The Director of Annual Giving is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing a strategic and comprehensive annual giving program at Michigan Tech. The Director will be working within the larger Advancement and Alumni Engagement Department, under the strategic guidance of the AVP of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving. The Director of Annual Giving will be an innovative fundraiser and skilled project manager that explores and applies creative strategies to educate alumni & friends on the joy of philanthropy, creating lifelong philanthropic habits of constituents at entry-level and mid-level giving. The Director will be focused on meeting yearly metrics in addition to strengthening the culture of philanthropy, increasing leadership-level annual donations, and growing the major donor pipeline at Michigan Tech.

The Director of Annual Giving will interact with alumni and friends of the university and will professionally represent the mission and vision of Michigan Tech. Ideal candidates will possess excellent written and oral communication skills, creativity, organization, and possess a strength in collaboration. With access to sensitive and confidential information, the incumbent displays a keen sense of accountability, sound judgment, and ethical professionalism in a deadline-driven, high-service and high-touch environment.

Responsibilities

• Under the strategic guidance of the AVP of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving, design, implement, maintain and manage all planning, execution, and evaluation of a complex annual giving program, and year-long appeals/campaigns calendar.
• Manage all components, collaborations/partners, tools, timelines, and logistics to execute multi-channel solicitations (email, mail, digital ads, crowdfunding, text, and more) for various audiences throughout the fiscal year.
• For critical segments and/or annual giving special events (i.e. reunion giving and Give Back to the Pack) provide direction and oversight for all project management and execution of these efforts including but not limited to recruiting and managing volunteers, collaboration with vendor partners, effective campus partner communication, engagement and solicitation, partnership with other members of the Advancement & Alumni Engagement department, and more.
• Serve as a point of contact for annual giving for colleagues within the larger department and other campus partners (including academic areas, athletics, auxiliary, etc).
• Regularly and clearly articulate the strategy, procedures, and process of annual giving at Michigan Tech, and manage partnerships for specific department fundraising objectives within the larger University fundraising priorities.
• Exhibit sound judgment in managing multiple requests and competing priorities and timing throughout the year.
• Utilize data-driven strategies to enhance annual giving operations, establishing and pursuing key benchmarks.
• Collaborate closely with communications staff on customizing appeals, crowdfunding projects, digital ads, and other annual giving deliverables with compelling content and imagery, ensuring all messaging aligns with University standards and priorities, and all solicitations are centered around the audience.
• Integrate solicitations and special campaigns/events within the larger alumni engagement communications and events calendar.
• Follow all University branding and style guidelines.
• Thoughtfully select channels and evaluate costs associated with delivery.
• Work closely with the Advancement Services staff, following proper data governance and procedures, to submit timely and accurate data requests for all data needs surrounding annual giving, including but not limited to: communication plans, data pulls, activity entry, appeal code creation, gift processing and more.
• Perform general administrative functions to support annual giving fundraising activities such as scheduling, planning, and coordinating meetings, solicitation proofing, segment review periods, activities, and events.
• Meet and exceed a set number of goals, including but not limited to total dollars raised and participation.
• Make donor referrals to major gift officers as appropriate.
• Partner with fellow alumni engagement and annual giving team members on key events (some fundraising focused) including but not limited to Reunion Weekend (reunion giving), Homecoming, Winter Carnival, Give Back to the Pack (24-hour giving campaign), and Commencements.
• Track, document and provide detailed reports regularly on key performance indicators and appeal performance.
• Utilize CRM to track, record, and report on annual giving campaign effectiveness and monitor progress to goals.
• Work closely with annual giving stewardship team members on thoughtful and timely stewardship for annual giving donors each year.
• Collaborate with student affairs, admissions department, career services, athletics, and other administrative or academic university units as necessary.
• Commit to continually refine and improve fundraising strategies, deepening annual giving industry and landscape knowledge, stay up to date on new regulations or considerations, and apply them to everyday work.
• Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Possess a valid driver’s license.

Required Experience

• Two to three years of progressive experience in annual giving, or equivalent experience demonstrating comparable skills and abilities around project or program management.
• CRM/Data analysis experience.
• Excellent computer skills, including competency with the Microsoft Office suite, Google Suite, Zoom (or other virtual meeting platforms), databases, complex project management software, and the other online tools.

Desirable Education and/or Experience

• Five or more years of progressive experience in annual giving – in any non-profit, education, or healthcare setting.
• Ellucian Advance CRM experience.
• Experience with Michigan Tech.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

• Willingness to fundraise directly from alumni and friends.
• Approachable, professional demeanor with the demonstrated ability to handle stressful environments during busy periods.
• Demonstrated ability to be an effective project manager that can plan, organize, and execute multiple tasks simultaneously, adapt to changing priorities, effectively move projects along, and stay on track for tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated effective use and understanding of project management and collaboration tools and software.
• Demonstrated attention to detail.
• Demonstrated exceptional interpersonal, oral, written skills with a strong customer/alumni service orientation.
• Team player with the ability to work in a cooperative/dynamic environment with multiple internal personas (e.g. with administrators, staff, faculty, and students) and external community members (e.g. business leaders, donors and volunteers).
• Demonstrated high standard of professional ethics, honesty and the ability to work with the confidential nature of donor information and university matters.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries and work harmoniously with diverse groups of volunteers, students, faculty, and staff.
• Demonstrated ability to take and apply constructive feedback, learn and apply new knowledge.
• Possess a valid driver’s license and meet Michigan Tech University’s vehicle use requirements.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

• A self-starter with strong organizational abilities, integrity and confidence.
• Knowledge of annual giving industry, principles, best practices, and fundraising in an education environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to interpret fundraising data, assess campaign effectiveness, and make data-driven decisions to optimize annual giving strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as an articulate and enthusiastic advocate for supporting the University through donations, while displaying a high degree of energy, professionalism and initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to be a strategic thinker and innovative problem solver.
• Understanding of needs and interest of alumni, prospects, donors and partners.
• Understanding of the importance of donor stewardship and alumni engagement.
• Demonstrated success in, or potential future contributions to, working with persons from diverse backgrounds, creating a sense of belonging, and fostering a fair, objective, welcoming place to work for persons with a wide variety of personal characteristics and viewpoints.
• Ability to manage complex issues creatively and effectively.
• Demonstrated strong time management skills and ability to work independently with little supervision.
• Demonstrated commitment to contribute to a safe work environment.

Work Environment and/or Physical Demands

• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close, distance and peripheral vision; depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Typical workday is 8am-5pm Monday-Friday, however staff will be asked on nights and weekends to attend events or travel, and work flexible hours as needed. Work volume tends to increase during peak campus and community celebration times including Homecoming in the fall, Commencement and Winter Carnival in the winter, Give Back to the Pack 24-hour Giving Challenge, Commencement in the spring, and Reunion in the summer.