Alumni Relations & Advancement Manager

Universities of Wisconsin•Madison, WI

5d•$75,000 - $95,000•Onsite

About The Position

The School of Pharmacy seeks a relationship-driven Alumni Relations & Advancement Manager to support the school’s Advancement Program. This role serves as a critical connector for program alumni & friends of the school who are deeply committed to the success of current students, as well as the teaching, research, and service mission of the School of Pharmacy. The manager will develop and evaluate creative, community-centered programming and robust donor stewardship practices to connect alumni across distinct career stages and professional disciplines with current students, faculty, and the campus community. This role leads in planning, implementation, marketing, and data-driven assessment of alumni engagement events and fundraising campaign strategies in collaboration with the School’s Advancement Team. The manager will coordinate campaigns and solicitations in close partnership with the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA) utilizing data and engagement trends to inform their strategic approach. Additionally, the role supports influential advisory and volunteer boards, such as the School’s Board of Visitors (BoV), and collaborates with organizations such as the Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA) Executive Board. The manager will monitor event budgets and ensure alignment with institutional policies, and optimize internal workflows by structuring meeting agendas, logging key decisions, and tracking project action items. This position ensures accurate and complete alumni database records.

Requirements

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including demonstrated ability to present information to diverse audiences
Effective interpersonal and collaboration skills
Strong organizational abilities, including experience streamlining project workflows
Experience in creating and executing creative outreach strategies
Established understanding of advancement, donor stewardship, and fundraising best practices
Ability to work independently, manage priorities, and problem-solve effectively
Proven integrity in maintaining accurate data
Technical agility and comfort navigating large databases; experience with using data analytics to evaluate engagement trends, run reports, and make strategic decisions
Bachelor's degree required

Nice To Haves

Exceptional relationship-bridging experience, including a proven ability to identify intersections across diverse stakeholder groups, connect disparate networks, and foster meaningful collaborations
Extensive experience with event planning and management
Prior professional experience within a higher education or university foundation setting, with a demonstrated understanding of how to navigate institutional structures and build relationships within a campus ecosystem
Higher degree preferred

Responsibilities

Collaborates with unit leadership to deliver directed program messaging to internal and external audiences
Evaluates advancement strategy effectiveness and provides recommendations for improvement
May exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 FTE or equivalent employees
Plans and directs staff implementation of advancement initiatives and programs in alignment with the strategic plan
May serve as the unit liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups providing organizational information on business-relations issues, opportunities, and activities and representing the interests of the unit
Identifies, promotes, and maintains external partnerships
Serves as a critical connector for program alumni & friends of the school
Develops and evaluates creative, community-centered programming and robust donor stewardship practices
Leads in planning, implementation, marketing, and data-driven assessment of alumni engagement events and fundraising campaign strategies
Coordinates campaigns and solicitations in close partnership with the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)
Supports influential advisory and volunteer boards, such as the School’s Board of Visitors (BoV)
Collaborates with organizations such as the Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA) Executive Board
Monitors event budgets and ensures alignment with institutional policies
Optimizes internal workflows by structuring meeting agendas, logging key decisions, and tracking project action items
Ensures accurate and complete alumni database records