Overview

The Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Officer is a key member of the University of Minnesota Law School’s Office of Advancement team, and is responsible for strategic alumni engagement and giving programs.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to develop and maintain relationships with alumni, students, faculty, and administrative staff, and manage projects and/or programs successful completion. They will have robust writing and communications skills, strong attention to detail, and exhibit an interest in alumni and student engagement, building a culture of philanthropy, and developing events and communications to engage and educate the Law School community.

The position reports to the Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. The position includes travel, mostly within the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota, but there may be periodic national travel opportunities. It also includes occasional evening and weekend activities throughout the year.

Responsibilities

Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Programs

Create and implement alumni and student engagement and annual giving strategies and tactics focused on growth and sustainability. Utilize a diverse range of communications to promote and connect with alumni, students, donors, and friends: onsite, direct mail, email, digital channels. Programs and activities include:

• Alumni and Student Engagement (45%)
  • Alumni Engagement: Serve as the front line contact for the general alumni community. Collaborate with and support volunteers and colleagues (including, but not limited to Admissions, Career Center, Communications, and Student Services) to create and maintain pathways for alumni to provide professional expertise and volunteer service to the school.
  • Student engagement: Partner with other administrative units and student groups to create and manage Alumni Relations Office presence in Law School student events and activities, including new student orientation, graduating class party committee, TORT (Theater of the Relatively Talentless) committee, and student-run journals. Assess current programs, recommend changes, and develop new program areas as needed to achieve goals (e.g. events, volunteer programs, communications, collaboration with Law Council and student organizations etc.)
  • Events: Responsible for key annual events including Fall Social, Welcome to the Bar, CLEs for alumni, and additional regional events around the country as assigned by the Director.
  • Regional Ambassadors: Partner with the Director on engaging and supporting the Law School’s network of Regional Alumni Ambassadors across the country. Staff local and regional events as needed.
  • Student and Alumni Engagement Committee: Staff liaison for this committee of the Law School’s Board of Advisors that includes both board members, non-board member alumni, students and staff. Work with committee chairs to set goals, lead meetings, and manage execution of plans.
  • Other Affinity Groups: Partnering with the Director to identify, develop, and implement strategies to engage specific alumni and/or affinity groups.
• Annual Giving (45%)
  • Partners at Work: Manage and enhance the school’s Partners at Work program that engages alumni at participating firms to support their alma mater through philanthropy. Each firm has one or more Partners at Work agents. Create tools and resources for Partners at Work agents, including communications, competitive challenges around participation and dollars, and other support necessary to ensure success and to grow the program.
  • Spring Alumni Reunion: Manage one to two milestone reunion committees. Recruit, support and steward committee volunteers; help set dollar, participation and attendance goals; produce communications for the committee and the full class, and staff reunion events.
  • GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade): Collaborate with Annual Giving team on engagement, communication, and solicitation strategies to grow young alumni giving program.
  • Portfolio: Develop and manage a small portfolio of annual giving prospects; cultivate relationships with alumni and assigned annual giving prospects and donors. Personally solicit annual gifts for the Law School from current donors and prospects.
• Alumni Communications & Information Management (5%)
  • Create and develop original content for alumni magazine, website, and other communications vehicles and help with other communications materials as necessary
  • Use SalesForce (mass email system), and/or work with program assistants, to create electronic communications for programs and events.
  • Review key web pages regularly and provide updates to IT staff and/or recommend additions and changes to ensure cohesive communications with existing events and activities.
  • Provide regular progress reports on activities and programs and file thorough contact reports in Donor Management System (DMS) in a timely manner.
• Other Duties (5%) As an integral part of the Office of Advancement team, assist as needed in other core program areas, including managing additional volunteer committees, assisting with and attending donor and alumni events, and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required:

• BA/BS degree and three years of experience in areas such as fundraising, annual giving, communications, alumni relations, event management, stewardship, or related experience in marketing, sales, or public relations;
• Demonstrated success in managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines in a fastpaced environment with a positive attitude and commitment to collaboration;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong interpersonal skills;
• Proficient in the use of PC software, such as Microsoft Office; experience working with databases and related technologies;
• Robust attention to detail;
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends, and participate in local and national travel;
• Ability to work well independently and as part of a team;
• Values and actively promotes diversity.

Preferred Experience:

• Alumni and/or community engagement;
• Program/project planning, execution, evaluation, and reporting;
• Recruiting and managing volunteers;
• Event management;
• Knowledge of fundraising and/or solicitation management;
• Comfort working in a large, complex university setting;
• Sense of humor and positive outlook