The Director of Annual Giving leads and manages the UCM Alumni Foundation annual giving and donor relations team. This position strategically plans and implements effective charitable giving solicitations, as well as creates and implements integral aspects of the donor experience, with primary responsibility for securing gifts to the unrestricted Central Annual Fund. 

This position will manage an assigned portfolio of approximately 100-120 leadership annual giving prospects and donors ($1,000 – $25,000) to qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward to increase membership in the leadership annual giving society and assist with donor pipeline development. 

This hybrid position blends the benefits of in-office collaboration with the flexibility of remote work, allowing for a balanced and dynamic work experience.

Examples of Duties

-25%

• Develop and implement the Annual Giving program annual plan. Set goals for all UCM annual giving solicitations via in-person and video conference visits, telephone calls, direct-mail appeals, e-solicitations, and online giving initiatives (such as giving days and crowd funding efforts). In coordination with the Annual Giving Coordinator, identify strategies to meet each goal.
• Develop and manage a detailed calendar and budget to carry out the annual plan for annual giving and stewardship operations.
• Develop an inspiring case for annual support; use this core message consistently in all annual giving communications.
• Develop and implement strategies to acquire support from new donors.
• Seek to renew and increase the giving of past donors.
• Hire and collaborate with companies that provide annual giving services (e.g., online giving platforms and matching gift software).
• Collaborate with the Office of Integrated Marketing and Communications to determine integrated media strategies to promote the Central Annual Fund (e.g., website, e­ communications, videos, social media, publications, direct mail, etc.).
• Keep the Advancement team regularly informed about annual giving solicitation projects and activities, fundraising statistics, and progress on implementing the annual giving program plan.

-50%

• Represent the University of Central Missouri in visits with alumni and other supporters of UCM. Develop and maintain relationships with donors and prospects; present the case for support; be donor-centered, listen well, and learn about their personal and philanthropic interests and goals; align the donor’s interests with the fundraising
  priorities of the University.
• Personally qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward leadership annual giving prospects and donors ($1,000 – $25,000) to increase membership in the leadership annual giving society and assist with donor pipeline development.
• Manage a prospect portfolio of approximately 100-120 contacts. For each assigned contact, develop, write, and implement a solicitation strategy including planned actions, due dates, gift ask amount, fund/purpose, etc.; enter and update the solicitation strategy in the donor records system.
• Travel at least 35% time to meet face to face with prospects.
• Provide exceptional customer service to external and internal constituents in the spirit of helping UCM build and maintain a donor-centered culture.
• Oversee the leadership annual giving society (1871 Society) through marketing and promotion to prospective members, as well as stewardship of existing members; Serve as the primary staff contact for the 1871 Society and collaborate with directors of development to facilitate meaningful programming.

-25%

• Hire, train, supervise, and evaluate the Annual Giving Coordinator and Donor Relations Coordinator positions and student employees.
• Attend and participate in University Advancement staff meetings.
• Actively utilize all applicable alumni and donor records systems.
• Be familiar with current best practices in annual giving that are being successfully implemented at universities similar to UCM.
• Inform the VP/Executive Director and other Directors of Development of donors and “discovery” prospects who have wealth capacity to make principal gifts, major gifts, and planned gifts.
• Recruit, train, and manage volunteers who assist in the areas of annual giving and/ or donor relations.
• Carry out other duties and projects as assigned.

Typical Qualifications
Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in any field required.
• Master’s degree in any field preferred. 

Experience:

• Three (3) years of successful experience in development/fundraising, sales, public relations, communications, management etc. required.
• Experience in higher education fundraising preferred. 

Supplemental Information

Special Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge

• Attention to detail
• Budget-related skills
• Communication skills, including oral, written, and/or nonverbal
• Knowledge of a University environment preferred
• Human Relations/Interpersonal skills
• Leadership skills: organization/meeting facilitation/project leadership
• Supervisory skills, including motivation, delegation of duties, evaluation
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and meet deadlines
• Mental skills, including concentration, memory, complex decision making, analytical thinking, and/or conceptual thinking.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently.
• Demonstrated high level customer/client service and response.
• Forward looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
• Professional, tactful and diplomatic.
• Maintain confidentiality

Special Instructions:

Full-time benefits-eligible position: Benefits include competitive salary; health, dental, vision, life insurance, AD & D, long-term disability; 3 weeks paid vacation per year; 3 weeks of accrued sick leave per year; 13 paid holidays; retirement; and generous education assistance for an employee, spouse and dependent children taking classes at UCM.

Part-time benefits-eligible positions: Benefits include generous education assistance for the employee.

Temporary, adjunct, student employment, or graduate assistant positions: Benefits are not included.

Completed UCM online application for employment required. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

A review will begin immediately and continue until filled unless indicated otherwise.

NOTE: A background check is required for the selected candidate of all staff, faculty, adjunct, and temporary positions and any job offer is contingent on the results of this check. Student employees and graduate assistants do not require a background check to be conducted prior to employment.

The University of Central Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer and specifically invites applications from women, minorities, veteran status, and people with disabilities.