Assistant Director of Development Communications - Medical Philanthropy and Alumni Relations

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes: comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefit, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more. Learn more about VCU’s benefits here.

At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), we are UNlike any other.  With more than 300,000 students, faculty and staff, we are a mix of attitudes, styles and stories. Inclusion is our heartbeat and it drives us to tackle difficult challenges others can’t. Or won’t. Focused on impact, we pursue a future that is built by us rather than preserving a past that’s been left to us. We are home to creativity, teaching, discovery and healing, and we prove everyday that different works. VCU offers employees work flexibility, a generous leave package, career paths for advancement, competitive pay, and an opportunity to do mission-driven work.  To explore our benefits further, please visit https://hr.vcu.edu/current-employees/benefits/university-and-academic-professional-benefits/. So if you’re interested in blazing trails, then you too can be UNstoppable here. 

VCU's Office of Medical Philanthropy and Alumni Relations (MPAR) brings together proficient, skilled and passionate fundraising professionals who drive mission-critical fundraising for medical-based units at VCU and VCU Health.  As a fundraising unit within the VCU Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR), the MPAR team maximizes philanthropic support by engaging stakeholders for VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, VCU Health and the VCU School of Medicine. This is an exciting opportunity to join the growing Medical Philanthropy and Alumni Relations team as we prepare for VCU’s next comprehensive campaign. 

Job Overview

MPAR is seeking an organized and collaborative Assistant Director of Development Communications to lead fundraising communications efforts. Reporting to the senior director of development communications, this position supports a variety of activities affiliated with multiple strategic engagement teams (communications, annual giving, major giving, board and hospital relations, stewardship and events.)  In particular, the position enhances VCU’s fundraising capacity by developing, conceiving, crafting and executing messaging and designs for direct response fundraising and donor relations channels including mail, email, social media and other digital opportunities. These projects support institutional priorities for alumni, grateful patients, and community stakeholder engagement and fundraising. 

In this role you will:

•  Work with the Medical Philanthropy and Alumni Relations team and VCU Development and Alumni Relations to create compelling materials for alumni, prospects and donors.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the different donor audiences that comprise Medical Philanthropy and create persuasive communications and solicitations designed to meet their specific interests and expectations. 
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of news of interest to different constituent populations and use this information to create compelling materials.
• Demonstrate mastery of best practices in annual giving copy creation and oversee graphic design to produce mail and email solicitations and donor relations stewardship communications in strategic partnership with the Primary Giving team to support fundraising priority areas and segments, including alumni and grateful patients. 
• Serve as primary copy editor and proofreader for annual giving content created by vendors and other third parties. 
• Create organic and paid social media content, including writing and design, to increase reach and impact of direct response campaigns.
• Create other digital marketing assets, including display ads, to acquire and retain donors. 
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and cross-campus staff to solicit content ideas and facilitate content approvals.
• Collaborate with MCV Foundation, DAR’s Strategic Marketing and Engagement and VCU Enterprise Marketing and Communications to complete communication projects and expand the reach of MPAR content to broader audiences.
• Attend and provide coverage of after-hours and weekend special events, as necessary.
• Collaborate with teammates to develop new communications ideas and strategies.

Required qualifications

•  Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing or related field required or equivalent knowledge and experience.
• Minimum of four years of experience in public relations, fundraising or journalism, with emphasis on higher education, academic medical center or nonprofit setting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Extensive writing and editing experience and knowledge of AP Style.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in persuasive writing and fundraising communications for social media as well as digital and print materials.
• Knowledge of graphic design principles and experience working in graphic design platforms. 
• Ability to communicate and present ideas accurately and clearly.
• Aptitude to develop and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced, performance-based professional environment with an ability to balance multiple priorities.
• Adaptable, proactive, deadline-driven, results-oriented, highly organized and detail-oriented.
• Self-starter who can succeed with general direction and exercise independent judgment.
• Trustworthiness to serve as a brand ambassador and to handle issues or escalate as appropriate.
• Ability to exercise diplomacy and sensitivity while interacting with important donors and friends of the university.
• Demonstrated experience working within content management systems.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff and student environment or commitment to do so as a university professional at VCU.

Preferred qualifications

• Advanced degree in communications, marketing or related field or equivalent knowledge and experience.
• Experience with Canva for creating communications materials.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite, Google Workspace and project management software.
• Ability to update web content in T4 CMS.
• Experience in digital marketing.
• Experience writing fundraising communications in an educational environment.
• Experience in a hospital, academic medical center or other health care setting.
• Experience in a university or nonprofit setting.
• Understanding opportunities for philanthropy and creating a culture of philanthropy.
• Strategic thinker who can enhance DAR’s presence as the communications landscape changes.

Izzy Kane
irkane@vcu.edu