Director of Engagement, Alumni & Families

Summary

Position Title

Director of Engagement, Alumni & Families

Department

University Advancement

Position Reports to (Position Title)

Senior Director of Engagement

Status

Full Time/Exempt

Job Summary

Applicants should apply by sending a resume and cover letter and staff application to uajobs@ju.edu.

The Office of University Advancement at Jacksonville University is currently seeking a creative and strategic thinker to lead the development of alumni, parent and family engagement. This fundraising and engagement professional will implement cultivation, engagement and stewardship strategies for current and prospective alumni and parent leadership donors. The ideal candidate will:

• Possess at least 5 years development experience to include volunteer management, preferably in an educational setting
• Possess a “can do” team player attitude, seek to collaborate and enjoy multi-tasking
• Possess strong relationship building and communications skills both in person and in writing
• Enjoy public speaking
• Possess a solid proficiency of social media and technology platforms
• Be a strong, motivational leader of employees and volunteers
• Understand and embrace the relationship between alumni relations and annual support

This position reports to the Senior Director of Engagement who reports to the Senior Vice President, Strategic Operations. University Advancement oversees all University fundraising activity, information/donor engagement, stewardship events, and alumni/parent engagement. The department works collaboratively across campus with all divisions, particularly Athletics, Marketing & Communications, Enrollment and Student Engagement.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Interviews, hires and trains new staff
• Oversees the daily workflow of the Office of Alumni & Family Engagement
• Evaluates performance and provides timely feedback
• Helps to resolve employee issues and disputes
• Handles discipline and termination of employees in accordance with company policy

Duties/Responsibilities

Strategic Growth and Planning 

• Enthusiastically lead a small team of alumni engagement and event coordinators
• Measure progress through metrics and annual performance appraisals
• Creatively develop and manage a comprehensive annual strategic plan for both alumni and parent engagement
• Monitor budgets and operation of programs
• Execute an annual alumni attitudes survey
• Work on other programs/efforts as requested in support of University priorities

Affinity Engagement & Campus Partnerships

• Serve the as the liaison to each college, school and institute and manage high-level opportunities in collaboration with the associated leadership
• Supervise alumni affinity networks managing all strategy and needs of volunteers and programming
• Work closely with the Annual Giving and Major Gifts teams on fundraising opportunities within each area
• Act as the Alumni Office liaison to key campus partners including; Marketing & Communications, Admissions, Student Engagement and Athletics

Communications

• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications on communication strategies specific to the constituencies of alumni, parents and families across communications channels – social media, email and direct mail.
• Write and contribute content as needed

Events & Engagement

• Manage the execution of all special events for alumni, parents and families, including but not limited to: Homecoming & Family Weekend, Global Toast and Dolphin Club gatherings in local and external markets
• Develop a wide breadth of engagement opportunities for all alumni groups focused on key areas including but not limited to; life-long learning, career networking, regional and local, in-person and virtual
• Work on other programs/efforts as requested in support of University priorities
• Manage a portfolio of loyal and established alumni while cultivating alumni prospects through meaningful engagement
• Support the identification efforts of major gifts team as need

President’s Parents Council

• Support the management of an effective President’s Parents Council:
  • Work with the Advancement Services to identify prospects in each freshman class and solicit their participation
  • Manage and support volunteers to build a robust parent class giving program.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact in a concierge capacity for all PPC members
  • Plan two inspiring Council meetings per year to motivate parents by leveraging key administrators, parents and alumni thought leaders
  • Implement programs and projects to strategically engage and leverage resources from parents and families of current and former students. This role serves as a liaison to Student Life and thus plays a part in new student orientations, Move-In Day, and special events on campus
  • Collaborate with Admissions to engage key alumni and parent ambassadors in support of events for prospective/accepted students.

Required Skills/Abilities

• Knowledge of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies and techniques
• Demonstrated success in volunteer management and board development.
• Demonstrated knowledge of methods, practices and procedures for donor prospecting
• Self-motivation and discipline to regularly set and achieve work goals
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal and networking skills with large groups as well as with individuals are essential
• Ability to maintain a high level of poise and professionalism in all circumstances.
• Ability to initiate and build relationships with prospective donors, and interact via telephone and in person with institutional peers
• Demonstrated ability to take primary responsibility for diverse number of projects and to complete them in a timely manner with limited supervision
• Demonstrated record of success in generating significant commitments
• Exceptional writing and editing skills in order to develop proposals, professional reports, strategic plans, and correspondence

Education, Certificates, Licenses, & Experience

• A bachelor’s degree and a minimum 3-5 years demonstrated successful fundraising experience preferably in higher education (or a comparably complex organization)
• Preference is given to a master’s degree and experience in higher education fundraising

Physical Requirements

• Manual dexterity to efficiently operate a computer keyboard and other business machines
• Near vision sufficient to read written communications and computer display screens
• Adequate hearing to communicate effectively in person and by phone
• Ability to lift and load event materials as well as set-up/break-down event displays

Important Note

This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required for this position. The University reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs.

To Apply

Applicants should apply by sending a resume and cover letter and staff application to uajobs@ju.edu.