Associate Director of Advancement (Development Officer)

Indiana University; Bloomington (IN); Hybrid; USD 63,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Tuition subsidy for IU courses

Generous paid time off

Job summary

The Media School at Indiana University seeks a relationship-focused professional to lead annual giving and alumni engagement. You will design campaigns, cultivate donors, and collaborate with leadership and university partners to expand philanthropic support.

Ideal candidates have 2+ years in fundraising or related fields, strong communication skills, and experience with donor databases and CRM systems. This role includes a hybrid schedule and meaningful stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in a related field.
• 2 years of experience in fundraising/development, sales, communications, public relations, or related field.
• Experience in higher education advancement or a similarly complex organization preferred.
• Experience in annual giving, donor engagement, alumni relations, or stewardship.
• Experience cultivating and stewarding donors and identifying opportunities for increased philanthropic support.

Responsibilities

• Leads annual giving and alumni engagement efforts to support scholarships and programs.
• Designs and implements fundraising campaigns and engagement initiatives.
• Develops and manages donor stewardship activities and personalized outreach.
• Qualifies prospects for annual and leadership giving opportunities.
• Serves as ambassador and communicates university priorities to alumni and donors.

Skills

Alumni relations

Donor engagement

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Data analysis

CRM systems

Project management

Event coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM platforms (CRMs)

Reeher

ETA

Crimson

Workfront

Job description

Media School (BL-MSCH-IUBLA)

The Media School at Indiana University (IU) is built on a decades-long tradition of journalism, film, media, and communication at one of the nation’s premier public universities. Our programs focus on teaching, researching, and creating media from academic, creative, and professional perspectives. The Media School is committed to building and supporting a strong community of students, scholars, practitioners, and staff.

This role, which reports to the senior director of development, offers an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of The Media School by strengthening connections with its global network of more than 25,000 alumni and supporters. A person in this role is a relationship builder who combines strategic thinking with hands‑on execution.

Department‑Specific Responsibilities

• Leads annual giving and alumni engagement efforts, creating meaningful opportunities for alumni and donors to stay connected to the school while supporting scholarships, student experiences, faculty initiatives, and other strategic priorities.
• Works closely with school leadership, the Indiana University Foundation, the IU Alumni Association, and communications partners, this position plays a visible and impactful role in advancing the school’s mission.
• Designs and implements fundraising campaigns, stewardship programs, and engagement initiatives that increases donor participation and strengthens long‑term support for The Media School.
• Grows a sustainable pipeline of philanthropic support while fostering a culture of lifelong alumni engagement and giving, using data, personalized outreach, volunteer engagement, and donor‑centered communications .
• Develops and manages donor stewardship activities, including personalized outreach, impact communications, and engagement experiences that strengthen donor relationships.
• Met with alumni and donors through on‑campus meetings, virtual visits, and phone outreach to qualify prospects for annual and leadership annual giving opportunities and identifies pathways for increased philanthropic engagement.
• Leads alumni engagement initiatives for The Media School’s network of 25,000 plus alumni, with a focus on converting alumni involvement into sustained philanthropic support.
• Designs, implements, and continuously improves The Media School’s annual giving strategy in partnership with the IU Foundation.
• Develops engagement opportunities that connect alumni and donors with students, faculty, mentorship programs, volunteer leadership roles, and school priorities.
• Manages the school’s Distinguished Alumni Awards program, including nomination processes, selection coordination, recognition activities, and alumni relations opportunities.
• Supports or implements development and alumni engagement events and initiatives across the school.
• Serves as an ambassador for The Media School by communicating its mission, programs, accomplishments, and funding priorities to alumni, donors, students, faculty, and community stakeholders.

General Responsibilities

• Identifies new prospects, cultivates relationships, and manages a portfolio and/or region of donors building a pipeline for solicitation.
• Executes plans and designs campaigns to sustain and increase donations.
• Collaborates with development colleagues’ university-wide to align prospects/donors’ interests with university funding needs and opportunities.
• Maintains meaningful and consistent contact with potential donors to communicate university goals and solicit their support.
• Introduces campus/school fundraisers to appropriate gift prospects for cultivation.
• Documents communications, analyzes data, evaluates success and makes recommendations for change to campaign strategy.

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

• Bachelor's degree in related field.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• 2 years of experience in fundraising/development, sales, communications, public relations, a higher education foundation, or related field.

Preferred

• Experience in higher education advancement or a similarly complex organization.
• Experience in annual giving, donor engagement, alumni relations, or stewardship.
• Experience cultivating and stewarding donors and identifying opportunities for increased philanthropic support.

SKILLS

Required

• Proficient written and verbal communication skills.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
• Demonstrates time management and priority setting skills.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
• Ability to build strong customer relationships.
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
• Highly thorough and dependable.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.

Preferred

• Experience working with constituent relationship management (CRM) systems or fundraising databases.
• Experience in making strategic, data-driven decisions.
• Experience with IU's Crimson, ETA, Reeher, and Workfront systems.
• Demonstrates ability to drive multiple projects to successful completion.
• Self-motivated and goal-oriented.
• Demonstrates success working as part of a team.
• Demonstrates success managing events or projects requiring a high level of attention to detail.

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

This position requires attendance at occasional evening and weekend events.

Use of planned PTO may be limited around university events that bring alumni back to campus, including Homecoming weekend, popular sporting event weekends, and commencement.

Indiana University Bloomington Campus

Franklin Hall

After initial training period, this position is eligible to work a hybrid schedule (mix between 2 remote workdays and 3 in‑person workdays). All hybrid schedules are subject to change in the future based on university policy and business needs.

$63,000-$68,000 annually

This position works a standard 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM schedule.

For full‑time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:

• Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
• Health savings account with generous IU contributions
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Basic group life insurance paid by IU
• Voluntary supplemental life, long‑term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
• Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
• Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
• Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
• 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
• Generous paid time off plans
• Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure.

Career Level: Career

FLSA: Exempt

Job Function: Development & Advancement

Job Family: General Development

Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring.

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