Job Description

Virginia Tech is looking for an Associate Director of Annual Giving, Marketing to lead and execute a best-in-class annual giving direct marketing program to increase revenue and alumni giving participation from 15% to 22% by 2022. The Associate Director will manage a team of four direct reports and collaborate with fundraising channel experts who are part of a transparent, innovative, high performing, and close knit team culture.

This role is a leader at Virginia Tech who will help tackle one of the biggest challenges in higher education fundraising today: increasing alumni participation while also growing revenue. The Associate Director is the key operational and strategic partner reporting to the Director of Annual Giving. This role will have wide creative and tactical freedom to build omni channel fundraising campaigns through new and traditional media. The Associate Directors leads the annual giving direct marketing team which will build and manage integrated fundraising marketing campaigns, determine a goal achieving segmentation strategy, optimize channel performance, and report results to leadership.

The Associate Director may participate in personalized fundraising outreach as a part of donor retention tactics.The Associate Director is a pivotal collaborator and self-starter who will be responsible for driving Advancement and other campus partners supporting integrated annual giving marketing efforts and build a pipeline of private support for the university, colleges, and other key programs. This role is at the center of annual giving and should be a solutions oriented thought leader ready to help shape a successful strategy of the future here at Virginia Tech and Advancement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and progressive fundraising or marketing experience.
• Experience developing and prioritizing multifaceted, innovative direct marketing fundraising strategies to drive results.
• Track record of successfully managing omni channel fundraising or marketing campaigns at a company, agency, higher education institution, or nonprofit organization.
• Analytical, data driven curiosity with an inclination to understand fundraising segmentation needs and translate insights into concrete annual giving or marketing campaigns.
• Successful experience leading and building cross functional teams with a knack for managing.
• Ability to collaborate and respond to diverging perspectives in a professional and courteous manner.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing and implementing direct mail marketing within a large company, organization, higher education, or nonprofit strongly preferred.
• Background in sales, customer service, call centers, telemarketing, or familiarity with phone marketing.
• Understanding of project management fundamentals and ability to bring campaigns from ideation to execution.
• Knowledge of digital marketing or fundraising practices across email, paid search, SMS, crowdfunding, giving day, display and social media.
• Successful experience working in a complex matrix structure and building teams with a focus on rapid execution.
• Enjoys fast paced work environment and applying new fundraising marketing trends or tactics.
• Advanced degree in business, communications, marketing, nonprofit leadership, public administration, or comparable field.
• Preference given to candidates who demonstrate ability to communicate persuasively about the importance of private gift fundraising.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.