Parent Giving and Engagement Officer

Kenyon College, a nationally prominent top 40 private liberal arts college located on one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country, is conducting a search for a qualified candidate to serve in the newly created position of Parent Giving and Engagement Officer. This is a full time position with the opportunity for a hybrid remote work schedule. Salary will be commensurate with experience and a generous benefits package is available.

The Parent Giving and Engagement Officer will report to the Director of Parent Giving and Engagement and join the dynamic and collaborative Advancement Division. Having recently closed the most successful comprehensive campaign in the College’s history, and having just celebrated Kenyon’s Bicentennial, the Advancement Division is poised to continue their proven excellence into the College’s third century. The Officer will be the next steward of a long-standing and respected parent giving program, implementing strategies that help grow leadership-level gifts in expansion of the leadership annual giving and major gift programs. The Officer will have the opportunity to work closely with a portfolio of parent donors and prospective parent donors and will build relationships to engage, identify, qualify and solicit new donors, including parents of current students and family members of Kenyon alumni.

In addition, this role will be highly collaborative and work with thoughtful colleagues across the Advancement Division on the preparation, segmentation and mailing of annual giving appeals and manage the leadership annual giving program for the Parents Fund, as well as Family Weekend, summer welcome receptions and parent events for engagement. This role will also support the Director with the Kenyon Parents Council, an enthusiastic group of parent leaders from varied backgrounds who care deeply for the Kenyon student experience.

Attendance at Orientation, two Kenyon Parents Council meetings and events, and Family Weekend, and some travel to major cities in the US each year will be essential to make strong connections and build important and fulfilling relationships with Kenyon parents and families.

Kenyon boasts dedicated faculty and staff, where academic excellence goes hand in hand with a strong sense of community and close connections among students and professors and strong partnerships with staff are valued. The College is located in the quaint village of Gambier, OH and sits on 1,000 acres in the rolling hills of Central Ohio. Kenyon’s campus is 50 miles northeast of Columbus, the state capital, and one of the fastest growing cities in the US.

Job Responsibilities:

Fundraising (60%)

• Manage a portfolio of 60-80 current parents and past parents.
• Achieve dollar goals as a front line fundraiser, with expectation to grow to raising mid six-figures annually.
• Attain and retain leadership annual giving and major gifts from current and past parents.
• Manage leadership annual giving process for current and past parent donors, including identification, segmentation, and solicitation communications for the Kenyon Parents Fund.
• Develop comprehensive understanding and identify funding priorities across the College, specifically Kenyon Parents Fund, endowment, scholarship and financial aid, travel embedded courses, experiential learning and other identified priorities.

Volunteer Management (20%)

• Identify and build relationships with prospects and donors across the Kenyon community.
• Assist the Director with the Kenyon Parents Council (KPC), including recruiting new members, implementing and attending two meetings per year.
• Staff the Parents Fund Committee of the Kenyon Parents Council and manage the Parents Fund outreach effort to ensure effective peer-to-peer solicitations.

Engagement (20%)

• Plan and staff welcome receptions for new families in key markets and online, inviting KPC members and current parents to host events.
• Manage the KPC welcome call effort for new parents and family members.
• Help create and coordinate strategic programming for Family Weekend, including management of the Leadership Giving Breakfast and staffing key events.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Experience in fundraising, sales, recruitment, project management or other relatable fields.
• Experience with creating, developing or enhancing programs in creative or innovative ways.
• Strong multitasking and time management skills; ability to establish and meet goals.
• Strong skill sets in collaboration, communication, organization, problem-solving, as well as the ability to work well within a team environment as well as independently.
• Discretion in dealing with confidential information and demonstrated willingness to uphold high ethical standards.

Working Conditions:

• Work is generally performed in an office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment and computer programs.
• Hybrid work environment opportunities with the option to work remotely for part of the week during most of the calendar year.

Compensation and Benefits

Salaries at Kenyon are competitive and commensurate with experience. In addition to an attractive salary, Kenyon offers benefits for employees and their family members. Children of employees are eligible for 100% tuition waivers at Kenyon, and through the Great Lakes Colleges Association, children of employees are eligible for 90% tuition waivers at nineteen other of the nation's finest liberal arts colleges.

We also offer health, dental and vision insurance, TIAA retirement, and many other benefits, including provisions for a spouse, families, and domestic partners. Details about benefits as well as conditions of employment are described more fully in our Staff Handbook.

Kenyon College is an equal opportunity employer and applications from members of all underrepresented groups are encouraged. It is the College's policy to evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical and/or mental disability, age, religion, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by institutional policy or state, local, or federal law. Kenyon College has a strong commitment to supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. Please visit our Diversity at Kenyon website.