Assistant Director, Reunion and Volunteer Giving

Rice University•Houston, TX

35d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Assistant Director, Reunion and Volunteer Giving is a member of Rice University’s Annual Giving class and program management team and will be responsible for developing strategy and tactics to increase participation among key Rice constituencies, including, but not limited to, undergraduate alumni, graduate-level alumni, students, parents, faculty/staff, donors and volunteers, with a focus on increasing annual giving total dollars raised. The Assistant Director will develop and implement one or more strategic program plans as part of the comprehensive annual plan and will also manage the fundraising efforts for a program and/or a portfolio of classes that may also work through a five-year reunion cycle. The Assistant Director will engage with, and personally solicit, high profile donors and volunteers within an actively managed portfolio to achieve the ambitious annual giving goals in a given fiscal year. The ideal candidate will have experience soliciting leadership-level gifts, managing volunteers and projects, and facilitating peer-to-peer solicitation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree
One or more (1+) year of related experience in fundraising, program or project coordination, volunteer management, and/or related experience (experience may be gained while a student)
Ability to learn new strategies
Written and verbal communication skills
Data analysis skills
Ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple projects simultaneously
Good organizational and time management skills
Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules
Attention to detail and ability to quickly understand and remember details about alumni/donors and projects to which they are assigned
Experience with direct mail, telemarketing, and/or database marketing
Must possess (or have the ability to obtain one within 30 days of hire) and maintain a valid Texas driver’s license with no more than three moving violations and/or at fault accidents within the past 36 months, and no convictions or deferred dispositions for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving Under the Influence (DUI) within the past five years.

Nice To Haves

Two or more years of experience in annual giving, preferably at an institution of higher education
Experience working with volunteers to achieve goals set for time-based campaigns
Experience making face-to-face solicitations, especially at a leadership giving level ($2,500 and above)
Experience in manipulating database information
Experience with peer-to-peer fundraising software
Experience using generative or predictive artificial intelligence to develop fundraising strategies
Ability to think strategically and to prioritize as well as to create and/or follow processes
Personal initiative, curiosity to learn and flexibility to adjust one’s schedule to accomplish important tasks
Demonstrated desire to help grow a strong program into an even stronger one
Knowledge of fundraising database software concepts
Familiarity with fundraising in a higher education environment

Responsibilities

Provides recommendations for the design of appeal materials developed by the marketing team
Tracks and analyzes results of development activities, to determine the effectiveness of outreach efforts
Makes recommendations to manager for more effective solicitation appeals
Works with a portfolio of assigned prospects to prioritize solicitation based on data analysis, prepare background information, and, as appropriate, engage with volunteers to further solicitation priorities
Monitors, analyzes, and reports on overall results to internal and external constituencies, as needed
Performs all other duties as assigned