Position Summary: 

The Director for Direct Mail and Phonathon oversees the day-to-day management of the planning and implementation of all direct mail solicitations aligning with the overarching divisional goal of growing and maintaining the donor base for UConn. The director will serve as the liaison to Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL), UConn’s call center vendor, coordinating all efforts for phone and text. The director will partner with Development, Communications, and the University’s key stakeholders to optimize fundraising success and increase engagement in annual giving efforts.

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Serve as the project manager and liaison between foundation development officers and campus units for all annual giving direct mail and email appeals.
• Create calendar and implement marketing timelines for all direct mail appeals, work with Design and Editorial on digital assets needed.
• Partner with Business Intelligence (BI) to set audience segment strategy, pull lists and generate queries.
• Partner with development officers, units, and communications to finalize and proof all materials.
• Track and monitor progress for edits, report results to units on a quarterly basis.
• Provide oversight for Phonathon operations and strategy.
• Create scripts for callers and coordinate visits of senior leadership and other campus partners (President/Provost/Deans).
• Provide prospect leads from Phonathon to Director of Leadership Giving for future cultivation and solicitation efforts.
• Work with Digital Marketing to provide updates to website, schedule solicitation emails and leverage social media.
• Provide support for UConn Gives (annual giving day program) and other “giving day” opportunities.
• Maintain vendor relationships with regional print houses, review service agreements and contracts.
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies: 

• Excellent project management skills and the ability to foster productive relationships both internally, across departments, and externally, with vendors
• Knowledge of and experience in print mail and solicitation campaigns
• Excellent proofreading and editing skills, with an eye for detail
• Strong analytical ability—you should enjoy crunching numbers and creating campaigns that are data-driven
• Adept in CRM platforms, ideally Blackbaud CRM or similar tools, as well as working knowledge of the Adobe Suite
• Knowledge of non-profit fundraising is helpful

Experience and Skills: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in business, marketing, or communications
• Minimum five years experience in print mail, point-of-sale, and/or other direct marketing campaigns
• Solid knowledge of and experience in the print production process
• Experience in sales, marketing, or nonprofit fundraising