Assistant Director of Alumni Communications & Engagement

Responsibilities

• Collaborates with University partners on philanthropic and engagement communications via email, direct mail, phone, online giving, social media and targeted digital outreach to execute effective solicitation and engagement campaigns.
• Serves as the campus expert for Give Campus, the platform used for annual giving, events, and outreach.
• Serves as the liaison between OPE and University Marketing Communications, ensuring alignment and collaboration on messaging, branding, and promotional strategies for fundraising, alumni engagement, and donor stewardship initiatives.
• Develops tools, processes, procedures, policies and materials to support the alumni engagement and annual giving program, peer-to-peer fundraising efforts, and campus partners to ensure a seamless and positive donor experience.
• Develops OPE communications.
• Researches, writes, and edits a variety of communications, publications, and reports.
• Develops and manages digital and print communications projects.
• Manages the content calendar for OPE communications.
• Acts as content development resource for OPE.
• Assists with implementing a comprehensive annual giving program to acquire, retain, and upgrade annual donors.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least three years of successful experience within higher education or non-profits.
• Experience with writing copy, with basics of marketing, and with communication platforms like Constant Contact.
• Ability to manage multiple projects/functions to produce quality results in a fast-paced environment.
• Project management experience.
• Experience working with data to inform decisions.
• Strong interpersonal skills necessary to build relationships with internal and external constituents.
• Ability to work collaboratively and as a team player.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering a diverse working and learning environment.

Preferred

• Experience within higher education.
• Basic knowledge of fundraising principles, best practices, methods, and standards.
• An understanding of relational databases and report-writing systems.
• Experience with project management tools like Basecamp.
• Experience with Give Campus.
• Knowledge of annual giving and alumni engagement best practices.

Benefits

• Health Insurance Choice of HMO or PPO offered through BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois.
• Dental and Vision Insurance Choice of two dental plans and vision insurance offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield.
• Life Insurance and AD&D 1.5 times annual salary, dependent on age. Additional life insurance also may be purchased for self, spouse, and children.
• Long Term Disability 60% of salary, taxable and nontaxable options.
• TIAA Retirement Account The University offers a 403b retirement plan, administered by TIAA. Matching contributions offered first day of employment to eligible employees, at the discretion of the University and Board of Directors.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) FSAs are available for medical costs and dependent care costs.
• Paid Time Off Vacation, personal, and sick leave are provided to eligible employees.
• Holidays The university observes nine major holidays where the university is closed.
• Tuition Assistance Tuition assistance for AU undergraduate courses is available to eligible employees and eligible family members beginning the term following one (1) year of regular, full-time employment. Tuition assistance for graduate programs paid at 60% for employee following Senior Leadership approval.
• Tuition Exchange Consortiums AU is a member of the Tuition Exchange (TE) and the Council of Independent Colleges Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP) enabling full-time employees and eligible family members to be eligible for tuition assistance at more than 600 universities nationwide. Eligibility for the CIC-TEP and TE programs is one (1) year of regular, full-time employment as of 8/31.