Director of Annual Giving

Loras College; Dubuque (IA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Loras College is seeking a Director of Annual Giving to lead strategy, development, and execution of a comprehensive annual giving program. You will inspire alumni, families, faculty, and friends to invest in the College and its students, shaping the future of philanthropy at Loras.

The role blends fundraising, marketing, communications, and relationship building. The ideal candidate will be a strategic, creative relationship builder with a track record in donor engagement, storytelling, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; minimum 1–3 years in development or nonprofit fundraising.
• Strong written and spoken communication; ability to tell compelling stories and engage diverse audiences.
• Experience with donor segmentation, data-informed strategies, and donor recognition programs.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes a comprehensive annual giving strategy to maximize revenue, participation, and retention.
• Leads campaigns across direct mail, email, digital, social media, and events.
• Cultivates and manages a portfolio of 30–50 prospective donors for annual gifts of $1,000–$3,500.
• Collaborates with campus partners to solicit leadership gifts and expand donor base.
• Oversees phonathon, direct-response efforts, and events like Duhawk Day.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Communication

Budgeting

Project management

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Annual Giving is a key member of the Advancement team and plays a significant role in strengthening Loras College's culture of philanthropy and engagement. This position leads the strategy, development, and execution of a comprehensive annual giving program that inspires alumni, parents, families, friends, faculty, staff, and other members of the Loras community to invest in the College and its students.

This is an opportunity to help shape the future of philanthropy at Loras College. The Director will help tell the Loras story to thousands of constituents and create compelling campaigns and engagement opportunities that connect people to the impact of a Loras education and inspire them to support the College.

The role sits at the intersection of fundraising, marketing, communications, and relationship building. The Director develops audience-centered strategies across direct mail, email, digital platforms, social media, telephone, events, and personal outreach to increase annual giving revenue, donor participation, acquisition, and retention.

Working closely with Development, Alumni Relations, Advancement Services, Marketing and Communications, Athletics, and campus partners, the Director will use creativity, data, storytelling, and collaboration to strengthen the donor experience and expand Loras College's base of philanthropic support.

The ideal candidate is a strategic and creative relationship builder who understands that successful annual giving is about more than making an ask- it is about building connection, telling meaningful stories, creating compelling experiences, and giving people opportunities to be part of the future of Loras.

Occasional evening work and travel are required.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Reasonable Accommodations Statement

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Functions Statement(s)

• Given that the College is a diocesan Catholic college, will carry out your functions of your position in support of the College's Catholic Identity, mission and in support of Church teachings.

Annual Giving Strategy and Leadership:

• Develops and executes a comprehensive annual giving strategy designed to maximize revenue, participation, acquisition, and retention.

• Establishes and evaluates annual goals, strategies, budgets, timelines for annual giving initiatives.
• Leads integrated annual giving campaigns across direct mail, email, digital platforms, social media, telephone, events, and other channels.
• Develops compelling, audience-specific messaging and partners with Marketing and Communications, Athletics, and other campus partners to share stories that demonstrate the impact of a Loras education, donor support, and inspire action
• Monitors trends in annual giving, digital fundraising, donor engagement, and higher education philanthropy and identifies opportunities to apply emerging practices at Loras.
• Manages a portfolio of approximately 30–50 prospective donors who are not yet ready for major gift solicitation but have the capacity and inclination to make annual gifts of approximately $1,000–$3,500 to the Loras Fund.
• Collaborates with Development team members to identify, cultivate, and solicit leadership-level Loras Fund gifts of $1,000 and above from donors and prospects.
• Works with Advancement Services to identify prospects, analyze giving patterns, improve segmentation, and inform fundraising strategies.
• Provides strategic direction and oversight for the College's phonathon and other direct-response fundraising efforts.
• Point person for Duhawk Day, the College's annual day of giving.
• Oversees reunion giving and the Young Alumni Advisory board.
• Develops and ensures fulfillment of corporate sponsorship opportunities and recognition commitments.
• Serves as the College's liaison to the Iowa College Foundation.
• Represents the Advancement Office at College events, and alumni and community functions.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Competency Statement(s)

• Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions.
• Ambition - The drive to achieve personal advancement.
• Assertiveness - Ability to act in a self-confident manner to facilitate completion of a work assignment or to defend a position or idea.
• Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word.
• Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely.
• Competitiveness - Willingness to strive to get ahead as well as finish projects.
• Customer Oriented - Ability to take care of the customers' needs while following company procedures.
• Detail Oriented - Ability to pay attention to the minute details of a project or task.
• Energetic - Ability to work at a sustained pace and produce quality work.
• Enthusiastic - Ability to bring energy to the performance of a task.
• Friendly - Ability to exhibit a cheerful demeanor toward others.
• Goal Oriented - Ability to focus on a goal and obtain a pre-determined result.
• Interpersonal - Ability to get along well with a variety of personalities and individuals.
• Financial Aptitude - Ability to understand and explain economic and accounting information, prepare and manage budgets, and make sound long-term investment decisions.
• Loyalty - Individual demonstrates a consistent alliance to the organization
• Organized - Possess the trait of being organized or ability to follow a systematic method of performing a task.
• Relationship Building - Ability to effectively build relationships and maintain rapport with internal and external constituents.

Education: Bachelor's Degree (four-year college or university).

Experience: A minimum of one to three years of related work experience in a development office or non-profit environment, with direct experience in fundraising and donor relations.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

Other Requirements: Skilled in the use of a personal computer and Microsoft Office Suite. Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices involved in developing and maintaining an effective annual giving program. Appreciation for and commitment to Catholic, liberal arts higher education. Demonstrated skills in gift solicitation. Strong organizational and communication skills including the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Demonstrated commitment to teamwork and the ability to motivate prospective donors. Ability to be an articulate spokesperson on behalf of the College. Ability to work independently as well as establish and maintain harmonious relations with a diverse constituency. Ability to lead, be creative, innovative and decisive. Ability and willingness to travel and work evenings and weekends as necessary. Ability to facilitate multiple projects, make decisions and meet deadlines. Ability to identify problems and to develop creative, timely and efficient solutions. Ability to manage and motivate volunteers effectively and efficiently.

The College has reviewed this job description to ensure that essential functions and basic duties have been included. It is intended to provide guidelines for job expectations and the employee's ability to perform the position described. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This document does not represent a contract of employment, and the College reserves the right to change this job description and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, as the College may deem appropriate.