Head of Annual Giving & Donor Engagement

Eastern University's College of Education; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Eastern University seeks a Director of Annual Giving to lead strategy, execution, and growth of the comprehensive annual giving program. The role oversees donor acquisition, retention, upgrades, and recurring giving across direct mail, email, and digital fundraising.

The successful candidate will manage a 40–60 donor portfolio, partner with University Marketing, and drive innovation in giving programs, with travel for prospect visits and events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; minimum five years of fundraising experience in annual giving or related field.
• Experience planning, implementing, and evaluating multichannel fundraising campaigns with measurable results.
• Strong donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship skills with a track record of growth.

Responsibilities

• Lead overall annual giving strategy from planning to execution and evaluation.
• Manage a portfolio of 40–60 annual/leadership donors with cultivation and solicitations.
• Provide leadership for University Giving Societies, stewardship, and donor recognition programs.
• Collaborate with Advancement Services on data, analytics, and CRM to inform decisions.
• Drive digital fundraising alignment and cross-functional partnership with campus partners.
• Engage in travel to support prospect visits and special events; hybrid work may be considered.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Portfolio management

Donor relations

Communication

Project management

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree required

Tools

CRM software

Data analytics tools

Job description

Eastern University seeks a Director of Annual Giving to lead strategy, execution, and growth of the comprehensive annual giving program. The role oversees donor acquisition, retention, upgrades, and recurring giving across direct mail, email, and digital fundraising.

The successful candidate will manage a 40–60 donor portfolio, partner with University Marketing, and drive innovation in giving programs, with travel for prospect visits and events.