Director, Annual Giving

Drexel University; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 124,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Drexel University is seeking a Director of Annual Giving to lead the central Annual Giving staff and drive multi-channel philanthropy across alumni, parents, students and employees.

Hybrid role, in-office 2 days a week, with responsibility for Drexel Giving Day, Giving Tuesday, and donor engagement programs, plus data-driven segmentation, reporting, and collaboration with IA partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 5 years in annual fund fundraising.
• Prior management experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication with analytical skills.
• Proficiency with CRM and donor tools (Advance, Tableau, ThankView).
• Experience in higher education fundraising preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and guide central annual giving staff.
• Execute integrated annual giving solicitations across channels.
• Increase philanthropic engagement among Drexel community.
• Oversee Virtual Engagement Officer program.
• Cultivate alumni and donor relationships and volunteer leadership.
• Plan stewardship initiatives to boost donor retention.
• Coordinate with IA and campus partners for annual giving campaigns.
• Track performance and report progress to goal.
• Support Giving Day and Giving Tuesday initiatives.
• Ensure accurate tracking in IA's database.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Donor relations

People management

Data analysis

CRM/donor management

Communication skills

Time management

Evening/weekend availability

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Advance

Tableau

Honorcraft

ThankView

Job description

The Director oversees the central Annual Giving staff and facilitates annual fundraising activities for Drexel University's Office of Institutional Advancement (IA). In this role, they lead solicitation efforts across all constituency groups, working with alumni, parents, students, employees, friends and recurring donors. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President, Alumni & Constituent Engagement, the Director manages multi-channel appeal operations to strategically expand and increase philanthropy to the university through meaningful stakeholder engagement.

The Director of Annual Giving is responsible for project management, the Virtual Engagement Officer program and solicitations across all vehicles including direct mail, calling, texting, email, web-based and personal outreach. They review data, draft segmentation plans, review content and design, track and report on progress to goal and elevate constituent engagement at the university. In coordination with internal partners, they develop and implement cohesive plans, integrating unit-based giving opportunities and central annual giving strategy. The Director oversees Drexel Giving Day, matching gift programs, micro-philanthropy, and both targeted and mass appeals.

This position serves as the liaison between advancement services and individual giving officers, to move prospects into assigned portfolios as appropriate. The incumbent will excel at project management, constituent data management and segmentation, prioritization, and managing multi-faceted programs. Additionally, they actively participate in team events and initiatives, and play a key role in fundraising efforts throughout IA.

This is a hybrid position, working in-person 2 days a week or more as needed.

Essential Functions

• Manage and provide guidance to central annual giving staff.
• Execute annual giving solicitations integrated across direct mail, calling, texting, email, web-based and personal outreach.
• Increase philanthropic engagement from key members of the Drexel community, including but not limited to alumni, employees, parents, students, and friends of the University
• Facilitate solicitations to increase the pipeline of leadership annual giving donors, including through managing the Virtual Engagement Officer program.
• Work directly with alumni and donors to cultivate and build engagement, including among alumni volunteer and reunion leadership.
• Plan and manage stewardship initiatives to increase retention and improve the donor experience.
• Support the associate director of annual giving in planning and execution for fundraising initiatives like Drexel Giving Day and Giving Tuesday
• Coordinate with members of Institutional Advancement and partners across Drexel University to promote annual giving efforts.
• Create, manage, and run micro-philanthropy and reunion campaigns at the annual giving level.
• Oversee the production of annual and leadership annual giving appeals from conception to completion.
• Track and share annual giving performance with the engagement team and IA staff.
• Serve as a partner to the Prospect Development team to identify leadership annual giving potential.
• Work with the Information Services team to ensure proper tracking of annual giving activity across the university can be captured in IA's database.
• Serve as a strategic partner within Engagement team and Institutional Advancement.
• Represent division of Institutional Advancement and Drexel University positively to internal and external constituencies
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree or the equivalent combination of education and work experience. (Please review the Equivalency Chart for additional information.)
• Minimum of 5 years of successful experience in annual fund fundraising, preferably in higher education or health system setting.
• Previous management/supervisory experience.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, coupled with a strategic mindset and strong analytical abilities.
• Proficiency with CRM systems and fundraising software/donor management tools (e.g., Advance, Honorcraft, Tableau, ThankView).
• Ability to manipulate and segment large, complex constituent data, and to recognize and interpret trends in data.
• Exceptional organizational skills and capacity to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Superb interpersonal skills and the ability to build productive, beneficial relationships with colleagues and constituencies.
• Ability and willingness to work evenings and weekends.
• Ability to adapt to a changing environment, exhibit tact, sound judgement, and navigate ambiguity effectively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with virtual engagement officer programs.

Location

• Hybrid/Flexible Work Arrangement

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt, grade M. Compensation for this grade ranges from $82,920 - $124,380 per year. Please note that the offered rate for this position will vary based on the successful candidate's qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review.

Applicants are encouraged to explore the Professional Staff salary structure and Compensation Guidelines & Policies for more details on Drexel's compensation framework. For information about benefits, please review Drexel's Benefits Brochure.

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