Digital Strategist

University of Georgia; Athens (GA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Georgia’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations seeks a Digital Strategist to coordinate social media, email, and paid media campaigns targeting alumni and donors. You will manage content calendars, publish across platforms (Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Threads, LinkedIn), analyze results, and provide recommendations for future content.

This permanent role collaborates with the DARCOMM team to produce newsletters, emails, and web content, while supporting brand

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent.
• Experience with digital marketing, email campaigns, and social media management.
• Familiarity with WordPress CMS and digital content systems.
• Knowledge of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate social media, email, and paid media campaigns for alumni and donors.
• Manage content calendar and publish across platforms (Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Threads, LinkedIn).
• Analyze engagement results and provide recommendations for future content.
• Plan and produce newsletters, solicitations, and other email types with the DAR communications team.
• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications and Athletics to share digital content and campaigns.
• Assist in maintaining brand storytelling and data-driven engagement across campaigns.

Skills

Social media management

Email marketing

Content strategy

Project coordination

Writing & editing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Tools

WordPress

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Hootsuite

Sprout Social

Job description

Digital Strategist

The Division of Development and Alumni Relations must communicate broadly and frequently with its alumni and donors to meet engagement and fundraising goals. This position is responsible for communication through social media, email, and paid media. For many of our constituents, these digital channels are the only regular interaction with the University of Georgia. This is especially true for young alumni, a strategically important audience that helps increase the alumni participation rate and feed the donor pipeline. Without social media and email,UGAwould not be able to inform or engage alumni and donors about upcoming events, opportunities to engage, and giving campaigns.

This position coordinates with the entire communications team (DARCOMM) to build integrated marketing campaigns, including web pages, social media, email, etc. These campaigns are responsible for millions of dollars that directly support students at the University of Georgia.

This position will partner with the digital team to maintain theUGAAlumni social media channels, managing the content calendar and publishing through social media management platform (Hootsuite, Sprout Social, etc.) or directly through appropriate channels (Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Threads, and LinkedIn, etc.). S/he will plan and schedule posts, track appropriate conversations and engage in real-time withUGAalumni. S/he will be responsible for tagging content, pulling reports, analyzing results, and making recommendations for future content and posts.

In partnership with the digital team, this position will build, design, write and send newsletters, solicitations, and a number of other email types on behalf of Development and Alumni Relations.

This position will play a key role in content production. S/he will participate in ongoing content strategy sessions with 3-5DARCOMMteam members and will be expected to provide ideas, bring new format ideas, and produce some of the content.

Special Instructions to Applicants

This position is structured as a permanent position within the Division of Development & Alumni Relations. We are unable to sponsor a work visa for this position.

Additional Schedule Information

8:00am–5:00pm; Flexibility to work evenings and weekends may be necessary to meet business needs

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in marketing, advertising, public relations, or related field. Operating within a higher education or non-profit environment a bonus
• Experience developing a marketing or communications plan
• Experience with email marketing
• Experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud preferred
• Experience working with Hootsuite, Sprout Social is a bonus
• Experience with web content management systems, specifically WordPress
• Working knowledge of AP Style is a bonus
• An eye for design is a bonus
• Understanding of annual giving and the development function
• Ability to manage student assistant

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and/or Competencies

• Self-starter, takes initiative, and can work independently as well as in a team environment
• Organizational skills
• Demonstrates a commitment to outstanding customer service
• Communicates and employs interpersonal actions that model high standards of professional, responsible, accountable, and ethical conduct
• Detail-oriented
• Basic graphic design software capability
• Knowledge of digital and social media strategy
• Demonstrable knowledge in managing social media, especially Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok, and LinkedIn
• Ability to multitask
• Strong work ethic and high expectations for quality
• Excellent interpersonal skills both in person and by phone
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills – including writing, proof reading, and presentation
• Outstanding organization and planning skills
• Strong problem analysis and problem-solving skills

Additional Division Expectations

• Through open, honest, and respectful communication, all staff, supervisors, and colleagues of the Division of Development & Alumni Relations are expected to interact with fairness, compassion, and decency. All employees will be held accountable for meeting the expectation of promoting a stable, productive, and healthy work environment.
• Adherence toCASEstandards and commonly accepted industry standards relating to fundraising reporting are expected of all fundraisers. All fundraisers will be held accountable for meeting this expectation.

Physical Demands

• Some after-hours work and/or traveling may be required
• Sit and work in a standard office environment or vehicle for extended periods of timeWork using electronic mail, telephone, face-to-face discussions, paper form correspondence
• Communicate effectively in writing, speaking, and listening
• Organize and establish priorities; Remember detail; multi-task
• Lift and/or move up to 20 pounds
• Walk, stand, stoop, lift, kneel, climb

(40%) Support social media efforts for Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) in partnership with other Digital Strategists.

