The Division of Development and Alumni Relations has an exciting opportunity for a full-time Director, Philanthropic Giving (Annual Giving) to work in Coral Gables, FL. The Division of Development and Alumni Relations supports and promotes the mission, purpose and priorities of the University of Miami through fundraising and engagement by building and nurturing strategic philanthropic relationships to improve and transform the lives of individuals and communities. We are committed to values central to the Division—Service, Gratitude, Trust, and Partnership—which guide our strategic thinking, decision-making, and day-to-day interaction with each other and our stakeholders.

General Overview: 

The Director, Annual Philanthropic Giving reports to the Assistant Vice President for Annual Philanthropic Giving + Digital Engagement and is responsible is for leading an omni-channel, data-driven, annual giving program at the University of Miami. The Director manages a team of three direct reports and works cross-functionally to deliver on direct response strategies.

The leader is responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated solicitation program for each development unit that incorporates all channels of giving direct mail, email, phone, SMS and other means including Venmo, Apple Pay, digital wallets, etc.

This role will also create and manage a strategy for the university’s crowdfunding platform, CaneFunder. The Director will partner with Philanthropic Giving + Digital Engagement leadership, including Digital Engagement and UHealth/ Grateful Patient Annual Giving to assist in managing institutional days of giving, grateful patient renewal strategy, and other special initiatives.

Responsibilities: 

• Strategize and implement a robust solicitation process focusing on alumni and undergraduate alumni to assist in growing the donor count needed to bolster the university’s ranking in US News and World Report.
• Provide strategic segmentation strategy around securing current use, expendable funds as well as building and retaining a long-term pipeline of philanthropic support.
• Create and manage the university’s solicitation calendar, ensuring all solicitations are segmented, targeted, maintain key performance metrics, and delivered on time.
• Collaborate with Data Analysts to analyze and report past and present fundraising results to help inform future marketing strategies.
• Partner with colleagues in Donor Experience to establish a solicitation and stewardship program for targeted constituencies, including but not limited to first-year donors, young alumni, consecutive donors, and leadership giving donors.
• Work closely with development officers and communications professionals in schools/units across campus to identify annual giving needs and plan strategy and appeals.
• Develop a strong working partnership with the various development and alumni departments including but not limited to, Lifelong Engagement, Volunteer Leadership, and Family Relations.
• Lead a team and supervise the professional development of direct reports.
• Be aware of and conversant about best practices and benchmarking with peer institutions. The Director will also partner with Philanthropic Giving + Digital Engagement leadership to establish annual revenue goals and associated metrics, utilize dashboards and reports to monitor progress and share ongoing results regularly with the team unit, and divisional leadership.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least five years of experience in non-profit, fundraising, marketing, or data management. An equivalent combination of education/experience may be considered. At least two years of management experience required.
• Strong understanding of annual giving and direct marketing best practices across non-profit sectors, including knowledge of relevant research. Familiarity with marketing automation and journey building a plus.
• Professional written and verbal communication skills including presentation capabilities. Detailoriented editing and proofing skills. Preference given to candidates with content creation experience.
• Ability to organize and interpret complex data sets and utilize analytic techniques and platforms to inform fundraising direct response strategy. Experience in testing and evaluating annual giving or direct marketing propositions, copy, and design.
• Comfortable working in a complex, multi-divisional, results-oriented environment. Demonstrated ability to influence and drive consensus within and across teams.
• Establish priorities, set objectives, and achieve goals. Strong project management skills with the ability to organize and work on multiple and competing projects simultaneously.
• Self-starter with initiative and desire to succeed.
• Experience in working strategically with vendors to support fundraising giving programs.
• Preference is given for candidates with demonstrated experience using data visualization tools (i.e., Tableau or similar) to make data informed decisions.
• Experience working with non-profit databases, with preference given to Blackbaud CRM.