Director of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving

REPORTS TO:

Chief Philanthropy Officer

FLSA JOB CLASSIFICATION:

Exempt, 12 Month Position

JOB PURPOSE:

In collaboration with the Advancement Office staff, the Director of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving is responsible for implementing a strategic and innovative alumni engagement plan including communications, events, and programming. The Director designs, plans, and leads the Annual Fund campaign through the solicitation of all GDS stakeholders to meet the School's Annual Fund budget goal.

This is a 12-month, on-campus position, five days per week, Monday through Friday, and requires regular evening and weekend work.

The Director of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving models the GDS Community Cornerstones of Respect, Kindness, Integrity, and Responsibility.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Alumni Engagement

• Cultivates alumni relationships and facilitates regular connections between alumni and GDS faculty and students
• Designs and implements a monthly alumni e-newsletter in collaboration with the Director of Strategic Communications
• Proactively creates networking opportunities for GDS students and young alumni college students with working alumni professionals
• Practively maintains an alumni database with up-to-date contact and demographic information
• In collaboration with the Director of Strategic Communications, manage the alumni social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
• Integrates the alumni program with other constituent advancement efforts
• Proactively designs, plans, and executes annual out-of-town alumni events and effectively engages alumni in the planning and hosting process
• Designs, plans and executes on-campus alumni special events including Homecoming and Reunion Weekend
• Serves as the staff liaison to the Alumni Board, alumni class agents, and secretaries to establish annual Alumni Board goals and meeting agendas
• Identifies and recruits prospective alumni board members to increase alumni engagement in GDS activities and participation in the Annual Fund
• Writes news and updates for the GDS Magazine and works with the Director of Strategic Communications to solicit articles from alumni for the magazine
• Supports the enrollment and growth of the school by connecting alumni parents with the Office of Admissions

Annual Giving

• In collaboration with the Chief Philanthropy Officer and the Director of Leadership Giving, effectively develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising plan and appeal schedule for the GDS Annual Fund First (AFF) for parents, faculty, staff, alumni, grandparents, and other community members
• Develops an alumni giving plan to increase alumni participation with the Annual Fund in collaboration with the Alumni Board's Annual Fund Committee and the Advancement staff
• In collaboration with the Director of Leadership Giving strategically plans alumni engagement events that support annual fund solicitations
• Designs and implements a plan to support an annual giving cycle, including goals and strategies to build and diversify the GDS donor base and elevate overall giving
• Creates compelling and creative messaging around support for GDS including appeals, acknowledgements, pledge reminders, and collateral print and digital materials
• Identifies, synthesizes, and adapts messaging for various audiences in a way that compels action and motivates gifts
• Implements new and creative technology tools to increase Annual Fund participation with all constituencies
• Works collaboratively with the Director of Strategic Communication and the Director of Marketing on messaging, branding, and calendaring related to the Annual Fund.
• Creates and manages a multidimensional appeal schedule, requiring coordination with various stakeholders (i.e. class agents and grade-level parent representatives)
• Oversees the annual giving day (#1DayforGDS), including the recruitment and management of parent and alumni volunteers

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Actively participates in philanthropy-related fundraising and stewardship events
• Participates actively in advancement, admission and other school related events
• On occasion, serves as a chaperone for overnight field trips as needed
• Performs other duties and special projects as assigned by the Head of School

GDS Cultural Competencies
(All Employees)

GDS Employee Skills
(All Employees)

• Human-Centered
• Data-Informed
• Empathetic
• Collaborative
• Professionalism
• Technologically Fluent
• Adaptable & Growth Mindset
• Inclusive
• Productive conflict resolution

• Integrity
• Welcoming
• Respectful
• Listens to Understand
• Relationship-Focused
• Student-Centered
• Field Expertise
• Coachable
• Lifelong Learner
• Kind

Advancement Office Staff Competencies

• Fundraising Acumen
• Innovative Ideas for Secondary Revenue Streams
• Strategic Goal Setting for Campaigns
• Data Analysis
• Multi-constituent connection through communication & events
• Relationship cultivators

Position Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
• Minimum of 2-3 years of successful experience fundraising
• Experience fundraising in an independent school or educational setting preferred
• Successful experience cultivating relationships with diverse constituencies
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Passion for education
• Thrives when multitasking and managing a variety of projects
• Superb oral and written communication skills
• Capacity to both work independently and thrive in a team environment
• Willingness and ability to travel and work outside normal business hours as needed
• Demonstrated eagerness and ability to effectively communicate and support the GDS mission
• Personal qualities of credibility and unwavering commitment to Greensboro Day School's mission
• A sense of humor is appreciated

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work environment for this position is mostly sedentary and confined to an office setting. The noise level is usually quiet to moderate level but may be loud on occasion. The nature of this position may require supervising students both indoors and outdoors on occasion. All faculty and staff are required to participate in regular safety drills. Extended work hours are common. Regular weekend, evening, or early morning work is required. Travel is required.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The duties of this job take place in an office setting. This position is frequently required to operate a computer and file and retrieve written documents. The physical demands include, but are not limited to, standing, sitting, walking, lifting, carrying, reaching, handling, kneeling, crouching and bending. There will be extended periods of sitting required when performing administrative tasks and while attending meetings. Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

DIRECT REPORTS:

There are no direct reports for the Director of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving.