Director of Class Philanthropy and Engagement

Colby College•Colby, KS

11d•$94,000 - $125,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Class Philanthropy and Engagement leads Colby’s class-based fundraising and engagement strategy, using reunions, volunteer leadership, and lifelong alumni connections to increase philanthropic participation, current-use support, and the pipeline for leadership and major giving. The director leads the Class Philanthropy and Engagement team and works in close partnership with colleagues across College Advancement to align class-based strategies with broader fundraising and engagement priorities and drive results for increased support across class and reunion fundraising. The director oversees reunion philanthropy and will lead the 25th and 50th Reunion program; develops and supports volunteer-led engagement and fundraising strategies; and manages a portfolio of alumni prospects with responsibility for qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The director is both a fundraising leader and people manager, responsible for translating institutional priorities into coordinated strategies that deepen alumni relationships with Colby and inspire increasing levels of philanthropic support.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience
At least 5 years of fundraising experience in a college, university, or similar setting, with demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors and achieving fundraising goals
Demonstrated experience supervising and developing staff, working effectively with volunteers, managing complex relationships, and collaborating across teams to advance shared goals
Demonstrated ability to think and plan long-term while successfully attending to more immediate goals and tasks; strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including superb relationship skills and ability to work with people across a wide range of levels of power and influence
Able to meet multiple simultaneous deadlines in a timely manner with an attention to detail
Understanding of moves management, annual giving, and donor pipeline development, with the ability to develop strategies that move donors toward deeper engagement and philanthropic support
Proficiency with fundraising/alumni relations databases and technology
Willingness to work occasional hours outside the normal working day, including nights and weekends, and to travel occasionally as needed
Valid driver’s license required and must meet the College’s Fleet Safety Policy requirements
Appreciation of Colby’s mission and the ability to effectively communicate it
Strong, self-motivated work ethic; flexibility; and proven capability to work both independently and collaboratively and constructively as a member of a diverse community
An entrepreneurial spirit and a positive attitude

Responsibilities

Lead and implement the overall strategy, volunteer opportunities, communications, and execution of reunion and class philanthropy to drive record-breaking alumni participation, maximize philanthropy of Colby alumni, and increase overall engagement.
Develop and execute class and reunion fundraising strategies in support of annual revenue, participation, retention, upgrade, and pipeline development goals.
Lead the efforts for the milestone 25th and 50th reunion fundraising programs, including recruiting and building reunion committees through class-specific mass communications, and support personalized recruitment by the classes' chairs and reunion committee members.
Collaborate with Advancement fundraisers to establish target asks for top prospects in reunion and non-reunion classes and drive strategies to achieve aspirational goals for class fundraising results.
Establish measurable fundraising goals for class and reunion programs and use results to evaluate performance and inform future strategy.
Manage a pool of alumni prospects with the capacity to make gifts of $2,500-$100,000; develop and execute a comprehensive moves management strategy for prospects through the processes of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Build relationships with alumni and personally cultivate, solicit, and steward donors in support of individual, class, and institutional annual fundraising goals.
Engage and support team members with class volunteer recruitment seeking to increase the number of volunteers and setting giving as an expectation for volunteers; support class agents once recruited, prepare and convene reunion committee interactions to keep the committees informed and active in fundraising and engagement, and facilitate ongoing communication between class chairs, committees, and various Advancement staff.
Establish class giving and engagement goals in collaboration with Annual Giving and Advancement leadership and volunteers.
Develop Top Potential Prospect lists and coordinate and drive strategies with frontline fundraising staff.
Develop volunteer opportunities and peer-to-peer strategies that strengthen alumni engagement, increase philanthropic participation, and support annual fundraising priorities.
Provide strategic direction, coaching, and accountability for the Class Philanthropy and Engagement team, aligning individual and team priorities with Colby Advancement’s goals.
Partner with the Executive Director of Annual Giving and colleagues across Advancement to develop integrated fundraising strategies that coordinate class and reunion fundraising strategies with broad-based solicitation, leadership annual giving, donor acquisition and retention, and the pipeline for major giving to provide a cohesive experience for Colby alumni.
Collaborate with communications, events, gift planning, and leadership gifts teams to develop giving solicitation priorities and strategies.
Build strong personal relationships with alumni and key faculty and staff partners to identify volunteer and giving opportunities.
Use alumni engagement data to inform programming strategy and measure impact.
Manage budgets for programming activities as assigned; prepare related budget reports when needed.
Perform additional duties as assigned; duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.