Director of Annual Giving

Description

The Director of Annual Giving plans, organizes, implements and evaluates a strategic annual giving program that raises unrestricted and restricted gifts through the solicitation of alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends. The Director collaborates closely with colleagues in University Advancement and across the university to coordinate annual giving solicitations and maximize donor retention and donor participation.

Job Duties

• Establish all aspects of the university’s annual giving program, including both short- and long-term fundraising, as it pertains to all constituents: alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends. 
• Institute and maintain collaborative partnerships with key fundraising stakeholders across campus and serve as a subject matter expert who provides actionable insights to support their individual and collective goals through a robust annual giving program. 
• Create and implement a solicitation calendar following industry best practices. 
• Oversee the successful execution of the following yearly campaigns: Samford Giving Day, Calendar Year-End, Parent Campaign and Fiscal Year-End. 
• Utilize direct response communication and fundraising tools (direct mail, email, website) to inform, engage, connect and solicit current, lapsed and prospective donors. Monitor, report and analyze outcomes. Use data-driven insights to steer future campaign decisions. 
• Apply strategic segmentation to target potential donors through direct mail, email and multi-media to maximize donor engagement and participation. 
• Oversee online giving platform, GiveCampus, which is used for all online fundraising across campus. This includes creating and maintaining online giving forms and social fundraising campaigns for all academic schools, athletics, Legacy League, and other key offices throughout the university.
• Serve as manager of Samford Giving Day, Samford’s annual crowdfunding initiative.
• Assist in moving constituents through the donor pipeline to increase engagement and potential for major and planned gifts.
• Stay aware of annual giving trends and strategies throughout higher education and advancement, including social media and other digital fundraising tactics.
• Support a culture of continual improvement, displaying a willingness to evolve, adapt and forge new solutions that improve operational efficiency and/or effectiveness.
• Oversee annual giving strategies of printed appeals through Pledge Mine and other vendors.
•  Work alongside the Director of Donor Engagement through projects to support annual giving efforts as well as sharing impact with donors.
• Occasional evening and weekend work will be required.
• Occasional travel will take place.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience, preferably in higher education (or a comparably complex organization), in annual giving, development, advancement services or a related field. 
• Experience with email marketing, preferably Emma email marketing system. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and practices associated with fundraising including familiarity with email marketing, segmentation, direct mail, volunteer-driven fundraising, and other related giving programs. 
• Knowledge of online fundraising tools
• Advanced experience with donor data systems (Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, etc.)
• Proven skills and ability to manage multi-phase fundraising projects from inception to completion, including the ability to build consensus among team members and balance multiple concurrent priorities. 
• Demonstrate analytical and fundraising skills with the ability to recognize opportunities, identify critical, high-pay-off activities and prioritize them to attain goals.
• Maintain the integrity and confidentiality of alumni/donor records.
• Proactive self-starter with strong results orientation.
• Openness to new ideas and their implementation. Ability to react and adapt to changing situations appropriately.
• Strong computer, digital and analytical skills, along with excellent writing and verbal communication skills. 
• A professional, client-centric, and service-oriented attitude is expected in daily work with a wide variety of internal and external constituents.
• Ability to work independently and exercise prudent judgment in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and to work with a wide variety of constituents.
• Detail-oriented, well-organized, focused, and goal-oriented, with a high level of initiative.
• Maintain a professional image consistent with the division.
• Ability to warmly develop relationships with diverse constituencies
• A commitment to the Christian mission of Samford University.