Associate Vice President for Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement

Job Description

DePauw University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer: Women, members of underrepresented groups, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Position will remain open until filled.

Please go to University Profile for more information about DePauw.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Associate Vice President for Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement provides strategic leadership and management of a university-wide alumni engagement and annual giving program to support the university's mission and institutional priorities. The AVP will establish and foster lifelong connections and loyalty among alumni in order to develop a culture of engagement and philanthropy at DePauw University.

Reasonable Accommodations Statement

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Functions Statement(s)

• Lead and directly manage all Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving activities including the design and creation of strategies that will ensure the successful coordination of alumni and constituent engagement efforts across all colleges and units with a focus on meeting and exceeding fundraising goals.
• Lead the Annual Giving program with a goal of increasing overall participation and dollars raised and will personally carry a small portfolio of key prospective donors.
• Develop performance metrics and ensure accountability by defining and measuring key performance indicators and outcomes for Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving.
• Serve as a leader and mentor to the Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving staff by providing training and guidance on performance.
• Implement best practices and keep current on national trends in alumni engagement and annual giving.
• Collaborate across the entire university community including the President, senior administrators, Deans, department chairs, faculty, and program directors to support fundraising priorities.
• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues in University Advancement, particularly the Vice President for Advancement and the Associate Vice President for Development to increase philanthropic support and volunteer engagement.
• Work in collaboration with campus fraternities and sorority groups to best engage their alumni base.
• Serve as the lead liaison and provide support for Trustees and all other committees related to alumni volunteer activities; including serving as the primary architect and contact for the Alumni Association; including but not limited to alumni engagement in annual giving plans and other initiatives.
• Collaborate and participate in internal and external events and key meetings, promoting the University's alumni engagement and annual giving programs and alumni accomplishments as they relate to encouraging philanthropic support for university priorities.
• Must be available for frequent regional and national travel.
• Other duties as assigned.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Competency Statement(s)

• Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions.
• Accuracy - Ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly.
• Active Listening -- Ability to actively attend to, convey, and understand the comments and questions of others.
• Adaptability -- Ability to adapt to change in the workplace.
• Analytical Skills - The ability of the individual to gather raw data and to process that data into a meaningful form.
• Coaching and Development - Ability to provide guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas.
• Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word.
• Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely.
• Consensus Building - Ability to bring about group solidarity to achieve a goal.
• Detail Oriented - Ability to pay attention to the minute details of a project or task.
• Diligent-Ability to commit to the university, division, and priority projects.
• Diversity Oriented - Commitment to valuing a variety of different experiences, encouraging input and collaboration from campus stakeholders, including being mindful of experiences related, but not limited to: age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, LGBTQ, and/or job type.
• Innovative-Ability to champion new initiatives.
• Interpersonal - Ability to get along well with a variety of personalities and individuals.
• Leadership -- Ability to lead complex teams.
• Organized - Possessing the trait of being organized or following a systematic method of performing a task.
• Project Management - Ability to organize and direct a project to completion.
• Relationship Building - Ability to establish and maintain a good rapport and cooperative relationship with customers and co-workers.
• Self-Motivated - Ability of the individual to reach a goal or perform a task with little supervision or direction.
• Time Management-Ability to utilize the available time to organize and complete work within given deadlines.
• Team Oriented -- Ability to build and maintain cohesive collective working relationships.
• Training - Ability to develop a particular skill in others to bring them up to a predetermined standard of work performance.

Requirements

Education: Required: Bachelor's degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university.

Preferred: Master's degree (M. A.) or equivalent.



Experience:

• Demonstrated success in planning and executing an alumni engagement program and annual giving campaigns, including success in all levels of volunteer management particularly advisory councils.
• Significant staff management experience required; the ability and desire to train and mentor staff.
• It is preferred but not required that the AVP has experience working at an institution where Greek life (fraternities and sororities) is present.

Communication/Language: Ability to read and interpret documents. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups, including Boards, Donors, or employees of organization .

Math Ability: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

Computer Skills: Basic computer skills or include more detailed programs and software if you wish. (MS Office Applications, Big Tree, and Google Applications)

Other Requirements:

• Strong interpersonal and written communication skills
• Ability to work flexible hours including evenings/weekends
• Well organized with strong attention to detail
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Experience in setting staff goals and performance metrics for individuals as well as the team
• Ability to use data information management systems and other technology to advance alumni engagement and to improve annual fund outcomes, knowledge of donor database management best practices.
• Ability to work effectively in a complex institutional setting.
• Success in developing and sustaining productive and effective relationships with donors, faculty, colleagues, and departmental senior management to build and grow engagement and annual support.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills; experience in public speaking to wide audience; the ability to understand how to communicate to various university stakeholders from the President and Trustees to students and staff.
• Intellectual curiosity and commitment to the goals of a liberal arts education essential, as is the ability to articulate the case for support.
• Demonstrated tact, sensitivity, maturity, and good judgment. Comfort with ambiguity and change.