ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ANNUAL GIVING, Development & Alumni Relations

Tracking Code21500092101217Job Description

Our Mission

We in Boston University Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) harness the power of philanthropy to make an excellent education accessible and welcoming to all, and to advance BU’s global leadership in research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice. To support our work, we have built—and are continuing to build—an outstanding team of dynamic, mission-driven advancement professionals who constantly strive to create an environment where everyone belongs. Where it’s not just about a job, but a career and a community.

Now, our Annual Giving team is looking for a Assistant Director who will help plan and implement direct marketing strategies for schools within the university and the Development & Alumni Relations division.

Annual Giving at Boston University

Each year, alumni, students, parents, and friends choose to support everything from softballs to software at BU. These gifts are then deployed to fund research, provide emergency student assistance, pay for travel to academic conferences, and lots more throughout the year.

Assistant Director, Annual Giving

Reporting to the Senior Associate Director of Annual Giving, the Assistant Director, Annual Giving will be actively involved in supporting Annual Giving’s direct marketing programs with the goal of increasing donor participation. The Assistant Director will assist the Senior Associate Director with managing the creation and execution of appeal letters and emails, building and cleaning data lists, working with internal and external vendors, and managing projects. This position has the opportunity to work in a hybrid work arrangement, with work time both on campus as well as remotely.

Responsibilities:

Direct Marketing:

• Coordinate and implement appeal letters and email campaigns that increase alumni, parents, and friends’ annual participation.
• Works with external printing vendor to produce and mail solicitations and stewardship appeals.
• Ensures that all annual giving projects are completed and deployed on-time.

Content Production:

• Creates audience segments and messaging for annual giving solicitations.
• Collaborates with internal partners to design, write, and produce solicitation materials.

Reporting:

• Collaborate with Data Analyst to produce reporting that helps to inform future marketing strategies for schools/units.
• Communicate central annual giving strategies and current annual giving best practices with schools/units.

Other Duties:

• Manages master direct marketing calendar for annual giving team, ensuring projects stay on schedule and status updates are visible for all team members.
• other duties as requested by the annual giving team to meet the goals of the department.

Required Skills

A cover letter is required for consideration.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Three to five years of experience in higher education development, direct marketing for higher education or related experience.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop), MS Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams).
• Experience with donor CRMs (Blackbaud), marketing automation platforms (Anthology), project management tools (Teams/Basecamp) and commercial printing/production processes is preferred.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with both internal and external audiences.
• Excellent editing skills and a strong attention to detail.
• The ability to work effectively and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to organize and work on multiple and competing projects simultaneously.
• Superior customer service skills for school and unit clients.
• Ability to interact effectively in a comprehensive research university setting.
• The ability to work effectively, and maintain confidentiality, with a variety of campus departments including consultation and advisement of constituent school and unit colleagues.
• A high energy level and strong drive to be successful.
• Ability to think logically and strategically.

But that’s not all we’re looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect, because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement, both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply. If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills, our values, and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the DAR Talent website: https://www.bu.edu/dar-talent/.

Boston University is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-353-6474.

Job LocationBOSTON, Massachusetts, United StatesPosition TypeFull-Time/Regular