Job Purpose

The Director of Parent & Family Giving leads the strategy for engaging parents and families of College of Charleston students in philanthropic support of the College. This role focuses on securing leadership annual gifts, strengthening the Parent Leadership Society, and building a long-term pipeline of parents who may become major and principal gift donors. Serving as the primary liaison for parent philanthropy across the Division of Institutional Advancement, the director collaborates closely with the Annual Giving, Alumni Engagement, and Regional Advancement Programs to ensure a coordinated, donor-centered approach to parent engagement and fundraising. The director also manages a portfolio of parent prospects and is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding leadership-level gifts while advancing meaningful engagement opportunities that deepen parents’ connection to the College.

Minimum Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required and at least 3 years of experience in parent fundraising (higher education or private schools preferred). Priority will be given to applicants with previous experience in program development as well as managing a portfolio of donors and prospects. Candidates with an equivalent combination of experience and/or education are encouraged to apply.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong planning, organizing, technology and oral/written communications skills are essential, as is the ability to work cooperatively with other staff members and the college community.
• Must have excellent written and oral communication skills. Must be able to work on several projects concurrently while meeting deadlines. Analytical skills are required.
• Must possess excellent organization, communication, and outward-facing (customer service) skills. Must have considerable experience with computer operations such as Microsoft Office Suite.

Job Duties

Program Development: Design and implement a comprehensive development plan to increase philanthropic support from highly rated parent prospects that includes both personal solicitations and mass direct mail/electronic appeals. In partnership with Annual Giving, create and maintain comprehensive parent solicitation calendar and coordinate messaging for direct appeal solicitations with a goal of increasing parent and family giving participation. Collaborate with gift officers who manage parent prospects on successful messaging, solicitation strategies and timelines. Serve as the liaison between Institutional Advancement and the offices of Enrollment Planning (Admissions), New Student Programs, and the Division of Student Affairs to foster a culture of collaboration in the identification and engagement of high-capacity parent prospects. Manage the parent program operating budget, prepare budget requests, and monitor expenditures throughout the fiscal year. 

Portfolio Management: Manage a portfolio of 100+ active parent prospects with the capacity to make minimum $5,000 annual commitments, including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Annually develop goals and objectives focused primarily on visits, leadership annual gifts, dollars raised, and other strategic activities. Conduct travel to visit with donors in pursuit of achieving established goals and metrics. 

Parent Leadership Society: Recruit members for the Parents Leadership Society and serve as the primary staff contact to manage and support PLS and its members. Refine and build upon PLS activities to maximize its impact and increase membership and giving. Develop relevant programming for parents during college events, including orientation, move-in weekend, Homecoming + Family Weekend and Commencement. Provide creativity and strategic thinking to propose new activities to enhance parent engagement efforts and bolster stewardship of lead parent donors.

Marketing & Communications: Attend campus activities such as lectures & symposia, arts performances, and athletic events to foster strong relationships with parents and students that result in philanthropic contributions; serve as a resource, advocate, and spokesperson for advancement programs at the College of Charleston. Work with campus partners to improve parent donor/prospect relationships through enhanced parent-related web pages, social media, and other forms of communications, with special emphasis on messaging to parents about giving.

Additional Comments Regarding Position

Must have a valid SC or other state driver’s license. Evening and weekend work will be occasionally required. Modest travel outside of the state of South Carolina may also be required. Experience working with CRM software (especially fundraising specific CRMs like Raisers Edge NXT) is preferred but not required. Priority given to applicants who adapt well to evolving technology.

Salary

$57,700 – $75,000