Director, Annual Giving

Marist University; Fairview (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation (3 weeks)

Sick time

Holidays

Health, dental, and vision insurance

403(b) retirement plan

Tuition benefits

Job summary

Marist University is seeking a Director of Annual Giving to lead strategic, multi‑channel fundraising campaigns engaging alumni, parents, students, faculty, trustees, and friends to support the Marist Fund and related priorities.

This role sets annual giving strategy, donor engagement, family philanthropy programs, and the Day of Giving, supervises staff, and partners with Advancement and campus stakeholders to strengthen donor relationships and meeting fundraising goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• 5–8 years of related work experience.
• Experience developing multi‑channel fundraising strategies.
• Experience managing annual giving programs with fundraising success.
• Strong project management and communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a comprehensive, multi‑channel annual giving program to meet fundraising goals across key constituencies.
• Coordinate Day of Giving solicitations and campus collaboration.
• Provide leadership for Parents Council and related engagement initiatives.
• Manage a portfolio of giving prospects and develop major gift pipeline.
• Analyze performance metrics to inform strategy and donor engagement.
• Supervise annual giving staff and partnerships across campus.
• Collaborate with Alumni Relations and Advancement colleagues on programs and events.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Multi-channel fundraising

Donor engagement

Strategic leadership

Project management

Communication skills

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM systems

Analytics tools

Advancement databases

Job description

Director, Annual Giving

Posting Number: 494030

Type of Position: Full-time

Location: Poughkeepsie, NY

Categories: Administration

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 years’ 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.

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.

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.

Required Application Documents

Resume, Cover Letter, & Contact Information of 3 Professional References

Benefits

The position includes a comprehensive benefit package* Benefits for this position include but are not limited to the following:

• 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.
• 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.

About the Department/School

The Advancement Office promotes a culture of philanthropy that attracts vital resources to support the goals and objectives of the University's strategic plan and core educational mission.

The Advancement team accomplishes this by nurturing life‑long relationships with and among alumni, parents, trustees, friends, students, faculty, staff, and other constituencies. It also communicates regularly with them through meaningful personal contacts, targeted print and web‑based publications, and high‑impact special events.

About Marist University

Founded in 1929, Marist is a comprehensive, independent four‑year institution whose signature educational approach blends the liberal arts with pre‑professional studies and emphasizes experiential learning to enrich classroom instruction. With campuses in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Florence, Italy, plus over 70 programs offering a variety of international study, Marist is a portal to the world and is devoted to nurturing a welcoming, inclusive community. Through six schools offering almost 50 majors, Marist cultivates the intellectual growth and well‑being of its more than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students and encourages them to color outside traditional academic lines as they pursue coursework and personal experiences that provide valuable occupational expertise and reflect their individual passions. Marist has been acclaimed a top institution in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse, Princeton Review, and others. To learn more, please visit https://www.marist.edu/about

Applications close: Open Until Filled

Advertised: July 10, 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

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.