Associate Director, Alumni Engagement & Donor

UNIVERSITY OF AZ FOUNDATION•Tucson, AZ

11h

About The Position

The Associate Director of Alumni Engagement and Donor Relations serves as the primary liaison between the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA) and its alumni, donors, and industry partners. This role is responsible for developing and executing strategic engagement initiatives that strengthen alumni relationships, support donor cultivation and stewardship, and enhance the college’s visibility and advancement goals. The position collaborates closely with the University of Arizona Foundation, CAPLA leadership, and university-wide engagement and development teams. The associate director will report to the Director of Campus Partnerships and will work collaboratively with the university’s campus-wide academic and administrative units to facilitate alumni connections with students and other alumni that support career exploration and mentoring and to curate and share career development resources. This position is a member of the Philanthropy Alumni & Engagement Program (PAE) and subject to joint management by CAPLA and the University of Arizona Foundation as specified in the Amended and Restated Development Services and Asset Management Agreement dated July 2, 2021.

Requirements

Commitment to working in a collaborative team environment with shared goals.
Ability to work efficiently with a wide variety of individuals, including donors, PAE colleagues, deans, faculty and staff.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and written.
Demonstrated commitment to exceptional customer service with the ability to translate the PAE guiding principles of donor-centricity and collaboration into work practices.
Ability to recognize and handle highly confidential and sensitive information in a discrete and professional manner.
Work with excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Be able to work independently with the ability to prioritize multiple projects and meet strict deadlines for deliverables.
Ability to anticipate and discern work priorities and meet deadlines with little supervision.
Adept at problem-solving and using judgment in situations requiring initiative, tact, and confidentiality.
An exceptional work ethic and track record of personal initiative required.
Openness to new ideas and personal flexibility with the ability to adapt and succeed in a multi-task, fast-paced environment with changing processes and occasional ambiguity.
Ability to inspire cooperation and participation.
Proficiency in the use of personal computers and Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
Proficiency or ability to learn additional software required to perform the essential duties of the position.
Bachelor’s degree AND 3-5(three to five) years of experience in nonprofit fundraising or higher education environment.
Ability to drive/attend meetings throughout Arizona and travel by commercial airline outside of Arizona, as needed.
Any equivalent combination of experience, training and/or education approved by Human Resources.

Responsibilities

Supports the college as the point of contact for alumni and donors.
Coordinates and liaise with Annual Giving for Dean’s appeal, Giving Day, holiday card appeal, and other annual giving messaging and execution.
Coordinates with central alumni engagement for annual events, awards, and general engagement (Alumni of the Year, Homecoming, wildcat mentorship society, bear down network, etc.).
Coordinates with CAPLA Marketing and Communications, for content development and execution of quarterly newsletter, regular social media content, CAPLA annual report, one-off messaging for programs, professional program engagement, and other college announcements.
Manages and facilitates planning and execution of professional and alumni networking engagements/events (ie: AIA, ULI, ASLA, etc.).
Attends professional conferences to network and seek new relationships and opportunities with industry market for job fair, internship, externship, mentorship, etc.
Identifies and supports the telling of alumni achievements through newsletter acknowledgments, LinkedIn, or other college social media.
Manages and facilitates alumni relationships with Dean, directors, and faculty through meetings and event coordination.
Coordinates meetings for virtual introductions and phone meetings with alumni.
Develops college, school, and program level engagement strategies to best support and cultivate opportunities to engage alumni strategically and effectively.
Provides engagement strategies and context to Deans and Directors for university leadership and accreditation reviews.
Liaises between the college, programs and deans with the UA Foundation on best practices, updates, and development strategies.
Liaises between Major Gift Officers, Discovery Giving Officers, Foundation Relations, and Planned Giving with CAPLA based alumni and other opportunities.
Provides college priorities, needs, and cultivation engagement opportunities to UA Foundation Partners.
Support pipeline development, through suspect qualifications and addressing strategies to engage with prospects.
Supports the cultivation of major gift prospects through planned opportunities and coordinated meetings with college partners, prospective donors and DO’s.
Provides the Dean with prospective alumni to engage with through travel, events, and other in-person engagements.
Coordinates meetings with college leadership, prospective alumni donors and foundation support.
Manages relationships for the Deans, Directors, and Faculty, in efforts to seek future opportunities.
Manages stewardship of scholarship and college/program endowments.
Develops and partners with DO’s on proposals and impact summaries.
Develops cases for support for future opportunities with CAPLA Marketing and Communications team.
Manages and supports college stewardship of industry partners and other constituent relationships.
Sits on the Dean’s Operations Team, provides advisement, updates and feedback on alumni and donor related topics.
Meets with industry affiliated leadership (AIA, ABA, ASLA, etc.) to cultivate relations between college, alumni and professions.
Strategizes on efficient management of college relationships, stewardship, events and strategic engagements.
Research of alumni, college history, program/curriculum level opportunities, and industry opportunities and provides insight to Dean, Directors, and DO’s working with alumni prospects.
Provides updates to lynx on engagement interactions or to plans.
Liaises with College’s Assistant Dean - Business Office, and UA Foundation General Counsel to support updates, requests and other needs as it relates to endowments and fund accounts, for better stewardship of college support.
Participate as a member of the Dean’s Operations Team, providing updates, insights, and recommendations on alumni and donor-related initiatives.
Build and maintain relationships with industry organizations to strengthen ties between the college, alumni, and professional communities.
Conduct research on alumni, college history, academic programs, and industry trends to inform engagement strategies and leadership decision-making.
Strategize and implement efficient systems for managing college relationships, events, and strategic engagements.