Associate Director of Annual and Community Giving

WESTERN RESERVE ACADEMY; Hudson (OH); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio seeks an Associate Director of Annual and Community Giving to lead a $3 million annual fund and drive philanthropy aligned with the school’s mission. This role partners with Advancement and major gifts teams, leveraging data, storytelling, and technology to engage alumni, parents, and friends.

The ideal candidate has 3–5 years of fundraising experience, strong communication skills, and a collaborative, cross-department approach to achieve fundraising

Qualifications

• Three to five years of relevant fundraising experience, preferably in independent schools.
• Excellent oral and written communication for donor-centered messaging across channels.
• Curiosity and knowledge of new technologies in fundraising.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Director of Advancement Operations to inform annual giving strategy using data and analytics.
• Use storytelling and segmentation to strengthen donor connections and responses.
• Coordinate annual giving efforts across reunion classes, parents, and alumni groups in a results-driven way.
• Collaborate with major gifts team to increase participation and move donors to higher giving levels.
• Recruit, organize and manage volunteers for reunion, parents, and young alumni programs.
• Work with Communications and Advancement Services to support The WRA Fund across print, social media, digital, and email.
• Manage a portfolio of WRA Fund donors with personalized outreach.
• Think strategically about data to translate fundraising objectives into actionable lists and reports.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Donor communications

Storytelling

Data analytics

Project management

Relationship building

Cross-department collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Raiser's Edge NXT

Job description

Description

Western Reserve Academy, located in Hudson, Ohio, is one of the nation’s premier boarding schools. Founded in 1826, WRA is a college preparatory school serving students in grades 9 - 12 from across the country and around the world.

The Associate Director of Annual and Community Giving partners with the Advancement team to build a culture of philanthropy that strengthens and sustains the mission of the school. The position is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing a comprehensive annual fund of $3 million (The WRA Fund) in unrestricted support for annual operations from alumni, parents, and friends of the school. The Associate reports to the Director of Advancement Operations.

Mission and community alignment are important to this role. The ideal candidate is someone who is genuinely energized by Western Reserve Academy and/or the independent school world – someone who understands WRA’s distinctive educational experience, appreciates its traditions and culture, and can authentically communicate that enthusiasm to others.

Primary Responsibilities

• Partner closely with the Director of Advancement Operations to use data and analytics to inform annual giving strategy, segmentation, outreach, and fundraising priorities.
• Use storytelling, segmentation, personalization and emerging fundraising technologies to strengthen donor connection and response.
• Coordinate annual giving efforts among reunion classes, parents and other specialty constituents, such as the Alumni Association Board and Faculty and Staff, in a sophisticated and results driven fashion.
• Work effectively with major gifts team to increase participation and implement strategies for moving donors to higher giving levels.
• Recruit, organize and manage volunteers for reunion, parents, young alumni and other segmented fundraising initiatives.
• Collaborate closely with the WRA Communications and Advancement Services teams to execute a comprehensive program supporting The WRA Fund in print, social media, digital and email.
• Manage a portfolio of WRA Fund donors through personalized, professional outreach.
• The ability to think strategically about data and translate fundraising objectives into timely, accurate, and actionable lists is a must.
• Fully maximize Raiser's Edge NXT to monitor gift activity and generate reports.

Requirements

1. Bachelor's degree required.
2. Three to five years relevant fundraising experience, preferably in independent schools.
3. A collaborative, relationship-oriented approach and the ability to work effectively across departments, navigating competing priorities with professionalism and responsiveness.
4. Must be a well-organized, multi-tasker with high integrity, energy, sensitivity and creativity.
5. Excellent oral and written communication skills with an ability to create compelling donor centered messaging across all channels.
6. Curiosity, interest, and knowledge of new technologies being adapted in the fundraising field.
7. Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends in support of Advancement events and fundraising activities.
8. Knowledge of Raiser's Edge NXT is strongly preferred.