Job Summary/Basic Functions

The University of Mary Washington is seeking qualified candidates for the next Director/Executive Director of Annual Giving. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Alumni and Donor Engagement, the Director/Executive Director of Annual Giving provides strategic leadership, tactical direction, and overall management for the University’s comprehensive, multi-channel annual giving program. This position balances high level strategy and organizational leadership with tactical efforts to create and execute fundraising solicitations. The position oversees and implements global solicitation and stewardship strategies for the Fund for Mary Washington, athletics fundraising, reunion giving, young alumni giving, parent and family giving, and leadership annual giving, as well as other programs that support the University’s fundraising priorities.

The position will be filled at either the Director or Executive Director title based on the selected candidate’s experience and qualifications. 

Required KSAs/Competencies/Qualifications

• Strong managerial, leadership and supervisory skills.
• Demonstrated organizational and communication skills, as well as ability to mentor, collaborate with, and motivate other development professionals and volunteers.
• Demonstrated success and progressive achievements in a goal-driven and empirically measured fundraising role.
• Excellent skill and understanding of fundraising software and constituent relationship management systems.
• Ability to work independently and within a team environment.
• Willingness and ability to travel and to work nights and weekends, as required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to motivate and work effectively with others to establish priorities, set objectives, and achieve goals, including peers and colleagues in other academic and administrative departments.
• Excellent written communication skills and strong presentation skills.

Required Experience:

Required experience for the Director title:

• At least 3 years of professional experience in annual giving in higher education or a complex non-profit setting.
• At least 2 years of management experience.

Required experience for the Executive Director title:

• At least 5 years of professional experience in annual giving in higher education or a complex non-profit setting.
• At least 3 years of management experience.
• At least 1 year of director-level or equivalent leadership experience in annual giving operations.

Applicants with equivalent experience demonstrating the required level of strategic leadership may be considered for the Executive Director position.

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university in a related field.

Additional Considerations:

KSAs:

• Strategic thinker with the ability to harness the creativity of others, and the power of technology, to develop and implement effective fundraising campaigns across the University’s many constituent groups.
• Ability to translate organizational strategic imperatives or vision into actionable unit-level strategy and operational plans.
• Highly organized with the ability to analyze and communicate information to a wide range of audiences and constituent groups.
• Strong understanding of annual giving and direct marketing best practice in higher education, including knowledge of relevant research and current trends in crowdfunding, email marketing, digital engagement, and social media.

Experience:

• Experience leading annual giving operations within higher education or a complex non-profit environment.
• Extensive experience in testing and evaluating direct marketing propositions, copy and design.
• Experience leading the development of strategy for complex direct response marketing or annual giving operations.
• Experience leading a leadership annual giving program and/or managing a portfolio of donors for individual cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position. To be considered for this position a state application must be received through the online employment system at https://jobs.umw.edu/. Mailed, emailed, faxed, or hand-delivered applications or resumes will not be accepted.

Excluding current UMW employees, selected candidate(s) must successfully pass a criminal history background check. Employment verification will be conducted to include current/previous supervisory employment reference checks. 

Other financial, credit, driving, background checks or completion of Statement of Economic Interests may be required for certain positions. For more information, please visit http://ethics.dls.virginia.gov/.