Director (Marketing Generalist), Donor and Alumni Communications

Indiana University; Bloomington (IN); On-site; USD 68,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical insurance

Tuition subsidy for IU courses

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Indiana University in Bloomington seeks a Dean to lead communications and marketing for the College of Arts and Sciences. The role focuses on brand development, donor engagement, and multi-channel campaigns to advance priorities and engage alumni and donors.

The Dean will supervise teams, set goals, analyze performance data, and ensure accessible, high‑quality content across websites, email campaigns, and reports using Salesforce Marketing Cloud and other platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in communications, marketing, English, public relations, or related field.
• 2 years in relevant field required.
• Preferred: 3 years of progressively responsible experience in communications, marketing, or advancement with strategy development.
• Experience in higher education advancement, donor relations, and supervision.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes multi-channel alumni and donor communications strategy.
• Leads integrated communications campaigns and measures performance data.
• Writes and edits audience-centered content for emails, reports, and donor stories.
• Uses Salesforce Marketing Cloud for email campaign design and segmentation.
• Manages constituent data in Salesforce CRM per governance policies.
• Oversees website content updates and landing pages for campaigns.
• Produces regular reporting on communications performance and ROI.
• Responds to stakeholder inquiries and manages marketing plans with vendors.

Skills

Written communication

Time management

Attention to detail

Professionalism

Adaptability

Quality focus

Accuracy under pressure

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications/marketing/English/public relations or related field

Tools

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Salesforce CRM

Google Analytics

CMS

Job description

ARTS & SCIENCES; DEAN (BL-ARSD-IUBLA)

Our team is responsible for communications and marketing projects that advance the mission and strengthen the brand of the Indiana University (IU) College of Arts and Sciences. We focus on College-wide initiatives, including brand development and management, user-focused website development for our departments and programs, and recruitment marketing strategy and products.

Department Specific Responsibilities

• Develops and owns a multi-channel, annual alumni and donor communications strategy aligned with the College's advancement priorities, campaign goals, and engagement metrics.
• Proactively and collaboratively proposes new initiatives to retain and steward current donors, re-engages lapsed alumni and donors, and cultivates prospective major gift prospects, bringing ideas forward without waiting to be directed.
• Leads the conception and manages execution of integrated communications campaigns, including segmented digital outreach, digital and multimedia content, annual impact reports, and related initiatives.
• Sets measurable goals for each communications initiative and regularly evaluates performance data to refine strategy.
• Writes and edits compelling, audience-centered content for email campaigns, donor impact reports, stewardship materials, case statements, solicitation copy, and donor/alumni-friendly news stories.
• Leverages Salesforce Marketing Cloud to design, build, test, and deploy sophisticated, segmented email campaigns; maintains and improves audience segmentation strategy over time.
• Requests, imports, and responsibly manages constituent data in Salesforce Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in accordance with institutional data governance policies.
• Creates and manages landing pages, event communications, and digital forms in support of advancement campaigns.
• Runs engagement reports and analyzes campaign data; translates insights into actionable recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Oversees College and department website content updates as needed to support advancement communications and ensures accuracy of donor- and alumni-facing digital content.
• Regularly monitors relevant social media platforms and news sources; researches subject matter to deepen knowledge of donor interests, alumni identity, and institutional priorities.
• Monitors peer institution advancement communications programs, sector trends, and emerging best practices in philanthropy, digital engagement, and alumni relations; bring relevant innovations to the team.
• Maintains accurate records of campaign activity, constituent preferences, and opt-out/opt-in status.
• Produces regular reporting on communications performance for advancement leadership, including open rates, click-through rates, donor retention trends, and campaign Return On Investment (ROI).

General Responsibilities

• Independently develops and executes basic and increasingly more complex strategic marketing plans for a department or functional area within a department to advance goals and objectives, including data collection and market research, target market definition, development of project timelines, sourcing of promotional materials, and marketing content creation.
• Responds to inquiries and requests from stakeholders and explains information regarding policies, procedures, and programs.
• Manages relationships with various internal and external stakeholders, including vendors, and acts as a collaborative resource in curating marketing plans to relevant initiatives, groups, events, and programs.
• Regularly researches relevant subject matter to increase knowledge in area(s) of specialty, including information on various marketing channels (print, online, electronic, email, social media, and direct mail).
• May participate in team-based marketing planning to align strategies and deadlines across various concurrent projects and initiatives.
• Collaborates with users of various software programs and creative platforms to create and deliver content and marketing materials in multiple formats to a variety of audiences.
• May provide guidance to lower-level Marketing Generalists.

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, English, public relations, or related field.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• 2 years in relevant field.

Preferred

• 3 years of progressively responsible experience in communications, marketing, or advancement, with demonstrated experience in strategy development.
• Experience in higher education advancement, development, member, or donor relations.
• Demonstrated supervisory experience, including the ability to direct, develop, and hold accountable direct reports.

SKILLS

Required

• Proficient written and verbal communication skills.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
• Demonstrates time management and priority setting skills.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
• Highly thorough and dependable.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.

Preferred

• Proven ability to conceive, plan, and execute multi-channel communications campaigns from concept through evaluation.
• Experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud or comparable marketing automation/Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, including audience segmentation and campaign analytics.
• Exceptional written communications skills, with the ability to craft compelling, audience-appropriate content across a range of formats and tones.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience using data and metrics to drive decisions and demonstrate impact.
• Familiarity with major gift cultivation cycles, donor stewardship best practices, and the role of communications in the philanthropic pipeline.
• Experience with Salesforce CRM (beyond Marketing Cloud) and constituent data management.
• Knowledge of digital accessibility standards and best practices for inclusive communications.
• Experience with Google Analytics or comparable web reporting tools.
• Familiarity with web content management systems (CMS).

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

Bloomington, Indiana

$68,000 -$72,000 Annually

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
• Health savings account with generous IU contributions
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Basic group life insurance paid by IU
• Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
• Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
• Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
• Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
• 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
• Generous paid time off plans
• Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Career Level: Career

FLSA: Exempt

Job Function: Marketing & Communications

Job Family: Marketing

Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, containing policy statements, crime and fire statistics for all Indiana University campuses, is available online. You may also request a physical copy by emailing IU Public Safety at [e-mail] or by visiting IUPD.

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