Assistant/Associate Director of Reunion and Class Giving

Work Schedule:
Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week plus evening and weekend activities and occasional travel.

Basic Function:
Manage a variety of initiatives including providing oversight of the Annual Fund’s class fundraising volunteer programs to secure leadership level and participatory gifts, with a focus on reunion fundraising for classes celebrating Reunion 0 through 45th.

Essential Job Functions:

Alumni Volunteer Fundraising Program Management: 80%

● Administer a volunteer program to expand class giving at all participation levels. Plan, coordinate, supervise and implement the various volunteer activities to reach fundraising goals and objectives for reunion classes and ensure these committees reach their full potential.

● Create and maintain volunteer fundraising training manuals and materials in collaboration with other Annual Fund staff.

● Develop metrics to set and manage volunteer/class engagement goals for all committees; prepare and monitor reports on the progress of volunteer activities and determine whether to alter strategy based on results; and act as a champion for fundraising goals.

● In partnership with Major Gift Officers, Annual Fund and the office of Alumni and Family Engagement staff, identify, recruit and steward volunteer leaders and committee members to develop strong committees focused on fundraising. Communicate frequently to coordinate solicitations and adjust strategies for high-level donors.

● Manage Volunteer Network Fundraising (VNF), the web-based volunteer portal, to assign prospects to volunteers and track outreach activities accordingly for each class o Serve as division contact for staff training and campaign oversight for VNF

● Support all volunteers through regular contact including personal visits, e-mail, and phone.

● Work collaboratively with the Advancement Communications and Marketing team to develop marketing communications strategy for class reunions and events.

● Maintain a high level of attention to detail as it relates to managing solicitation reports shared with volunteers, the creation of written solicitation strategies with volunteers, accomplishing projects and tasks in the prescribed time frame, and keeping colleagues engaged and informed as needed concerning program strategies.

● Oversee the updating of databases to monitor, discern and track the appropriate activities with various populations — such as volunteer recruitment, committee assignments, and donors.

● Maintain a portfolio of volunteers for cultivation and solicitation in support of Advancement’s annual participation goals. Cultivate and solicit alumni via personal outreach.

Serve as Annual Fund liaison with the Office of Alumni and Family Engagement Event Planning: 15%

● Plan and implement a fall Volunteer Summit involving Denison Annual Fund volunteers, working in conjunction with the Office of Alumni and Family Engagement.

● Plan and implement an Annual Fund volunteer recognition program, including a presidential reception during Reunion Weekend, to recognize volunteers and leadership donors.

● Plan and implement class-specific engagement activities and events between reunions in conjunction with Annual Fund staff and the Office of Alumni and Family Engagement.

Other duties & expectations: 5%

● Attend and staff events including the Fall Big Red Alumni/Parent Weekend, Commencement, Reunion Weekend and Volunteer Summit.

● Collaborate with other College offices to meet Denison’s fund-raising objectives.

● Participate in professional activities (e.g., presenting at STAFF or CASE workshops and conferences) to raise Denison’s visibility in the profession and to stay current with trends in the field.

● Participate as an active member of the university community by attending regular campus meetings (e.g. General Faculty meetings) and events (First-Year Induction Ceremony, Academic Awards Convocation). Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree required. Demonstrate significant experience of at least one year in development or a related field such as Alumni Affairs, Public Affairs, Nonprofit Management or Public Relations. Detail oriented, and highly motivated. Strong organizational skills; excellent communication skills (oral and written); effectively represent Denison; demonstrated ability to work well with, lead, and train a diverse team of volunteers to reach fundraising goals, and work independently and as part of a team. Able to handle confidential material with utmost discretion. Travel required. Strong Excel skills including filtering, formulas and pivot tables.

Preferred Qualifications:
Professional or volunteer experience in higher education advancement a plus. Experience in reunion campaigns or short-cycle annual fund campaign fundraising, knowledge of the principles and practices which underlie individual giving are preferred. Knowledge of Raiser’s Edge NXT or other fundraising database management systems preferred.

Physical Demands:
Must be comfortable in an office setting, operating general office equipment, including lifting boxes up to 20lbs.

Contact:  Marie Thornhill
Contact Phone:  740-587-8062
Contact Email:  [email protected]

Special Instructions to Applicants”
Applicants must attach document with contact information for 3 professional references.

In our ongoing efforts to support the health of our community and continue to operate our campus safely, Denison requires all new employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 including a booster within the timeline guidance recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unless an Denison-authorized medical or religious exemption is approved prior to the first day of employment. For more information and resources regarding this policy as a condition of employment, please visit https://denison.edu/campus/covid19

Additional Information:

Denison University Background Check Statement
The final candidate will undergo a background check as a conditional offer of employment.

Denison University EEO Statement
To achieve our mission as a liberal arts college, we continually strive to attract and hire candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities. Denison fosters a campus community that recognizes the value of all persons regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender expression and identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socio-economic background. For additional information and resources about diversity at Denison, please see our commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and antiracism (IDEA) at https://denison.edu/campus/denison-forward.

Denison University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Applicant Documents:
Required Documents

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter/Letter of Application
3. List of 3 Professional References and Contact Information