Senior Director of Direct Marketing and Participation - University Advancement

Washington University in St Louis•Clayton, MO

46d•Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the Executive Director Annual Giving Programs, the Senior Director of Direct Marketing and Participation is a forward-thinking, highly innovative partner who leads a team of professionals to develop and execute sophisticated multi-channel, university-wide, direct marketing fundraising strategies. This role creates, oversees, and drives the strategy to increase and diversify the number of donors and philanthropic dollars to WashU, with an emphasis on support of the annual fund. The ideal candidate is a data-driven, strategic thinker with a passion for leveraging modern fundraising and annual giving marketing practices in support of higher education. This person is a collaborative team player and will have experience in direct marketing, emerging fundraising technologies, and staff management.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
Relevant Experience (6 Years)
Analytical Acumen
Analyze Information
Communication
Confidentiality
Contract Development
Creativity
Deadline Management
Decision Making
Detail-Oriented
Diplomatic Approach
Donor Communications
Donor Engagement
Interpersonal Communication
Multitasking
Proactive Thinking
Professional Integrity
Program Implementation
Project Management
Project Management Software (PMS)
Relationship Building
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Social Influence
Sound Judgment
Supervisory Management
Workload Prioritization

Nice To Haves

Ability and flexibility to work outside of the normal workday/office hours including evenings and weekends.
Experience within a complex university setting or national nonprofit organization.
Annual giving experience at an institution of higher education.
Experience working with high-level volunteer leadership.
Experience creating and implementing complex, multi-channel fundraising marketing campaigns.
Knowledge of VanillaSoft.
Knowledge of ClickUp.
Understanding of the high-level relationship-building and strategies involved in securing complex gifts.
Ability to set priorities and successfully manage multiple projects and competing deadlines.
Master's degree

Responsibilities

Develop a strategic plan to segment and solicit alumni, parents, and friends to increase donors to the Annual Fund and the university. This includes strategic analysis of past performance of appeals and solicitation methods, acquisition rates, retention rates, and industry trends.
Closely monitor return on investment and make data-based decisions to guide future fundraising strategies.
Report on overall results to internal and external constituencies, as needed.
Develop key strategies for retention, acquisition, and stewardship of donors to the Annual Fund based on affiliation, class year, and interest.
Serve as the final approver on all direct marketing materials and confirm that recommended messages and graphics align with the strategies for each appeal.
Verify that all WashU audiences are appropriately included in the direct marketing schedule.
Collaborate closely with key departments in University Advancement including by not limited to Advancement Communications, Analytics, Data and Reporting, Advancement Systems, and Donor Relations, on fundraising projects and campaigns including but not limited to WashU Giving Day, Loyalty Society, Engagement Center, License Plate Program, Matching Gift Program and emerging technologies.
Work closely with other colleagues in University Advancement to align program goals with the overall philanthropic goals of the university.
Oversee the technology used to support direct marketing efforts for all university constituents including engagement center system/vendor, and the data analytics system/vendor.
Assist with the development of websites, including online gift forms.
Manage data as it relates to direct marketing, including responsibility for data hygiene, segmentation, and other issues related to ensuring accurate and useful data for direct marketing including editing and proofreading publication content.
Manage a team of six responsible for the WashU Giving Day, Loyalty Society, Engagement Center, premium fulfillment, License Plate Program, and Matching Gift Program.
Stay up to date on the latest fundraising trends, technologies, and strategies and implement them as appropriate.
Additional duties as assigned and in support of the Annual Giving Programs (AGP) team.

Benefits

Up to 22 days of vacation
10 recognized holidays
Sick time
Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.
Free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.
403(b) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.
Wellness challenges
Annual health screenings
Mental health resources
Mindfulness programs and courses
Employee assistance program (EAP)
Financial resources
Access to dietitians
4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child.
Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs.
Adult care resources.
Tuition coverage for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.