Assistant Director of Annual Giving, Student-Based Outreach

Posted on 07/30/2021

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA

Job Details and Requirements: 

The Office of Annual Giving is seeking an individual to plan customized outreach to students, alumni and parents for donations to Claremont McKenna College (CMC) by managing student employees. The primary responsibilities of the Assistant Director are to (1) develop contact strategies for prospective donors using phone calls, text messaging, emails, postal mail, and other possible channels, (2) manage a team of 20+ students responsible for individual outreach, (3) lead special projects that improve contact data in CMC’s Raiser’s Edge database, and (4) guide the Student Philanthropy Council to implement a comprehensive student philanthropy program to educate studentsculminating in the annual senior class gift campaignand begin to cultivate a commitment to give back among future generations of CMC alumni. These activities aim to increase our alumni and parent donor participation.

Outreach will consist of traditional solicitation for Alumni Fund and Parent Fund gifts, follow-up for our Crown Challenge multi-year pledge donors, and renewal of our Crown Society members. Use of third-party vendors such as Vanillasoft, Pledgemine, Relay, and Venmo will be expected for successful outreach and receiving of donations. The Assistant Director will creatively expand upon the a traditional student calling program to blend a variety of messaging channels, with significant creativity, flexibility, patience, open-mindedness, and leadership required overall.

Essential Functions: 

  • Supervise 20+ student outreach representatives including the recruiting, hiring, training, and coaching of student employees.
  • Manage administrative details such as payroll, employee evaluations, professional workplace conduct, and training guides for student employees.
  • Coordinate individualized outreach strategies with the greater Annual Giving Office strategies, especially in connection with the Assistant Director focused on communications and analytics.
  • Create specific, measurable goals for student employees. Evaluate and report on progress toward goals to both student employees and the Director of Annual Giving.
  • Oversee a budget for wages and program needs. Establish weekly operating procedures that combine planned outreach for targeted focal groups with just-in-time outreach to prospective donors who engage with the College during the semester.
  • Coordinate with other departments, such as Alumni and Parent Relations, to develop strategic follow-up for event attendance and social media interaction.
  • Develop comprehensive projects to improve database contact information such as preferred email address, phone type, solicit code appropriateness, etc.
  • Collaborate with Annual Giving team members on large-scale items such as Give Days, special giving challenges, and other new initiatives as they are created.
  • As a key part of the Student Engagement Plan, guide the Student Philanthropy Council to achieve their goals include educating students on the importance of philanthropy, helping to recruit new members, on-campus event planning, stewardship of gifts, and annually, a successful senior class gift.
  • Supervise intern(s) who assist in managing and analyzing individual outreach.
  • Function as a power-user of the Raiser’s Edge database for the purposes of segmentation, reporting, individual outreach, and data maintenance.
  • Partake in end-of-calendar and end-of-fiscal year mass solicitation with team members to help reach departmental dollar and participation goals.
  • Participate in campus-wide events such as Alumni Weekend; related duties as assigned.
  • Perform other essential duties and tasks specific to the position.

Regular attendance is considered an essential job function; the inability to meet attendance requirements may preclude the employee from retaining employment.

The successful candidate will also be able to perform the following essential functions:

  • Take and follow directions.
  • Work cooperatively with others.
  • Receive and respond appropriately to constructive criticism.
  • Display a positive attitude.
  • Balance multiple tasks and priorities
  • Performs other essential duties and tasks specific to the position.

Qualification Standards: 

Education:  B.A. or B.S. degree required (undergraduate degree from a selective liberal arts institution preferred), or any combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Experience:  One to two years of direct fund-raising experience and one to two years of experience in supervising student workers preferred. Calling program experience preferred.  Knowledge of selective, private higher education landscape is preferred.

Licenses:  A valid driver’s license or equivalent means of reliable transportation to off-site meetings and events is required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Individual must possess knowledge, skills, and ability to be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the position, or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge skills and abilities.

  • One to two years of direct fund-raising experience with demonstrated ability to develop and lead others towards a common goal, or equivalent experience required.
  • One to two years of experience in supervising student workers preferred. Calling program experience preferred.
  • Excellent writing, public speaking, and expository skills required, especially in regard to philanthropy and the importance of annual fund participation.
  • Requires strong self-starter, exceptional interpersonal skills, and an ability to interface professionally with alumni, parents, administration, faculty, and students. Must have ability to work effectively with the donor community, with the academic community, and with colleagues in a cooperative environment.
  • Knowledge of selective, private higher education landscape is preferred.
  • Familiarity with advanced features of the Microsoft Office suite of products such as mail merges, pivot tables, and vlookups; ability to learn and apply new computing software applications quickly. Knowledge of Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge software or experience with similar relational database programs is preferred.
  • Requires superior organizational skills, an ability to work independently with minimal direction, and an ability to work well with others. Must be extremely detail-oriented.
  • Ability to motivate others to exceed expectations. Strong customer service background preferred.
  • Strong analytical skills required. Strategic and creative problem-solving abilities are preferred.
  • Must be able to work flexible hours, including weekends.
  • Able to deal with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality with regard to such issues.
  • Demonstrate ability to use sound judgment when responding to issues and concerns.

Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Statement                                    

In addition to its commitment to a harassment-free educational and working environment, the College is an equal employment opportunity employer. The College is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable state and federal laws on the matter. The College does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including gender, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition or medical leave, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law. The College also prohibits the harassment of any employee on any of these bases.

To apply for this job please visit theclaremontcolleges.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com.