Lead, Reunion & Affinity Giving Programs

Lehigh University; Bethlehem (Northampton County); On-site; USD 67,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

Lehigh University’s Development and Alumni Relations team seeks a strategic fundraiser to lead Reunion and Affinity Giving programs, connecting thousands of alumni to the university’s mission and shaping a robust giving culture.

You will manage end-to-end campaigns, coordinate with DAR College Partners and faculty, and translate data-driven insights into targeted outreach and measurable results across direct mail, email, and events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Communications, Marketing or a related field.
• Three to five years of work related experience.
• Fundraising experience or experience in higher education would be preferred.
• Strong communications and marketing experience preferred.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to coordiate across departments and competing priorities.
• A data-informed approach to strategy with comfort using CRM or fundraising platforms.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate, solicit, and steward a dynamic portfolio of Reunion and Affinity prospects through in-person/digital visits, strategic outreach, and tailored communications to assess donor capacity and passion.
• Drive unrestricted gifts for the Lehigh Fund by executing multi-channel strategies, preparing high-quality donor briefings and proposals, and ensuring prospects are solicited for the appropriate giving levels.
• Partner with DAR College Partners, Senior Directors, and Associate Deans to design direct response plans (direct mail, email, digital) aligned with institutional fundraising priorities and unified messaging across all five colleges.
• Manage end-to-end campaign timelines, vendors, and copywriting deliverables while collaborating with Information Systems to ensure precise audience segmentation, data integrity, and on-schedule campaign launches.
• Design and execute a comprehensive annual giving plan for Reunion classes by collaborating with Individual Giving, Alumni Relations, Planned Giving, and Family Philanthropy to align mass solicitations, events, and individual prospect strategies.
• Drive milestone reunion giving by leveraging events and cross-departmental partnerships to maximize high-impact, unrestricted support for the Lehigh Fund.
• Serve as the primary liaison for University constituent and affinity groups, partnering with Alumni Relations and Information Systems to define audience targets, evaluate direct-response channels, and elevate annual giving support.
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, students, and external vendors to design, coordinate, and launch integrated, multi-channel fundraising initiatives across direct mail, digital, and crowdfunding platforms.
• Partner with Donor Relations to build and evaluate targeted donor stewardship plans while continually analyzing campaign performance to optimize future solicitation strategies.

Skills

Strong communications

Marketing experience

Project management

Data-informed strategy

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, Marketing or related field

Tools

CRM or fundraising platforms

Job description

Lehigh University’s Development and Alumni Relations team seeks a strategic fundraiser to lead Reunion and Affinity Giving programs, connecting thousands of alumni to the university’s mission and shaping a robust giving culture.

You will manage end-to-end campaigns, coordinate with DAR College Partners and faculty, and translate data-driven insights into targeted outreach and measurable results across direct mail, email, and events.