Director, Annual Giving

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; City of Poughkeepsie (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Sick time

Paid holidays

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability programs

403(b) retirement plan

Tuition benefits

Job summary

Marist University is seeking a Director of Annual Giving to provide strategic leadership for the university’s annual fundraising efforts. You will develop and execute multi-channel campaigns engaging alumni, parents, students, faculty/staff, trustees, and friends to support the Marist Fund and priorities.

The role requires directing annual giving strategy, donor engagement initiatives, family philanthropy programs, and the Day of Giving campaign while analyzing performance and building the donor

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 5-8 years of related work experience.
• Experience building multi-channel fundraising strategies (direct mail, digital, email, phone, text, social media, peer-to-peer).
• Experience managing annual giving programs with fundraising goals.
• Strong project management skills and ability to balance multiple priorities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication; ability to build relationships with diverse constituencies.
• Experience collaborating with internal and external partners including campus stakeholders and donors.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a comprehensive, multi-channel annual giving program to achieve fundraising and participation goals across key constituencies.
• Coordinate Day of Giving solicitations and campus-wide outreach for mail, social media, and digital channels.
• Provide strategic leadership and relationship management for the Parents Council including philanthropy initiatives and stewardship.
• Manage a small portfolio of giving prospects through qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities; identify new major gift prospects.
• Analyze annual giving performance metrics and donor trends to inform strategy and improve retention & acquisition.
• Supervise annual giving staff responsible for student philanthropy, leadership giving, parent and family giving, donor engagement.
• Partner with Alumni Relations and Advancement to develop engagement programming and donor outreach initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Multi-channel outreach

Donor engagement

Project management

Communication skills

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Tools

CRM systems

Analytics tools

Advancement databases

Job description

Position Title

Director, Annual Giving

Department / School

Annual Fund Office

Salary / Pay Rate

$85,000 - $90,000

Job Summary

The Director of Annual Giving provides strategic leadership for Marist University's annual fundraising efforts, developing and executing comprehensive, multi‑channel campaigns that engage alumni, parents, students, faculty/staff, trustees, and friends in support of the Marist Fund and other institutional priorities. The Director guides annual fundraising strategy, donor engagement initiatives, family philanthropy programs, and the Day of Giving campaign while monitoring performance analysis and assisting with donor pipeline development to increase philanthropic support and strengthen long‑term donor relationships. Working collaboratively across Advancement and the University, the Director supervises annual giving staff and partners with colleagues to advance fundraising goals and foster a culture of philanthropy.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field
• 5 - 8 year(s) of related work experience
• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing multi‑channel fundraising strategies, including direct mail, digital outreach, email, phone, text, social media, and peer‑to‑peer solicitation.
• Experience managing annual giving programs or initiatives with demonstrated success in meeting fundraising goals.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to balance multiple priorities while executing complex initiatives.
• Strong understanding of annual giving best practices including donor acquisition and retention strategies, segmentation, solicitation strategies, and stewardship.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse constituencies.
• Experience collaborating with internal and external partners, including advancement colleagues, campus stakeholders, volunteers, and donors.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education advancement, particularly annual giving, alumni relations, or advancement communications.
• Experience managing a Day of Giving campaign, crowdfunding, or other large‑scale fundraising initiative.
• Experience supervising professional staff, student workers, or volunteers.
• Experience using advancement databases, CRM systems, and analytics tools to segment audiences, evaluate campaign performance, and inform fundraising strategies.
• Experience working with outside vendors and technology partners to enhance fundraising strategy, execution, and donor engagement.

Essential Functions

• Develop and lead a comprehensive, multi‑channel annual giving program to achieve fundraising and participation goals across key constituencies including trustees, alumni, parents, faculty/staff, students, and friends of the institution through direct mail, digital engagement, leadership annual giving, student philanthropy, giving societies and personal solicitation strategies.
• Coordinate the Day of Giving solicitations and outreach including collaboration across campus for direct mail, social media, and digital outreach, logistics and setup for both giving and the day of events and engagement.
• Provide strategic leadership and relationship management for the Parents Council, including volunteer engagement, philanthropy initiatives, stewardship, and collaboration on programs that enhance parent participation and philanthropic support.
• Manage a small portfolio of giving prospects through qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities; conducting donor visits and solicitations annually while identifying and developing new prospects for the major gift pipeline.
• Analyze annual giving performance metrics, donor trends, and results to inform strategy, improve donor retention and acquisition efforts, and support data‑driven decision‑making.
• Supervise and mentor annual giving staff responsible for student philanthropy, leadership annual giving, parent and family giving, donor engagement, and related fundraising initiatives.
• Partner with Alumni Relations and Advancement colleagues to develop and support engagement programming, fundraising events, and integrated donor outreach initiatives that advance institutional fundraising priorities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• 3 weeks of paid vacation. 4 weeks of paid vacation beginning in the 6th year of employment.
• Unlimited paid sick time.
• 14+ paid holidays per year.
• Medical, Dental & Vision insurance programs at a 15% employee / 85% employer contribution rate. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Dependent Care (FSD).
• Life insurance.
• Generous short‑term and long‑term disability programs and workers compensation.
• 403(b) defined contribution plan:
  • First 6 years University contributes 7.5%, Employee contributes a mandatory 4%.
  • University contribution increases to 10.5% in year 7, and 12% after 15 years.
  • Employee contribution decreases to 1% in year 7. Remains 1% thereafter.
  • Typical eligibility requirements: 1 year of service and 1,000 hours with Marist University.
• 403(b) Tax Deferred Annuity – Roth option available. Voluntary, up to IRS maximum contribution.
• Tuition Benefits:
  • Up to 16 undergraduate credits per semester. Up to 18 graduate credit per academic calendar. Eligibility extends to employee, spouse, and dependent children under age 26.
  • University pays 100% tuition only.
  • Eligible dependents may be reimbursed up to $2,000 per semester towards tuition at another accredited institution.

*Eligibility requirements including waiting periods and/or employee probationary periods may apply at the discretion of the University.

Type of Position

Full‑time

Classification

Administrative (Exempt)

Months per Year

12

Work Schedule

Monday‑Friday 8:30am‑5:00pm | Occasional travel required primarily in the Northeastern, United States, 1‑2 days per month

Hours per Week

37.5

Location

Marist University Main Campus

Number of Position Openings

1

Equal Employment Statement

Marist University is committed to creating an inclusive workforce on our campus by ensuring that barriers to equal employment opportunity and upward mobility do not exist here. To this end, the University will strive to achieve the full and fair participation of all members of the Marist community. Equal opportunity means employment, development, and promotion of individuals without consideration of race, color, disability, religion, age, sex, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, or veteran status unless there is a bona fide occupational requirement which excludes persons in one of these protected groups. The University will review its employment policies and procedures to ensure that barriers which may unnecessarily exclude protected groups are identified and eliminated. The University will also explore alternative approaches if any policy or practice is found to have a negative impact on protected groups. Marist's policy of non‑discrimination includes not only employment practices but also extends to all services and programs provided by the University. It shall be considered a violation of University policy for any member of the community to discriminate against any individual or group with respect to employment or attendance at Marist University on the basis of race, color, disability, religion, age, sex, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other condition established by law.