Full-time, year round position, salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

Amherst College seeks a highly-organized, energetic and creative Director of the Annual Fund. The Director is responsible for the strategy, management and growth of a $9.5 million annual fund from 11,000 alumni, parents, and friends and funds 6% of the College’s operating budget. This position offers the opportunity to take an already strong program and find new ways to strengthen and maximize participation and fundraising. The Director will be encouraged to work closely with the current staff to strategically grow the program through careful use of data, metrics, and best practices and trends in annual giving. As the College prepares for the public launch of the next comprehensive campaign, the Director will have the opportunity to actively participate in defining a vision to grow and promote alumni and parent giving to Amherst. Supporting the Annual Fund will be among the top fundraising objectives in the upcoming campaign.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Development and Campaign Leadership, the Director will also work closely with the executive director of leadership giving. The Director will manage a high performing team of ten and provide administrative, strategic and analytical planning and decision-making within the Annual Fund team. The Director will also take appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participates in the College’s efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

The successful candidate will have a strong appreciation for Amherst College, its mission as a liberal arts college, and the importance of its relationships with alumni, parents, and friends.

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Manage and lead a high-performing team of ten Annual Fund staff members: Director of the 1821 Society & Annual Fund Communications, Director of 50^th Reunion Giving, Director of 25^th Reunion Giving, Director of Family Giving and Engagement, two Assistant/Associate Directors of the Annual Fund, two Annual Fund Coordinators, an Annual Fund Assistant and an Annual Fund Reporting Manager.

• Oversee key Annual Fund program areas: the 1821 Society, which recognizes gifts from $1,821 to $250,000+ and accounts for 80% of the approximately $10 million raised each year; fundraising support for 70 alumni classes and 1,200 volunteers; a complex calendar of Alumni Fund and Parents’ Fund appeals and associated communications; 50^th and 25^th Reunion Giving; a yearly Reunion Challenge; and Senior Gift and Student Philanthropy/Engagement.

• Recruit, support, and staff the national Alumni Fund Chairs, leveraging their involvement to advance the yearly goals and priorities of the Alumni Fund and in direct support of the 1821 Society program.

• Coordinate with Leadership Giving to synchronize fundraising efforts in concert with the College’s overall fundraising goals, including the Annual Fund’s 1821 Society and Noah Webster Circle ($10,000+ gifts).

• Support the Chief Advancement Officer, President of the College, Senior Staff, Alumni Executive Committee, and Board of Trustees on Annual Fund related matters. Partner with the Executive Director of Development and Campaign Leadership to whom this position reports, to ensure the alignment of annual alumni programming and engagement with annual fundraising.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required;
• 5+ years of progressively responsible fundraising and volunteer management experience, preferably in higher education;
• Exceptional management skills, both strategic and operational, and a commitment to a team-based approach to personnel and program management;
• Strong communication, interpersonal, writing and analysis skills, including web, e-communications, and social media experience;
• Keen attention to detail and follow through;
• Ability to work independently and creatively within established guidelines, while at the same time functioning as a member of a team in a complex fundraising and engagement environment;
• Some evening and weekend work as well as travel required throughout the year.

Application Instructions:

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information (e-mail and/or telephone number) for three professional references. Applications will be reviewed until position is filled.

Amherst College is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women, persons of color, and persons with disabilities to apply. The College is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration, and staff.

Amherst College, one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the nation, is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, a town of approximately 35,000 residents in the western part of the state. The college’s community is composed of about 1,800 students from 49 states, plus D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and 54 countries around the world, and about 1,000 staff and faculty. The college’s scenic 1,000-acre campus includes a 500-acre wildlife sanctuary and the Book & Plow Farm; three museums: Emily Dickinson Museum, Beneski Museum of Natural History and Mead Art Museum; and multiple educational and cultural venues and resources through the Five College Consortium. The town of Amherst offers an amazing variety of coffee shops, restaurants and entertainment, and a very active outdoor life. Our vibrant campus, diverse community and beautiful surrounding, makes Amherst College and the Town of Amherst a great place to work, learn and live!