Job no: 509507
Work type: Staff Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: Athletics
Union: PSU
Categories: Public Relations, Marketing, Communications, Athletics, Professional Staff Union (PSU)

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

The Director of Annual Fund and Communications - Athletics Development focuses on various components of the Minutemen Club annual fundraising activity, and on-going constituent engagement. The position will have direct oversight of the annual giving program, athletics development communications (website, social and email), and serve as a liaison to several teams with an emphasis on annual donations, alumni and student-athlete connection and constituent engagement. This position will also oversee the athletic department emails process and work collaboratively with the sales, marketing and ticket offices. This individual should have an interest in growing professionally within the area of athletic development. The position reports directly to the Senior Associate Athletic Director / Executive Director of Development.

Essential Functions

• Manage various components of a comprehensive athletics annual giving program. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Drive the development of annual giving goals and implementation plans.
  • Direct and oversee the solicitation of former student-athletes, alumni, friends and parents.
  • Develop strategies to increase donor retention, upgrades, and donor acquisition in all annual giving programs.
  • Create collateral materials and other visual assets to support fundraising initiatives.
  • Lead and coordinate annual giving day(s) efforts (i.e. UMass Gives) to achieve department and team goals.
• Own the fundraising and engagement coordination of 6-8 teams and head coaches as assigned – including secondary support with football, men’s and women’s basketball and hockey programs.
  • Assist with alumni and donor engagement communications.
  • Coordinate annual plan to meet fundraising goals.
  • Attend home sport-specific events a needed.
• Charged with the creative direction of athletic development communication (website, social media and emails)
• Oversee and coordinate all aspects of e-mail activities for the athletic department.
  • Generate, edit, and fulfill a comprehensive calendar for e-mail communications to various constituent groups, fans, alumni, and students on a weekly basis.
  • Collaborate heavily with marketing, ticketing, and fundraising personnel to maximize effectiveness of communications with the goal of driving incremental revenue.

Other Functions

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Two to four years of external athletics operations (communications, marketing, sales, ticket operations, etc.) experience is required.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills are required.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.
• High level computer skills including familiarity with Microsoft software (Outlook, Excel and Word), Adobe Photoshop and HTML
• Ability to work with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment.
• Evening and weekend work required.
• Ability to relate well to athletic department constituents (alumni, donors, season ticket holders) from varied backgrounds and different age ranges is required.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

Two to four years of external athletics operations (communications, marketing, sales, ticket operations, etc.) experience with a focus on athletic development or sales.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

Typical Office environment activity.

Work Schedule

Monday- Friday, 37.5 hours per week. Evenings and weekends may be required depending on the demands of the position.

Salary Information

PSU Level 26.

Salary Chart

Special Instructions to Applicants

In order to ensure consideration, please include with your application, a cover letter, resume, and contact information for 3 professional references by the priority deadline of August 10, 2021. The position may remain open until filled.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Advertised: Jul 27 2021 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: