Position Summary: 

University of Puget Sound seeks an experienced professional to lead and grow programs responsible for raising $2m+ annually in unrestricted giving. As a key leader in the University Relations division and the Constituent Relations cohort (which includes Annual Giving, Alumni & Parent Relations, and Prospect & Information Management), the Director of Annual Giving is a consistent champion for Puget Sound’s culture of philanthropy on campus and among 50,000+ alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, and students. As a member of the division’s leadership team, the Director of Annual Giving is a key contributor to divisional initiatives that aid the university in meeting its short- and long-term fundraising goals. The director is an externally-facing role with high visibility that reports to the Associate Vice President for Constituent Relations and supervises a forward-facing team of three professional staff and student staff. 

The ideal candidate for this position carries a passion and skillset that aligns with the dynamic, diverse nature of the annual fund. The Director of Annual Giving operates at both a strategic and hands-on level, aligning work with industry best-practices, university strategic goals, and the university’s centralized fundraising model. The director is charged with meeting each annual Puget Sound Fund goal by way of successfully developing, implementing, and managing a comprehensive multi-channel fundraising program to secure annual, unrestricted gifts through an intentional and diverse suite of strategies, including leadership giving, direct and digital marketing, peer-to-peer volunteer management, giving days, and more. Other key responsibilities include tracking performance, managing budgets, and supporting restricted fundraising initiatives as appropriate. The director also collaborates closely with other colleagues across the division, including the Office of Marketing & Communications, Capital & Planned Giving, Donor Relations, and our esteemed faculty and staff.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities: 

• Meet all Puget Sound Fund goals, including dollars raised and participation targets for key constituencies; both within and beyond the university’s Greater, We Ascend comprehensive campaign;
• Champion a culture of philanthropy within Puget Sound’s internal and external communities, seeking to educate on and incorporate messages of engagement, philanthropy, and stewardship across all activities and efforts. 
• Lead solicitation of the university’s top potential Puget Sound Fund donors and make meaningful increases to the the number of donors and gift receipts to the President’s Leadership Society, collaborating with university leaders and colleagues in Capital & Planned Giving, Prospect & Information Management, and the Leadership Gift Officer to support leadership-level solicitations and expand the number of leadership-level annual Puget Sound Fund donors;
• Ensure that annual giving contact officer(s) achieve annual personal visit and solicitation goals, including the management of own portfolio that includes prospective annual donors of Puget Sound Fund gifts of $1,000 to $50,000+;
• Develop and execute the overarching mass, omni-channel solicitation strategy and all individual solicitation activities for the Puget Sound Fund that inspire alumni, parents, faculty, staff, friends, and students to understand, initiate and continue giving; 
• Manage and direct all aspects of the Office of Annual Giving’s constituent volunteer networks from overarching strategy to daily execution of efforts, successfully guiding staff in mobilizing volunteers to expand their impact on outcomes;
• Create, manage, direct, and supervise the university’s strategy for giving in seasons of reunion celebration; 
• Strategize, direct, and oversee all efforts for Logger Day Challenge, the university’s premier giving day (and other giving events as appropriate); 
• Supervise various programs managed by annual giving staff members including: The Student Philanthropy Center (Puget Sound’s student phonathon program); student philanthropy and/or senior class gift; donor societies such as President’s Leadership Society membership; and targeted restricted expendable fundraising initiatives;
• Serve as a leading thought partner for university relations communications, in conjunction with appropriate Office of University Relations colleagues.
• Collaborate with Donor Relations on the stewardship of annual gifts and ensure members of the President’s Leadership Society, reunion donors, consecutive donors, and first-time donors receive unique and impactful recognition; 
• Build a suite of analytical reports and guides using the division’s Raiser’s Edge NXT; 
• Complete other duties as assigned by the Associate Vice President for Constituent Relations or Vice President for University Relations.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position supervises one assistant director, one leadership gift officer, and one officer manager. 

Qualifications: 

Candidates must be able to explain and/or demonstrate that they possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to safely perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation. The Director of Annual Giving should possess the following qualifications and skills: 

• Three or more years in overseeing a fundraising program; 
• An understanding of the nuanced, dynamic nature of an annual fundraising environment with a commitment to industry-wide best practices; 
• A proven record of successful face-to-face gift solicitation;
• A track record of program management, development, implementation with successfully-met fundraising goals; 
• Significant experience working productively with volunteers;
• Excellent organizational and planning skills as well as superior attentiveness to detail and the ability to meet multiple simultaneous deadlines;
• Ability to be innovative while also appreciating university traditions and current practices;
• The ability to work and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with a broad range of internal and external constituents including faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, and friends of the university;
• The ability to work independently, solve problems, handle confidential information, and navigate sensitive situations;
• Superior management and personnel skills, and a track record of leading, managing, and motivating a team to meet and exceed goals;
• Adept in use of software and data, including experience with Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, as well as relationship databases (ideally, Raiser’s Edge NXT);
• The willingness and ability to travel if needed; and, 
• A bachelor’s degree.
• Ability to respectfully work, communicate and provide leadership within a diverse campus community.

Compensation and Benefits: 
The anticipated range for this position is $86,756 to $95,000. Decisions about starting salaries are made based on the extent and relatedness of the candidate’s education and experience and on internal equity and market considerations.