The Opportunity: 

Brooklyn Law School seeks a Director of Annual Giving to manage all annual giving, crowdfunding, class reunion appeals, student and alumni affinity group appeals, and other innovative initiatives to increase annual support to the School. The Director will create, implement, and manage programs, and volunteers to meet Brooklyn Law School’s annual giving goals Brooklyn Law School is driving forward to help students meet the demands of a new world of law. Faculty members have earned national and international acclaim in diverse fields, including evidence, torts, civil liberties, law and technology, corporate and commercial law, criminal law, and more. The Law School’s nationally renowned clinical program — among the first of its kind — is today one of the country’s most diverse and comprehensive professional skills programs. Further enriching the learning environment, the School’s academic centers host events, offer scholarship opportunities, and provide additional training in a wide range of fields and disciplines by bringing experts from all over the world to the Law School. Brooklyn Law attracts highly qualified students from the most prestigious undergraduate institutions and has an alumni network of 23,000 graduates throughout the globe.

The Role: 

Brooklyn Law School seeks a data-driven and creative annual giving professional to build and oversee a metrics-based and donor-centric annual fundraising program. The ideal candidate will have at least three years experience in annual giving fundraising at a higher education institution and a demonstrated record of consistently meeting or exceeding annual giving fundraising goals and metrics.

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) and working closely with the Director of Alumni Engagement and the Director of Development, the Director of Annual Giving will create and implement all of Brooklyn Law School’s annual fundraising campaigns with the goal of building a culture of philanthropy in the Brooklyn Law School community.

Responsibilities: 

• Create and implement annual, short-term, and long-term strategic plans for annual fundraising.
• Collaborate with the CAO and the development team to use annual giving best practices and data analysis and emerging technologies to determine appropriate cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• Create metrics to measure fundraising and engagement initiative performance and success. Initiatives will include the acquisition, retention, and upgrading of annual donors.
• Manage solicitation of annual giving prospects including but not limited to digital and direct mail, phone, text, and in-person contact.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to create and execute all direct mail and electronic solicitation materials.
• Guide and collaborate with the Donor Relations and Stewardship Coordinator to execute all stewardship plans for annual donors.
• Partner with major gift colleagues to identify potential prospects from annual prospects and donors.
• Manage Giving Society membership and events. Revise the Society’s membership criteria as needed. Design new/alternative philanthropic societies with the goal of increasing annual giving participation and dollars raised.
• Partner with Director of Alumni Engagement and Events staff to plan and coordinate class reunions, including identification of and partnership with volunteers for fundraising goals for class campaigns and the creation of a yearly plan for engaging and soliciting young alumni.
• Partner with student organizations to promote education of the importance of the impact of philanthropy among the student population and to partner with students in advising on their fundraising initiatives.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree and minimum of three years of direct experience in annual giving fundraising, preferably in a higher education or university setting. A thorough knowledge of annual giving best practices.
• Experience analyzing data and metrics to establish goals and create an annual fund strategic plan.
• Adept at working with data base systems and software packages, particularly Giving Day and crowdfunding platforms.
• Experience managing all level of volunteers including coaching and training to conduct peer-to-peer solicitations.
• Must be an active listener with excellent communications skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate progress, concerns, and recommendations promptly.
• Possess high-level organizational skills and business acumen with the ability to prioritize work and follow-up with meticulous attention to detail and accuracy.
• Willingness to work collegially and effectively with Advancement colleagues, with colleagues across the School, and with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Patience, integrity, and the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
• Must be able to do overnight travel and to attend events outside of traditional working hours.

Brooklyn Law School is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, national origin, or any other legally protected status.