The Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J., is seeking an experienced volunteer manager and aspiring fundraiser for the position of Assistant Director of Alumni Relations. The successful candidate will intentionally build more pathways for alumni connections and manage volunteer leadership to result in increased alumni engagement and alumni giving participation.

Founded in 1864, The Peddie School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school of 535 students, grades 9 through post-graduate. It is primarily a boarding school, with 63 percent of students and 90 percent of the faculty living on campus. In addition to its engaged and accomplished student body, Peddie’s extraordinary resources include the highly professional, collaborative and dedicated faculty, an innovative and rigorous curriculum and an attractive, modern 280-acre campus located 25 minutes east of Princeton between New York City and Philadelphia.

Thanks to the generosity of Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg ’27 and other donors, Peddie now ranks among the most highly endowed independent schools in the nation. Its $455 million endowment enables the school to offer more than $10 million in financial assistance to 35-40 percent of the student body.

This is an exciting time at Peddie. Four strategic priorities were established in 2017, leading to the school’s largest campaign, an $80+ million comprehensive campaign currently in the leadership phase. The One Peddie Campaign is focused on doubling the annual fund and raising endowed funds for scholarship, faculty and programs, as well as capital funds for arts and athletics. The Assistant Director of Alumni Relations will be part of the team supporting Head of School Peter Quinn and Assistant Head for Development Karyn Vella in leading this campaign.

An essential part of our strong alumni relations team, this is an expansion position for our alumni relations team and offers excellent potential for growth opportunities. The ideal candidate will have relevant experience motivating volunteers, managing multiple projects simultaneously, working on teams, managing digital platforms and requesting support. Reporting to the Director of Alumni Relations, the Assistant Director will also work closely with an enthusiastic team of talented, experienced and happy colleagues.

Primary duties include:

Volunteer Engagement and Management (65%)

• Develop programming that encourages broader alumni engagement, new affinity groups, increased giving and strong reunion attendance.
• Manage and serve as the key point of contact on the A&D Team with volunteer leaders such as: class agents, Reunion volunteers, affinity groups etc.
• Conduct regular check-in calls with volunteer groups and execute annual communication plan.
• Identify, recruit, train and manage Reunion volunteers with the goal of increasing Reunion Weekend attendance and giving.
• Act as a planning liaison between the A&D office and Reunion volunteers; develop, coordinate and communicate individual class plans and engagement strategies.
• Lead acquisition and engagement strategies for Peddie’s online engagement and networking platform.

Fundraising (25%)

• In collaboration with the Peddie Fund team, define a solicitation plan that supports milestone reunion classes’ overall dollar and participation goals to encourage increased Leadership Giving, multi-year commitments and class participation to the Peddie Fund.
• Increase number of multi-year commitments secured in a given milestone year by soliciting gifts and building peer-to-peer fundraising skills within volunteer structure.
• Track class fundraising progress toward goals; communicate progress with A&D office and with volunteer groups.

Other (10%)

• Work with the Director of Special Events in the execution of a successful Reunion Weekend.
• Work with other partners on campus when they are seeking alumni connections for students.
• Attend and provide support for A&D events and meetings; have a visible presence on campus.

The successful candidate will have:

• A Bachelor’s degree;
• Two to five years of volunteer management experience or related fundraising, project management or donor relations experience;
• Demonstrated initiative to work independently and savviness to work across diverse teams;
• Demonstrated understanding of and appreciation for culturally responsive professional practices including the ability to value, work with, respect, and incorporate diverse perspectives;
• Possess outstanding interpersonal, writing and communications skills, characterized by the ability to listen skillfully and act with a strong customer-centered mindset;
• An outgoing, warm personality and the ability to initiate and enjoy direct communication alumni;
• The ability to travel and attend evening and weekend functions when necessary;
• Proficiency in Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Zoom, Microsoft Excel, social media platforms, digital engagement platforms, and Raiser’s Edge; email marketing experience preferred.

Interested candidates please send cover letter and resume to:

Brian Davidson, Director of Alumni Relations
The Peddie School
201 S. Main Street Hightstown, NJ 08520
[email protected]