• Support and execute social content strategy across X, Instagram, Instagram Stories, IG Reels, TikTok, Facebook, Threads and LinkedIn among other platforms and mediums
• Maintain a digital content calendar to strategically promote events, initiatives, and goals of the division
• Constantly explore new digital properties and trends to determine the utility for telling theUGAstory; recalibrate efforts based on evolving platform audience
• Develop social media plans for specific events and programs
• Communicate with followers, respond to queries in a timely manner and engage in social listening
• Suggest and implement new ideas to develop brand awareness and audience participation
• Collaborate across campus – especially with Marketing & Communication and Athletics – to share digital content and spread DAR’s story/mission/goals
• Collaborate with alumni board and council members as well as chapter leaders to bolsterUGAmessages
• Use data to drive strategic thought and inform overall communications strategy while maintaining a consistent voice and message representative of the university
• Ensure relevant landing pages and web properties are optimized for social sharing

(30%) Support email marketing efforts for Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) in partnership with other Digital Strategists.

• Develop email marketing strategies withDARunits, including Annual Giving, Alumni Relations, Donor Relations, Gift & Estate Planning, and Parents
• Identify overlapping opportunities to take an audience-first approach
• Build, design, and sendDARemails
• Drive audience segmentation strategies for allUGAalumni and donors to ensure emails are relevant and opt-outs remain low
• Work to minimize overloading our constituents, minimize opt-outs, increase open-rates, and improve engagement rates
• Work collaboratively and openly with other Development & Alumni Relations Communications (DARCOMM) team members to produce quality emails
• Make recommendations to refresh newsletters and other ongoing emails according to performance, industry trends, and division goals
• Collaborate with other campus marketers to help ensure we adhere to industry best practices
• Use engagement data (I.e., open-rates, opt-outs) to optimize email marketing campaigns
• Provide recommendations and input on automated marketing journeys
• Collaborate with units acrossDAR to identify new journeys and work with the digital team to build, execute and analyze effectiveness of the journeys
• Assist in creating email templates and best practices in Salesforce Marketing Cloud
• Serve as the subject matter expert in Salesforce Marketing Cloud through the liaison relationship with assignedDARunits including building and sending email communications to achieve strategic goals

(15%) Plan and create high-quality content that aligns with the overall UGA alumni strategies and programs.

• Help plan and develop engaging content acrossDARdigital properties
• Administrate the creation and publishing of relevant, original, high-quality content
• Produce blog posts, videos, photos, and other content to support the overall content strategy
• Work collaboratively and openly with otherDARCOMMteam members to produce quality content (graphics for social / email, copy for advertising, etc.)
• Make recommendations to refresh content strategy according to performance, industry trends, and division goals

(10%) Support digital advertising efforts for all alumni and donors.

• FacilitateDARdigital advertising efforts by assisting with work recommended by digital agency
• Assist with management of relationship with digital agency
• EnsureDARunits understand the role digital advertising can play to support email marketing campaigns
• Proactively work with agencies to connect email marketing and digital advertising campaigns; e.g., retarget ‘email openers’ with digital ads

(5%) Support DAR web properties.

• Provide content edits and updates toDARweb properties
• Support digital work processes that assist with content and project intake

About the University of Georgia

Charteredby the state of Georgia in 1785, the University of Georgia is the birthplace of public higher education in America and is the state’s flagship university(https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 240 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education.UGAis currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton.UGAemploys approximately 3,100 faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 41,000 students including over 31,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 19 schools and colleges, including our newly established School of Medicine.

About the Division of Development and Alumni Relations

The Division of Development and Alumni Relations at the University of Georgia advances the goals, objectives, and priorities of the university by generating private financial support, building, and maintaining relationships with alumni and donors, and assisting students with career development opportunities.

About the Development and Alumni Relations' Office of Communications

We serve as an in-house marketing agency for the Development & Alumni Relations division (DAR) at the University of Georgia. Twice a year, we plan. The rest of the time, we design mailers, build websites, write, film, photograph, tweet, and a lot more. Collaboration is how we do our best work. White-boarding and idea-bouncing get us going. Data and analytics teach us how to do better next time. We love to learn from one another. We often partner withthe Marketing & Communications divisionand build templates and tools to help all schools, colleges, and units with development and alumni relations. We streamline. And dot-connect. And always do our best to consider our audiences’ perspectives. We are always searching for new ways – more creative ways – to reach our alumni and donors. To help our division achieve its mission and help everyDARunit achieve its goals.

EEO Policy Statement

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status or other protected status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR ([e-mail]).

USG Core Values Statement

TheUniversity System of Georgia is comprised of our 25 institutions of higher education and learning, as well the System Office. OurUSGStatement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and eachUSGcommunity member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on theUSGStatement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available inUSGBoard Policy 08.02.18.01.02.Additionally,USGsupports Freedom of Expression as stated inBoard Policy 06.05 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom.