Reporting to the Director of Institutional Advancement, the Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations is a 12-month, exempt position responsible for the management and coordination of Shore’s comprehensive annual giving and alumni relations programs. The Director provides strategic direction and implements programs, events, initiatives, and communications aimed at increasing current-use unrestricted support, while supporting Shore’s greater advancement goals and growing a dynamic alumni engagement program. The Director strengthens existing relationships and builds new ones while increasing participation and giving to The Shore Fund, and creating a pipeline for future philanthropic giving to the school. Candidates must possess exceptional communication, organizational, and relationship-building skills and have relevant experience. The Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations is an integral member of the Institutional Advancement team, which includes enrollment management, fundraising and alumni relations, as well as marketing and communications. This is an exciting opportunity to join a collaborative team of professionals in the Institutional Advancement office and a vibrant school community at Shore.

Qualifications

Required: Bachelor’s degree and 3-5+ years of progressively successful experience leading an annual giving program

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

The Shore Fund

• Partner with the Director of Institutional Advancement to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward key constituencies (trustees, families, grandparents, alumni, families of alumni, employees) including leadership donors, loyal donors, and volunteers
• Develop, manage, and implement a strategic and comprehensive annual giving program designed to meet and exceed The Shore Fund’s financial and programmatic goals; ensure that annual giving operations run smoothly and efficiently
• Provide data to inform annual goal setting, partner with the Director of Institutional Advancement in setting strategy and setting and meeting monthly and annual goals
• Expand leadership donor program by building relationships with new prospects and deepening relationships with existing donors; ensure donors receive personalized and interest-specific updates on the impact of their giving
• Plan and execute community-wide annual fundraising campaigns such as Race for 100 current family challenge and Giving Day campaign
• In collaboration with colleagues, manage multi-channel Annual Fund collateral including solicitations, acknowledgements, direct mail, email marketing, online giving, social media, brochures and other materials; generate mailings, emails, and communications to educate and solicit constituents; manage complex segmentation
• Recruit and manage Shore Fund volunteers, including co-chairs, constituency chairs, class captains, and Giving Day volunteers; provide training, coaching, and ongoing motivation and support for soliciting peers and closing gifts; communicate proactively regarding progress and opportunities
• Analyze data and continually monitor progress to improve program; renew and upgrade current donors and increase constituency participation rates; regularly produce reports utilizing the Raiser’s Edge database on progress, results, and trends for the Board of Trustees, Advancement Committee, and Advancement Office
• Build and maintain authentic relationships; strengthen school relationships through personal visits (in person, virtually, phone) with an emphasis on new families and alumni
• Manage third-party platforms such as ConstantContact, GiveCampus, and Thankview and serve as point of contact for vendors
• Collaborate and assist in the production of the annual Bulletin magazine, Report on Philanthropy, and other print and digital collateral
• Assist with the planning and implementation of in-person and virtual advancement events, including donor and alumni events, as well as admissions and all-school events
• Assist with Institutional Advancement and school-wide communications such as mailings and regular updates to the advancement sections of the Shore website
• Assist with database management and data integrity of Raiser’s Edge
• Coordinate giveaways and stewardship gifts

Alumni Relations

• Develop, manage, and implement an alumni relations program to foster life-long relationships between alumni, families of alumni, grandparents, and the school, including programming, events (in person and virtual), communications, and stewardship
• Set annual strategy and goals; benchmark program against peer schools and ensure long-term sustainability and program success
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with alumni locally and nationally to cultivate networking, engagement, and volunteerism; establish and build relationships with alumni representing diverse identities and backgrounds; deepen relationships to increase engagement and giving; recruit and retain alumni volunteers
• Recruit, coach, staff, and support the Alumni Association Executive Committee and support their initiatives
• Design programming for current students and young alumni to ensure Shore alumni understand the value of a long-term relationship with the school
• Plan, create, and implement ongoing communications utilizing email, social media, web presence, print, and other outlets; remain up to date on current methods and innovations to effectively communicate with alumni; coordinate regular alumni e-newsletter and oversee collection and sharing of alumni news
• Plan, develop, implement, and promote meaningful strategies and events to strengthen the alumni network and engage alumni in the life of the school including reunions, networking, service opportunities, student assemblies, and more
• Coordinate giveaways and gifts to graduates and alumni

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Commitment to the mission and values of Shore Country Day School, including the Community Code and Equity and Inclusion Commitment
• Strong relationship-builder with excellent interpersonal skills (in person, by phone and virtually), communication skills (verbal and written), and organizational skills
• Strong technology skills, including Google applications, Word, Excel, design of web-based communications, and ability to learn new platforms
• Experience with data segmentation and analysis; understanding of fundraising software (preferably Raiser’s Edge), gift processing and donor relations, social networking, and electronic marketing
• Exceptional attention to detail and follow-through, as well as an ability to balance competing priorities while meeting deadlines
• Energetic team player with an ability to provide prompt, courteous customer service and listen carefully to and understand others’ needs, both internally and externally; a positive, can-do mentality, sense of humor, and proven ability to work in collaboration within cross-functional partnerships and inspire others
• Proven ability to make strategic decisions, solve problems, manage own workflow and tasks and independently manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to exercise a high degree of professional judgment and discretion while maintaining a high level of confidentiality
• Comfort and confidence to interact in a variety of social settings and connect enthusiastically with people representing a variety of identities, backgrounds, and generations
• Understand industry best practices and embrace professional development
• Effectively plan, track, and manage budgets
• Ability to work occasional evenings and/or weekends; light travel—including overnight travel—is sometimes required, both locally and out of state

Compensation

Salary commensurate with education and experience.

To Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, and two writing samples to the attention of Katie Kozin, Director of Institutional Advancement, at [email protected].

Candidates with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences are strongly encouraged to apply.

A criminal background check will be conducted.

Equity & Inclusion Commitment
At Shore…

• We are a safe community that empowers the exploration and expression of our true selves.
• We thrive because we confront bias and honor the diverse identities of all people.
• We pursue individual and systemic cultural competence in order to model equity leadership in a complex world.