Under limited supervision, reporting to the Executive Director of Annual Giving and Lead Generation (Executive Director), the Senior Director of Annual Giving Programs and Unit Strategy (Senior Director) is responsible for the management, coordination, and implementation of the direct and digital marketing solicitation and engagement programs for the university and for working with the colleges, schools and units to develop unit-based annual giving strategies. The Senior Director will also oversee the annual giving programs, including next-generation philanthropy, employee philanthropy, and employer matching gifts. The Senior Director will lead a team of fundraising professionals and develop and execute the overarching omnichannel strategy for a complex set of annual giving solicitations for the University of South Carolina and its academic units, university priorities, and special interest programs. The Senior Director will oversee the implementation and execution of the University of South Carolina’s day of giving campaign, currently known as Give 4 Garnet. The Senior Director plays an intricate role in establishing and delivering effective leadership, partnerships and communication with directors of development, and staff across the Division of Development. The Senior Director will utilize Blackbaud CRM and other analytics tools to ensure that strategies are data-driven, personalized, timely, and consistent with the goals set forth within the Annual Giving and Lead Generation programs.

Job Duties:

• Oversee the management and implementation of direct and digital marketing strategies. Develop and execute an annual plan and a comprehensive marketing calendar designed to support the goals of AGLG and the priorities of the university. Collaborate with the Executive Director to produce annual budget recommendations to support the organizational goals.
• Direct and develop comprehensive annual giving strategies for the colleges, schools, and units. In collaboration with the Lead Senior Director of Development and the Executive Director of AGLG to determine annual strategy and budget recommendations to achieve the goals of each unit.
• Develops, implements, and manages an integrated omnichannel marketing plan for the university and its colleges and units, including direct mail, email, digit ads, and social media. Collaborate with other members of the AGLG team to ensure coordination and integration of annual giving strategies. Implement a data-driven Annual Giving solicitation system. Determine appropriate marketing segmentation, track progress, report and evaluate results, and redirect tactics to improve outcomes. Assist with the strategic development and high-level interpretation of Annual Giving reports. Provides timely qualitative and quantitative reports of solicitation campaign performance and marketing metrics and analytics for the Division of Development; the colleges, schools, and units; and other partners as needed.
• Develops, coordinates, and implements a university-wide giving day to include schools, colleges, regional campuses, and units. Manage and coordinate annual giving programs, including next-generation philanthropy, employee philanthropy, employer matching gifts, storytelling/creative writing, and volunteer engagement. Serve as an experienced resource for the annual giving programs and services team and university colleagues.
• Build and maintain a portfolio of best practices and emerging marketing trends to enhance solicitation practices based on national/regional data and donor trends to achieve fundraising goals. Negotiate contracts with external vendors, including direct mail and printing houses. Manage vendors to produce highly segmented, customized direct mail appeals with complex variables.

Minimum Required Education and Experience

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 5 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Annual Giving, Donor Relations, Alumni Relations, or Higher Education Fundraising Operations.
•  Proven experience in revenue generation, creative writing, communications and marketing, client relations, and partner success. 
• Previous experience with Blackbaud CRM or other higher education and/or nonprofit donor systems. 
• Experience with project management tools, like JIRA.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Comprehensive knowledge of principles and methods of planning and conducting a comprehensive integrated and omnichannel marketing fundraising program. 
• Strong knowledge of predictive analytics and metrics to include effective mass solicitation and communication strategies. 
• Ability to manage complex projects while also managing relationships with colleagues and supervising staff. 
• Understands best industry practices as it relates to UX, design and content optimization, and analytics tools for fundraising success.
• Utilize quantitative and qualitative information to improve decision-making and outcomes and document results. 
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with staff, faculty, alumni, donors, students, volunteers, businesses, external vendors, and the general public. 
• Work with a high degree of flexibility in a highly collaborative, fast-paced, goal-oriented environment. 
• Apply creative and entrepreneurial thinking while applying sound judgment and conducting oneself with integrity. 
• Outstanding oral, written, and interpersonal communications skills.
•  Ability to adhere to industry guidelines, methodologies and code of ethics statements as defined by the Association for Professional Researchers in Advancement (APRA), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and other professional organizations and associations.