Director of Advancement Communications

Wesleyan University, founded in 1831, is a diverse, energetic liberal arts community where critical thinking and practical idealism go hand in hand.

Position Details
The Office of Advancement ( ADV ) builds lifelong relationships with alumni, parents, and friends, and engages them in support of Wesleyan’s educational mission and financial goals.

The Advancement team fosters pride in the Wesleyan community and develops support for university initiatives through outreach activities, including development/fundraising, alumni & parent relations, and both on- and off-campus events. Wesleyan University is currently in the quiet/leadership phase of a comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Reporting to the Campaign Director, the Director of Advancement Communications will lead the team that creates and executes a comprehensive, integrated advancement communications program that helps to increase alumni, parent, and donor engagement with Wesleyan and build a thriving philanthropic community.

This position will collaborate closely with the Office of University Communications to understand and promote overall University messaging and find creative ways to shape that messaging for alumni and parent audiences.

Partnering with colleagues across the Office of Advancement, the Director of Advancement Communications will develop communication plans for target market segments including principal gifts, major gifts, gift planning, the Wesleyan Fund, athletics fundraising, and alumni & parent relations.

This position serves as creative/programming lead for campaign communications and advancement marketing deliverables and will supervise staff including an Advancement Writer and Advancement Social Medial Specialist.

Responsibilities include:

• Working in close collaboration with leaders in the Office of Advancement, develop strategic vision, goals, plans, and assessment practices for advancement communications across all channels.
• Develop, write, edit, and review a wide variety of content types, including letters, emails, gift proposals web content, video scripts, speeches, marketing copy, social media, etc.
• Create and implement a comprehensive communications plan that inspires philanthropic support, addresses goals of the campaign, builds awareness, and fosters increased engagement.
• Liaison to external communications firm(s) chosen to help with the campaign.
• Develop engaging concepts and primary messages for advancement events, along with ADV team, that encourage audiences to connect with one another and Wesleyan.
• Provide innovation in strategy, marketing, and planning derived from donor-/marketing-centric research; apply analytics as well as creative thinking in order to inspire giving and engagement.
• Translate University priorities into gift opportunities for multiple donor audiences.
• Collaborate closely with the Office of University Communications to understand and support University messaging priorities and to ensure brand standards are upheld on all channels.
• Oversee ADV communications from the President and senior leaders of the University.
• Assist with the management of budgets and expense tracking for ADV communications projects.
• Drive effective processes to foster internal collaboration and enhance efficiency.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications


Bachelor’s degree and at least 10 years of progressively responsible communication experience with a consistent increase in responsibility including leadership and management or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Extensive experience and knowledge of advancement/fundraising communication.
Sophisticated, writing, editing, and presentation skills.

Record of accomplishment in highly complex environment with multiple constituents.

Demonstrated ability for managing relationships at all levels of the organization, as well as for supervising and leading a team.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to synthesize complex or diverse information; and experience working with complex data sets.

Crafting inspiring storiy ideas and an understanding of how to motivate alumni, parents, and donors through compelling storytelling.

Mission-driven, self-motivated, and dedicated to contributing to a team and being of service to colleagues and the institution broadly.

Ability to set priorities and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Ability to integrate thinking across divergent points of view.

Ability to utilize software systems, such as web content management, project management and photo management, Microsoft Office.

Familiarity with AP and Chicago style conventions, excellent, spelling, and grammar skills.

Demonstrated commitment to work within a diverse environment and interact openly with individuals of different backgrounds..


Preferred Qualifications
Proven record of communication and management success with15 years of experience.

Demonstrated success with comprehensive campaign communications.

Demonstrated understanding of the donor cycle, fundraising best practices, and industry trends.


Special Instructions to Applicants
Application close date is January 30, 2022
Additional Information
Any and all offers to external applicants are contingent on the candidate’s completion of a pre-employment background check screening and pre-employment physical to the satisfaction of Wesleyan University.

Wesleyan requires all employees to be vaccinated against Covid 19 unless they meet the criteria for a medical or religious exemption. New employees must be vaccinated prior to their start date. If an employee needs an exemption for medical or religious reasons, they must submit a request to Wesleyan and be approved before their start date

Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, political belief, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or non-position-related criminal record. We welcome applications from women and historically underrepresented minority groups. Inquiries regarding Title IX, Section 504, or any other non-discrimination policies should be directed to: Alison Williams, Vice President for Equity & Inclusion/ Title IX Officer, 860-685-3927, awilliams@wesleyan.edu.