Virginia Tech is looking for an Associate Director of Annual Giving (Direct Response Marketing) to lead and execute a best-in-class annual giving direct marketing program to increase revenue and alumni giving participation. The Associate Director will manage a team of two direct reports and collaborate with fundraising channel experts who are part of a transparent, innovative, high performing, and close-knit team culture.

This role is a leader at Virginia Tech who will help tackle one of the biggest challenges in higher education fundraising today: increasing alumni participation while also growing revenue. The Associate Director is the key operational and strategic partner reporting to the Director of Annual Giving. This role will have wide creative and tactical freedom to build omni-channel fundraising campaigns through new and traditional media in collaboration with Marketing & Communications, Engagement, and College fundraisers. The Associate Director leads the annual giving direct marketing strategies which includes building and managing integrated fundraising marketing campaigns, determining a goal-achieving segmentation strategy, optimizing channel performance, and reporting results to leadership.The Associate Director may participate in personalized fundraising outreach as a part of donor retention tactics.

The Associate Director is a pivotal collaborator and self-starter who will be responsible for driving Advancement and other campus partners to support integrated annual giving marketing efforts to build a pipeline of private support for the university, colleges, and other key programs. This role is at the center of annual giving and should be a solutions-oriented thought leader ready to help shape a successful strategy of the future here at Virginia Tech and Advancement.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree and progressive fundraising or marketing experience.
• Experience developing and prioritizing multifaceted, innovative direct marketing fundraising strategies to drive results.
• Track record of successfully managing omni-channel fundraising or marketing campaigns at a company, agency, higher education institution, or nonprofit organization.
• Analytical, data driven curiosity with an inclination to understand fundraising segmentation needs and translate insights into concrete annual giving or marketing campaigns.
• Demonstrated experience leading and building cross functional teams with a knack for managing.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating and responding to diverging perspectives in a professional and courteous manner.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience designing and implementing direct response marketing within a large company, organization, higher education, or nonprofit strongly preferred.
• Understanding of project management fundamentals and ability to bring campaigns from ideation to execution.
• Knowledge of digital marketing or fundraising practices.
• Successful experience working in a complex matrix structure and building teams with a focus on rapid execution.
• Enjoys fast paced work environment and applying new fundraising marketing trends or tactics.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.