Director for Annual Philanthropy

University of Washington Medical Center • Seattle, WA

2d • $105,000 - $112,116 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director for Annual Philanthropy provides strategic leadership for the University of Washington’s annual giving program and oversees direct mail and digital fundraising initiatives. The role cultivates a culture of giving among alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends, and directs the design, implementation and evaluation of initiatives that build long-term philanthropic support for the University. Responsibilities include managing multi-channel direct marketing to acquire, retain and grow annual donors, increase support and retention, and develop the donor pipeline. The Director analyzes data trends to inform annual giving strategy and fundraising plans.

Reporting to the Executive Director for Annual Philanthropy, the Director leads the Digital & Direct team and partners with University Marketing & Communications, Information Management, Advancement Analytics and fundraising colleagues across the University. The position manages the University’s annual Husky Giving Day, the annual giving marketing budget, campaign data and reporting, and collaboration with institutional partners. This is a full-time, regular position with a hybrid schedule: two days in the office and three days eligible for telework each week.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and four years of experience in annual giving or a related field; equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications unless legal requirements apply.
• Ability to work occasional evenings or weekends based on business needs.
• Access to reliable transportation for local travel and willingness to travel when necessary.

Nice To Haves

• Experience managing and developing staff and/or teams.
• Experience as an annual giving professional managing complex campaigns to drive results and meet the expectations of a large institution.
• Ability to work in a data-rich environment and make decisions based on analysis, testing and iterative process improvement.
• Proven ability to manage multiple large-scale projects, conduct long-term planning and unify efforts across multiple teams.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, high initiative and flexibility, and ability to work with different people and functional areas.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite for correspondence, special reports, spreadsheets, databases and forms.
• Knowledge of the integrated advancement model and alumni relations, development and advancement principles.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Annual Philanthropy’s Digital & Direct team through strategic direction, coaching, performance management and professional development.
• Partner with the Executive Director to provide leadership, planning and decision-making for the overall Annual Philanthropy program.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, high-performing team culture that supports employee engagement, career growth and accountability.
• Oversee day-to-day operations, execution and continuous improvement of digital and direct mail fundraising programs.
• Develop strategies for donor segments to retain long-term donors and acquire new donors.
• Develop and implement the University’s integrated, multi-channel annual giving plan, emphasizing innovative approaches.
• Partner with University Marketing & Communications to coordinate direct marketing and digital channel activities efficiently and with measurable outcomes.
• Manage the University’s annual Husky Giving Day with University Marketing & Communications and other partners.
• Manage the annual giving marketing budget to maximize efficiency and ensure projects are on time and on budget.
• Partner with Information Management colleagues to extract, prepare, analyze and manage data for segmented annual giving campaigns; ensure data integrity and accurate identification of solicitable alumni; and collaborate on annual giving metrics, statistics and reports.
• Liaise with University colleagues to drive annual giving strategy, set goals, and determine messaging and fundraising strategies.
• Collaborate with University Marketing & Communications, Donor Relations, Alumni & Stakeholder Engagement and unit-based fundraising teams to build support and maximize annual giving.
• Partner with Advancement Analytics colleagues on data-driven approaches to segmentation, testing, and the use of descriptive and predictive models to improve direct marketing across channels.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• The University describes its employee benefits as outstanding; position-specific benefits information is available through the University’s benefits website.
• Opportunities for professional growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director