Position Focus:

The Yale Alumni Fund is seeking an Assistant Director for Volunteer Engagement to elevate fundraising and volunteer management efforts for Yale College, the Graduate School and the professional schools, during the public phase of For Humanity, the Yale Campaign, a university-wide fundraising initiative that aims to address the most critical challenges facing our world.

The specific duties of the Assistant Director for Volunteer Engagement include: developing volunteer engagement and recognition programming, managing the volunteer leadership pipeline, and generating regular volunteer communications; overseeing volunteer recruitment and training, including the creation of materials, handbooks and templates for volunteer use; oversight of the volunteer portal, and implementation of best practices and solicitation strategies for volunteer and staff usage within the tool; and coordinating special annual programs with a targeted focus on volunteers. The Assistant Director may also partner with dedicated volunteers to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward alumni to drive engagement and expand broad-based donor support in strategic ways that provide a sustainable source of revenue in support of Yale’s mission.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated success in project management while overseeing multiple priorities and be familiar with relational databases.

The Yale Alumni Fund raises unrestricted funds to support the university’s core needs, from financial aid and student life, to teaching and research.

Essential Duties:

• Develops revenue and donor goals; develops and implements effective fundraising programs for each assigned class or constituency, including external personal visits, personalized written campaigns, phonathons, social media, direct mail, and email.
• Recruits, trains, and manages a substantial group of alumni volunteers; creates communications to large number of volunteers; supervises mass mailings to volunteers; informs volunteers of updated information and deadlines; evaluates individual donor and volunteer needs and provides other personal support. Has the authority to represent the University to alumni donors and volunteers. 3
• Advises, educates, and solicits potential alumni donors through external face-to-face meetings, phone contacts, and written communications.
• Monitors, on a weekly basis, annual giving solicitation strategies as well as participation and dollar goals for all supported classes. Identifies opportunities/needs to adjust strategies in order to reach fund raising goals. Implements new and modified strategies as needed.
• Continually reviews alumni donor profiles to identify potential top annual donors and determines individual solicitation strategies.
• Develops, fosters and maintains positive alumni relations to keep alumni engaged and disposed to give back to the University.
• Coordinates special annual programs with a targeted focus. 8. Plans and attends meetings and events on and off campus.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and two years of direct fundraising, marketing, communications or volunteer management experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Outstanding organizational and interpersonal skills, including attention to detail. Ability to handle diverse, simultaneous tasks and attend to follow-through.
• Commitment to an inclusive workplace. Ability to engage with diverse audiences (age, gender, nationality, race/ethnicity, profession, sexual orientation, etc.).
• Highly motivated and energetic, ability to show initiative and work independently.
• Outgoing personality and ability to initiate and enjoy direct communication with alumni; customer-service orientation. Professionalism, maturity, and the ability to maintain strict confidentiality.
• Demonstrated proficiency of Microsoft Office Suite tools and the willingness to learn new online tools and database programs as needed.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:

• Familiarity with fundraising/relational/marketing databases.

Yale University considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.