Reporting to the Director of Annual Giving, the Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving focuses on developing and executing strategies to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward leadership annual giving donors. Emphasis will be given to strategies for growing the annual support of the Red Hawk Athletics general fund and sport specific needs, as well as for building the parents giving program to strengthen parent engagement and enhance the student experience. The Associate Director manages a portfolio of approximately 200-350 donors, with a particular focus on securing gifts of $1,000 or more from alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends of the university. This position is responsible for creating and managing a strategy for a continuous pipeline of donors, including but not limited to initial outreach, identifying appropriate engagement opportunities and collaborating with other units to ensure effective donor transitions.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage a portfolio of 200-350 annual giving prospects, engaging alumni, parents and friends through personalized outreach across multiple communication channels.

• Set goals and objectives for assigned segments; execute a comprehensive, strategic solicitation plan, focusing on specific alumni groups (Athletics, parents) or decades (Reunion) as assigned.

• Build relationships with prospective donors through face-to-face, virtual and phone meetings to secure gifts ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. The position requires a minimum of 180 meetings per year (roughly 15 per month).

• Lead the continued and strategic growth of philanthropic revenue for the Department of Athletics through the expansion and integration of individual cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies for donors across all Athletics teams and programs.

• Develop and execute strategies to cultivate, solicit and steward philanthropic support from parents (new, continuing, alumni) and families, working closely with university leadership and campus partners to achieve fundraising goals.

• Collaborate with the Director of Annual Giving to develop strategies, manage logistics and execute key campaigns, like “ONE DAY for Montclair”, ensuring alignment with departmental goals that support the university’s strategic framework.

• Works closely with fellow development officers to strategically identify leadership annual giving prospects.

• Organize and participate in events to engage and cultivate donors, including Red Hawk Open, regional events, homecoming activities and special stewardship events.

• Organize personalized campus visits and host alumni, parents, donors and potential donors on campus as appropriate.

• Qualify prospects and develop personalized cultivation and solicitation strategies.

• Track and manage donor interactions using the university’s CRM system (RE NXT), ensuring accurate records of engagement and solicitations.

• Provide regular reports on progress toward fundraising metrics and donor moves.

• Achieve agreed upon performance metrics including but not limited to the number of contacts, number of opportunities/asks delivered, number of opportunities/asks secured, dollars raised, and percent of portfolio retained.

• Develop marketing and communication strategies to solicit, upgrade and retain leadership annual giving donors via email, mail, digital and phone.

• Exercise initiative, sound judgment, creativity and discretion in performing work assigned, anticipating and addressing concerns, responding to requests for information and organizing and maintaining confidential files and records.

• Maintain good working relationships with campus partners, including Athletics leadership, coaches, Student Development and Campus Life and other key stakeholders.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

• Management retains the right to change or add job duties at any time.

QUALIFICATIONS:

REQUIRED: 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

• Minimum three (3) years of professional experience in higher education, or related field.

• Ability to think strategically and creatively in developing program goals, policies and procedures for assigned segments of the annual giving program.

• Experience in successfully cultivating, soliciting and stewarding donors, preferably in a higher education setting.

• Strong project management and organizational skills; ability to set priorities and meet deadlines, while balancing multiple projects and performing assignments accurately.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Ability to work evening and weekend events as required.

• Must have a valid driver’s license and vehicle/access to transportation.

PREFERRED:

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university.

• Passion for higher education and the university’s mission.

• Experience in alumni engagement and/or annual giving in higher education.

• Knowledge of digital platforms and the ability to maximize technology to achieve goals.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to build rapport with diverse audiences and communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

• Broad knowledge of fundraising principles and best practices, including the ability to participate in all aspects of the gift cycle.

• Familiarity with and use of Raiser’s Edge and other engagement / giving platforms.

• High comfort level with learning/use of technology platforms.

Salary Range

$82,106.51-$89,243.61 Annual

The position may also be eligible for comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and tuition assistance. For further details, please visit: https://www.montclair.edu/human-resources/benefits/   

Montclair State University considers factors such as, but not limited to, scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s relevant work experience, education, skills, and internal equity, when extending an offer.

Salary offers for internal employees who are part of a collective bargaining unit (CBU) and are applying to a position that is within a CBU will be determined in accordance with contractual provisions. 

IMPORTANT APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• Upload Resume or Curriculum Vitae for automatic population of information to the application.
• The contact information, work experience, and education listed on your Resume/CV will be parsed and input into your Montclair application.
• Review information and double-check all fields containing information that the system parsed – the software is intelligent, but you need to verify that the data is accurate.
• In the “My Experience” section, you will find a Resume/CV upload option where you can submit your cover letter and all other supporting documents.

Note: If you have an expansive CV, we recommend that you apply manually and only include the positions you have held in the last ten (10) years. You will then be able to attach your Resume/CV, as well as all other supporting documentation in the “My Experience” section of your application.