Executive Director, Annual Giving Channel Fundraising

University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Chicago Advancement is seeking an Executive Director, Annual Giving Channel Fundraising to lead a comprehensive multi-channel direct response program. You will balance strategy with hands-on oversight of the annual giving appeals team to ensure excellence across campaigns.

Reporting to the AVP of Marketing and Communications for Advancement, you will elevate donor retention and pipeline development while guiding cross-unit collaboration and building a culture of philanthropy across

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements comprehensive and innovative annual giving strategies for units managed by University Advancement, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and maintaining consistent messaging and donor experience standards.
• Serves as a strategic advisor and partner to unit leadership and Directors of Development, helping identify opportunities to build lasting fundraising capacity with and beyond University Advancement support.

Job description

Department

ADV Communications

About the Department

The University of Chicago has partnered with Lindauer, a national search and talent firm, to conduct this search.

The University of Chicago Advancement team cultivates lifelong connections with more than 220,000 alumni, current students, parents, and friends worldwide, building community through intellectual, professional, and other meaningful experiences on campus, around the world and online. Advancement empowers every division, school, department, and institute to thrive, generating support for esteemed faculty, pioneering researchers, visionary practitioners, and ambitious students.

During the Chicago Minds campaign, Advancement seeks to raise over $1 billion annually. This unprecedented philanthropic effort is designed to stretch the boundaries of what is possible, fueling bold discovery and amplifying the University's global impact.

Our work is rooted in the belief that meaningful connection and lasting experiences inspire ambassadorship and enduring commitment. We champion a culture of innovation and excellence, inviting every member of our community to participate in a future defined by creativity, intellectual rigor, and shared purpose. Through collaborative partnerships, strategic stewardship, and investment in talent, Advancement is reimagining alumni and donor engagement while ensuring UChicago remains a catalyst of impact for generations to come.

The Communications team within the Office of Advancement advances ambitious fundraising and constituent engagement goals by partnering with stakeholders across the University to shape and brand communications that engage, inspire, steward, and inform alumni, donors, and friends of the University of Chicago.

Job Summary

The Executive Director, Annual Giving Channel Fundraising leads the development, execution, and management of a comprehensive, multi-channel direct response program. This position balances high-level strategy and organizational leadership with direct oversight of the annual giving appeals team, ensuring both the vision and day-to-day operations of the program are executed with excellence. This position also manages multiple related teams of managers and professional staff responsible for the institution's campaign for annual gift support from all constituents, including alumni. A key priority of this role is cultivating and elevating awareness and understanding of the importance of annual giving across the University community, building a culture of philanthropy that engages alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, and friends as active participants in the institution's long-term success.

Reporting to the AVP of Marketing and Communications for Advancement, the Executive Director will lead the strategy and execution of the University's multi-channel annual giving direct marketing program for the schools and divisions that rely on central support, with an emphasis on donor retention, acquisition, and pipeline development. The Executive Director will also serve as a strategic counsel and partner to the University's Directors of Development, helping them identify opportunities to increase capacity in their areas beyond the support provided by the University Advancement team. This is also an opportunity to build upon the recent rollout of the Chicago Fund, the University's first cross-institutional annual fund, and to help establish a more unified, recognizable annual-giving identity among its community of stakeholders.

The successful candidate will bring genuine command of annual giving as a discipline, paired with the instincts of an entrepreneur and a talent for building trust across a large, complex organization. This leader will also be an experienced manager who can mentor a talented team, with the latitude to hire into several open roles and shape the function from the ground up. Above all, the University is looking for a leader who's genuinely excited by the challenge and sees this moment as a chance to help shape how a great university builds lifelong philanthropic culture among its alumni.

This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements comprehensive and innovative annual giving strategies for units managed by University Advancement, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and maintaining consistent messaging and donor experience standards.
• Serves as a strategic advisor and partner to unit leadership and Directors of Development, helping identify opportunities to build lasting fundraising capacity with and beyond University Advancement support.
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