Job Summary:

The Senior Associate Director, Annual Giving responsibilities include planning, implementing and managing Northwestern Prtizker School of Law’s annual giving program. Major program responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: phonathon, direct mail, Firm & Corporate Representative Program, John Henry Wigmore Club, Reunion Class Gift Campaigns, Graduating Class Gift Campaigns, the Law School Fund Board and working with the Major Gifts team to develop annual giving prospects into major gifts prospects.

Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

• Develops and executes a yearly strategic plan focused on annual giving solicitations from alumni, friends, and faculty. Manages a targeted approach for direct mail and phonathon programs to include identification through data collection of target constituent segments, working with direct mail vendors, maintaining/tracking program statistics, and writing solicitation pieces for five annual mailings, writing and overseeing reunion appeals, and caller scripts for students and volunteers. Collaborates with law Major gifts team and OARD major gifts team on all managed prospects to customize direct mail and annual giving solicitations. Collaborate with the Alumni Relations team on Reunion, Clubs and other initiatives to increase alumni engagement and leverage A/R activities to drive annual giving. Collaborates with the Office of Marketing and Communication to develop support/marketing materials for materials, which market the Law School Fund.

Prospects & Gifts

• Cultivates new and lapsed donors through personal visits and works with directors of development to set LSF asks for all major gift prospects and collaborates with DODs prior to visits to develop appropriate LSF strategies to increase the prospects annual gift.

Volunteers

• Assists with management of the Law School Fund Board (LSFB), a 25-member volunteer board of alumni who assist the Law School in its unrestricted fundraising efforts. The Senior Associate Director of Annual Giving recruits, trains and motivates the LSFB Chair and members, designs and manages volunteer assignments, provides quarterly updates for board members, and oversees preparation of extensive analytical reports for four meetings throughout the year.

Administration

• Coordination of the John Henry Wigmore Club to include:
  • Traditional and electronic communication with Wigmore Club members.
  • Working in collaboration with the Marketing & Communications staff to create Wigmore Club marketing materials.
  • Organize and participate in 2-3 annual staff efforts to contact (e-mail/phone) Wigmore donors to increase retention
  • Work with Law Board and other alumni on high-level peer-to-peer Annual Fund asks.
  • Work with Stewardship to develop recognition and retention strategies for high-end annual fund donors
  • Serve as class manager for at least one Reunion class, recruiting and training committee chairs and committee members, conducting conference calls, assisting in Reunion event planning and
  • coordinating peer-to-peer solicitation for Reunion gifts.
  • Conduct ongoing data analysis associated with annual giving for the Law School and past giving trends to provide the Associate Dean with program results reporting and plans for the future.
  • Train staff on analytical tools and equip them to develop metrics for goal setting and assessment.

Supervisory

• Supervises two Assistant Directors of Annual Giving and one Associate Director and provides oversight of and training for the Leadership Annual Giving program, in which 200+ annual giving prospects are visited and solicited for Wigmore level gifts by Annual Giving staff each year, the Firm & Corporate Representative Program comprised of 70 law firms in and outside of the Chicago area, comprehensive Reunion Class Gift Campaigns for 11 classes each year, the annual Graduating Class Gift Campaigns, and supervises one Program Assistant who is responsible for data management and reporting, facilitating logistics for meetings and events, stationary inventory and coordinating web site updates. Conduct quarterly performance evaluations and implement best practices for staff retention and development.
• Accepts other duties as assigned by the Senior Director including but not limited to:
  • Working with Bluhm Legal Clinic DOD to coordinate fundraising appeals, and provide training and assistance in annual giving strategy and analysis.
  • Develop and maintain relationships with the central Office of Alumni Relations and Development in Evanston to share best practices and represent the Law School’s interests and perspectives through formal committee involvement and informal collaboration.

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 6 years development, marketing, sales or the equivalent experience is required.

Minimum Competencies:

• Team leadership; curiosity and analytical thinking, global/organizational perspective; complex problem solving; ability to work in fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Three to five years of successful fundraising experience; annual giving experience.
• Three years management and supervisory experience.
• Previous experience with Development in a university setting.
• Previous experience with accounting/financial management.
• Previous experience with statistical analysis.
• Customer service experience.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple assignments and deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Courteous manner in dealing with the public.

As per Northwestern University policy, this position requires a criminal background check. Successful applicants will need to submit to a criminal background check prior to employment.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.