Director, Eliot Society Experience - University Advancement

Washington University in St. Louis; Georgia; On-site; USD 84,000 - 149,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Transit benefit

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Washington University in St. Louis seeks a Director, Eliot Society Experience to lead volunteer engagement for WashU’s leadership annual giving society.

You will manage regional committees, serve as primary staff liaison, and drive volunteer strategy from planning through execution. The role requires exceptional relationship and program management skills, experience in donor and volunteer engagement, and the ability to collaborate across schools and units.

Qualifications

• Experience in University Advancement, higher education, or another complex, matrixed organization.
• Experience managing and stewarding high-level volunteers, donors, alumni, or other external constituents.
• Experience with volunteer recruitment, training, committee management, and leadership succession.

Responsibilities

• Manage assigned Eliot Society regional committees and volunteer relationships.
• Lead committee planning, meetings, outreach, stewardship, and follow-up; strengthen volunteer involvement and impact.
• Own strategy and preparation for upper-level volunteers and city chairs; prepare volunteer leaders to engage donors and prospects.
• Drive volunteer recruitment, onboarding, training, retention, and leadership succession.
• Lead Eliot Society volunteer newsletter and quarterly communications; coordinate with data, communications, and program partners.
• Partner with gift officers and university colleagues on donor strategy, volunteer assignments, and regional engagement.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Senior Director and Executive Director.

Skills

Volunteer management

Donor engagement

Volunteer recruitment

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Strategic planning

Communication

Relationship management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

CRM

Microsoft Office

Job description

Location

SAINT LOUIS, MO 63105

Scheduled Hours

37.5

Position Summary

The Director, Eliot Society Experience leads volunteer engagement and assigned regional committee work for the Eliot Society, WashU’s leadership annual giving society. The Director serves as a primary volunteer manager, owns key volunteer strategies and communications, and independently drives projects from planning through execution in close partnership with University Advancement colleagues.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

Manage assigned Eliot Society regional committees and volunteer relationships.

• Serve as primary staff liaison for assigned committee chairs and members; lead committee planning, meetings, outreach, stewardship, and follow-up. Proactively strengthens volunteer involvement and impact.

Lead upper-level volunteer engagement and city chair coordination.

• Own strategy and preparation for upper-level volunteers and city chairs, including agendas, presentations, talking points, timelines, and follow-up. Prepare volunteer leaders to effectively represent WashU and engage donors and prospects.

Drive volunteer recruitment, onboarding, training, retention, and leadership succession.

• Partner with the Senior Director and colleagues to recruit strong volunteers, set clear expectations, equip them with effective tools and training, steward their service, and support succession planning.

Lead volunteer-facing communications and outreach strategy.

• Own the Eliot Society volunteer newsletter and quarterly volunteer communications, outreach templates, and meeting resources. Coordinate with data, communications, and program partners to ensure volunteers have accurate, timely materials.

Manage cross-functional donor and prospect engagement projects.

• Partner with gift officers, territory teams, school and program colleagues, Business Intelligence, and other Advancement partners on donor strategy, volunteer assignments, briefings, regional engagement, and follow-up. Anticipate next steps and resolve issues with limited day-to-day direction.

Perform other duties as assigned by the Senior Director, Eliot Society Experience and Executive Director, Eliot Society Programs.

Working Conditions:

Job Location/Working Conditions

• Normal office environment
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 15% of the year, primarily to support assigned regional committees, volunteer engagement, and events, and to work occasional evenings or weekends.

Physical Effort

• Typically sitting at a desk or a table

Equipment

• Office equipment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree

Certifications** /Professional Licenses **:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Relevant Experience (5 Years)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver’s License:

A driver’s license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in University Advancement, higher education, or another complex, matrixed organization.
• Experience managing and stewarding high-level volunteers, donors, alumni, or other external constituents.
• Experience with volunteer recruitment, training, committee management, and leadership succession.
• Experience partnering with front-line fundraisers on donor and prospect engagement strategies.
• Experience leading regional engagement, volunteer meetings, or events requiring travel and cross-functional coordination.
• Initiative to own complex work from strategy through execution, anticipate needs, solve problems, and move projects forward with limited day-to-day direction.
• Excellent program and project management skills with strong follow-through across multiple committees, projects, deadlines, and stakeholders.
• Strong relationship-management skills and confidence working with leadership volunteers, donors, alumni, and senior university colleagues.
• Ability to navigate a complex university environment, build productive partnerships across units, and know when to collaborate, elevate, or decide independently.

This position is located in St. Louis, MO and the targeted hiring range for this position is $84,200 - $115,000.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

Master’s degree

Certifications** /Professional Licenses **:

No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Work Experience:

No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Skills:

Alumni Relations, Analytical Thinking, Communication, Confidentiality, Constituent Relationship Management (CRM), Deadline Management, Detail-Oriented, Fundraising, Interpersonal Interactions, Microsoft Office, Professional Integrity, Program Management, Self-Starter, Speaking Clearly, Speech Clarity, Strategic Focus, Targeted Communications, Teamwork, Volunteer Engagement, Work Collaboratively

Grade

G15

Salary Range

$84,200.00 - $148,500.00 / Annually

The salary range reflects base salaries paid for positions in a given job grade across the University. Individual rates within the range will be determined by factors including one’s qualifications and performance, equity with others in the department, market rates for positions within the same grade and department budget.

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email [e-mail] or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Personal

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.
• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.
• Take advantage of our free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.
• WashU provides eligible employees with a defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.

Wellness

• Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more!

Family

• We offer 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child. Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs. Need adult care? We’ve got you covered.
• WashU covers the cost of tuition for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.

For policies, detailed benefits, and eligibility, please visit: https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/

EEO Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, citizenship (where prohibited by federal law), age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.