Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving

Job Summary

The University of Colorado Boulder's Office of Advancement seeks a Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving. The Senior Director is responsible for strategizing, developing, leading, implementing and managing comprehensive alumni relations and annual giving efforts for the Leeds School of Business. Reporting to the Assistant Dean of Advancement, this position manages a team of five full-time employees to engage alumni and other constituents, promote the reputation of the Leeds School, and increase philanthropy for CU Boulder.

The Senior Director will focus on:

• Leading a strategic plan for the alumni program with best-in-class business school initiatives and managing a team to drive execution plans.
• Leading the Leeds School of Business Annual Giving efforts and aligning those efforts with the campus and CU system with a goal of driving Leeds to have the best-in-class alumni and annual giving programs.
• Enabling meaningful engagement for alumni and the business community with existing and new platforms; facilitating a culture of engagement and philanthropy for current students.
• Collaborating with internal constituents (the dean’s office/cabinet: the directors and chairs of programs, centers, and departments; the CU Boulder Alumni Association; Leeds Career Development, etc.) and external constituents (Board members, alumni volunteers, donors, vendors, etc.) to ensure professional opportunities and beneficial partnerships between the School and our current and future alumni and business community.

Our team thrives on the energy, passion and school pride that comes from daily interactions with students, alumni, and corporate partners at Leeds and across campus. You will lead the strategy to meaningfully engage our constituents in innovative ways, across a variety of platforms.

We encourage applicants who are not afraid to think about higher education advancement, specifically alumni engagement, in innovative and creative ways. If this sounds like you, we encourage you to apply.

As part of the CU Boulder Advancement team, the Senior Director will embrace our shared values and behaviors. Our values are JOY, COLLABORATION, EXCELLENCE, and IMPACT.

The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The Office of Advancement is a professional and hard-working advancement team that generates philanthropic support and overall external engagement for the University. Through these philanthropic and engagement efforts, the University is able to attract the brightest students, support and grow our hardworking faculty and strengthen our overall academic and co-curricular programs as we build a foundation of excellence for the future of CU Boulder and the state of Colorado.

CU Boulder Advancement is steadfastly committed to strengthening our team, the university and our communities. We create a strong sense of belonging among our own team and know we are stronger when we embrace diverse experiences, beliefs, and identities. This commitment underlies our ability to engage an inclusive group of supporters, donors, and advocates who come together to advance CU.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Alumni Strategy and Execution

• Lead and manage implementation of strategy to engage, cultivate and involve constituents, especially alumni, in ways that support the School’s vision and strategic direction.
• Oversee and assess engagement metrics to inform decisions and adapt for improvements.
• Collaborate with the Leeds Marketing and Communications team to develop and execute marketing and communication campaigns, messaging, etc. in support of alumni engagement goals; liaisons and partners with Marketing and Communications on communication projects including the school’s annual alumni magazine, newsletters, podcasts, events, etc.
• Oversee Leeds advancement events to ensure they are consistently representing the School’s standards of excellence, and providing a meaningful platform for engaging our alumni and constituents.
• Plan strategy for overall online engagement, communications and annual giving efforts as well as 15+ high-impact annual events.
• Manage the MBA Board volunteers ensuring their work aligns with the strategic direction of the School; provide communications support.
• Partner with and involve deans, directors, faculty, and students, both locally and across the globe as part of outreach efforts.
• Meet one-on-one with alumni on behalf of the School to discuss and strategize current and future volunteer opportunities.
• Identify, promote, and support alumni and volunteer recognition opportunities. Examples include alumni awards, alumni publications, community and business awards, etc.
• Take the lead role in identifying sustainable volunteer engagement opportunities and the establishment of compelling school-related activities and experiences.
• Annually benchmark and survey the alumni outreach efforts – evolve and adjust programs when needed.
• Work closely with Advancement leadership to source and engage alumni in fundraising opportunities and create a culture of philanthropy.
• Implement new alumni engagement opportunities to reach different constituents, including educational, service, family, etc.

Team Management and Leadership

• This position supervises alumni engagement, events, board, annual giving and donor relations staff.
• Attend monthly meetings with alumni directors across campus and the Alumni Association Executive Director to share information, discuss industry trends and identify potential partnerships and joint initiatives.
• Hold leadership roles and create/maintain partnerships in cross-campus collaborations like Advancement Data Council (ADC), Bottom-up Goal Setting (BUGS) and engagement strategy planning.
• Regularly present at national conferences and submit award nominations to top Advancement organizations on behalf of the School.
• Manage budget and align to developed strategy.
• Promotes creating an inclusive environment to reflect our values and vision at Leeds.

What You Should Know

All University of Colorado Boulder employees are required to align with the campus COVID-19 vaccine requirement . New employees must provide proof of vaccination or receive a medical or religious exemption within 30 days of employment.

We anticipate this position will support a hybrid format (remote and in-person work).

What We Can Offer

The salary range is $105,700 - $123,600 annually.
Relocation assistance is available within department guidelines.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits , including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder .

Be Statements

Be engaged. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years of job-related experience in alumni relations, communications, and/or other related areas.
• Formal team lead or supervision experience.
• Experience developing, planning and rolling out strategy.
• Program and event management experience.

What You Will Need

• Ability to lead, manage and inspire a team of professional staff.
• Ability to establish and enhance interpersonal relationships, including ability to coordinate and manage volunteers.
• High-level communication skills both oral and written.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously, adapt to changing priorities, manage time and meet deadlines in fast paced environment.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of diplomacy, discretion and collaboration with all levels of customers and ability to effectively manage third party relationships.
• Solid knowledge of fundraising, communications, and marketing concepts.
• Strong attention to detail and to aesthetic presentation of materials.
• Promotes creating an inclusive environment to reflect our values and vision at Leeds.

What We Would Like You to Have

• 5+ years of experience in a development/fundraising environment and constituent relations/relationship management.
• Experience in a higher education environment.
• Experience in a business school environment.
• Master’s degree.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

1. A current resume.
2. A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by February 16, 2023, for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs .

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: Recruiting@colorado.edu