events and other materials and activities supporting familyphilanthropy and BOA engagement.
• Maintain a high level of accuracy, responsiveness, discretionand professionalism in working with donors, prospects and volunteerleaders.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Three to five years of experience in advancement, development,alumni relations, donor relations, higher education or a relatedfield; candidates with relevant relationship-management, sales ornonprofit experience may also be considered.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and engageindividuals around an organization’s mission and priorities.
• Fundraising experience, including donor qualification,cultivation and solicitation, strongly preferred.
• Interest in and aptitude for developing donors from annual andleadership giving toward major gift relationships.
• Excellent organizational and project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and ensure effectivefollow-through.
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communicationskills.
• Ability to work effectively with donors, families, volunteerleaders, senior administrators and colleagues across a complexorganization.
• Demonstrated initiative, curiosity and ability to identifyopportunities within relationships and networks.
• Experience with volunteer leadership groups, advisory boards,parent/family programs or similar constituencies is desirable.
• Familiarity with advancement databases, moves management andprospect management practices preferred.
• Strong judgment, discretion and professionalism in handlingconfidential donor and prospect information.
• Ability and willingness to travel periodically and evening andweekend work required for events and College activities.

Application Materials Should Include:

• Resume
• Cover letter stating motivation and interest in the position,citing experience relevant to the qualifications and includingexperience with, and commitment to, our Catholic Augustinianmission and our values.

This position is subject to the successful completion of a criminalbackground check.

Statement on Our Mission

Merrimack College is a Catholic Augustinian institution of higher education committed tobuilding an accepting and respectful community. Our mission is to enlighten minds, engage hearts and empower lives and is inspired byour Catholic faith and the Augustinian tradition of seeking truththrough inquiry and dialogue.

Merrimack College seeks candidates who understand, respect, and cancontribute to Merrimack’s Catholic and Augustinian mission. Allcandidates should describe in their application how they willfoster a culture that supports our mission.

About Merrimack College

The only Catholic, Augustinianinstitution of higher education in New England, Merrimack Collegeis a private, independent, coeducational institution with more than4,100 undergraduate, 2,500 graduate students and 50 doctoralstudents from 48 states and 63 countries. The College features morethan 160 career-focused undergraduate, professional and graduateprograms, all taught by exceptional faculty who are passionateabout their subject and student success. The College has sixschools: arts and sciences, engineering and computational sciences,nursing and health sciences, education and social policy, theGirard school of business and the graduate school of counseling andsocial work. The College’s suburban 220-acre campus is just northof Boston in North Andover, Massachusetts. Merrimack is a Master’sColleges and Universities/Larger Programs (M1) institution in theCarnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.Merrimack is one of the fastest growing educational institutions inthe country and has steadily climbed up in the U.S. News &World Report’s ranking of Best Colleges, ranking 38th in theRegional Universities North category in 2026. Merrimack is a NCAADivision I athletic institution.

Merrimack College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Salary Range:

$70,000

- $80,000