Assistant Director, Annual Giving @ NC State University

Adam Compton

Working Title	Assistant Director, Annual Giving
Anticipated Hiring Range	Commensurate with Education and Experience
Work Schedule	Monday - Friday; 8-5, nights and weekends with overnight travel as needed
Job Location	Raleigh, NC
Department	University Development
About the Department	North Carolina State University (NC State) was founded in 1887 with the purpose of creating economic, societal, and intellectual prosperity for the people of North Carolina. Today it is the largest university in North Carolina with more than 34,000 high-performing students, 8,000 pre-eminent faculty and staff, and 205,000 alumni. NC State is known for its leadership in research, education and service, and as a research extensive university, is recognized for its strengths in science, engineering, and technology. The University consistently ranks among the top public national universities and one of the best values in higher education. Primary Function of Organizational Unit – University Development: The mission of University Development within the Division of University Advancement at NC State is to raise philanthropic support for university goals and priorities that benefit our students, faculty, this campus and ultimately, the state of North Carolina. The department includes the offices of Annual Giving, Central Major Gifts, Corporate and Foundation Relations and Gift Planning. In 2016, NC State launched the Think & Do the Extraordinary Campaign, the most ambitious fundraising effort in the history of the university with a $1.6 billion goal. Priorities include dramatically increasing endowment to benefit students and faculty, enhancing facilities and strengthening support for current operations. The mission of the Office of College Advancement (CALS Advancement) is to enhance, promote and support the academic programs, research and the system of agricultural extension services in each county in NC. Within CALS Advancement are the NC Agricultural Foundation, Inc. and the NC Tobacco Foundation, Inc., non-profit, 501©3 organizations formed as a means of supporting agricultural research, extension and teaching activities in the College. The CALS Advancement team works in close partnership with the central University Advancement Office and its partner colleges. CALS is one of the largest colleges of its kind in the nation, with nearly 3,400 students pursuing associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees and 1,300 on-campus and 700 off-campus faculty and staff members. Its research engine ranks in the top of land-grant university colleges. Research expenditures total $130 million annually. Over 28,000 living CALS Alumni make up the pride of the Wolfpack!
Essential Job Duties	The Assistant Director is responsible for serving as a liaison between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The position will be the annual giving fundraising advocate, resource and expert for assigned college(s) and unit(s) while maintaining a strong working relationship with associated staff. In this role, the Assistant Director works with the Annual Giving team to manage and implement fundraising strategies, which align with college and Annual Giving goals. The Assistant Director also monitors all data and trends for the College providing regular updates to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The Assistant Director reports to the Executive Director of Annual Giving and works closely with the Annual Giving staff, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the University Communications team. Duties and Responsibilities: Provide strategic direction and long-range/short-range planning for growing the annual giving program while supporting the greater development and campaign goals of the college. Act as the top annual giving fundraising advocate, resource, and expert for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences while maintaining a strong working relationship with associated staff. Manage and execute mail, email, and web solicitations sent from the annual giving office that utilize content and segmentation strategies for the college. Integrate college’s messaging within the scope of the annual giving team’s university-wide fundraising campaigns. Maximize return for NC State Day of Giving for the college through the utilization of segmentation and unique content. Perform copywriting for fundraising communications of the college. Perform copywriting and editing for university-wide fundraising communications as needed. Partner with NC State and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences marketing, and communications staff for design, editing, videography, and other asset deliverables. Utilize data and reporting information to strategically enhance marketing efforts. Serve as the primary point of contact for the college and provide regular updates to both teams. Follow emerging trends and best practices in annual giving direct marketing strategy. Assists in the detailed planning of annual solicitation programs, which may include special campaigns.
Other Responsibilities	Perform other duties as required or assigned. Attend a variety of events throughout the year. Occasional travel and occasional night and weekend work is required.

Qualifications

Minimum Education and Experience	Post-baccalaureate credentials or Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and at least two or more years of professional-level experience in direct solicitation/fundraising or a closely related field (such as sales) are required.
Other Required Qualifications	Ability to work in a fast-paced, complex, team-oriented environment; Demonstrated project management and organizational skills with a strong attention to detail and deadlines; Strong written and verbal communication skills; Working knowledge of Mac OSX and Windows desktop environments or similar computer software; Ability to work independently, to be creative, and exercise initiative; High energy level and strong drive to be successful; Unquestioned integrity in dealing with confidential information; Open and accessible interpersonal style; good listener; Optimistic, persistent and positive attitude; Knowledge of strategies that target annual giving prospects, donors, and alumni.
Preferred Qualifications	Experience in non-profit development office is preferred; Vendor management is a plus; Familiarity with direct marketing practices and techniques, including test strategies, segmentation strategies, and measurement of results is desirable; Project management experience with the ability to work independently with minimal supervision and make decisions to move the program forward; Proven experience in fundraising operations; Experience producing and executing large scale/comprehensive mailings (50K+ constituents) is desirable; Work experience requiring effective writing, proofing, and editing skills is preferred; Knowledge of principles, practices, and ethics of fundraising; An understanding of the land grant, research Tier One university environment; 1-3 years of experience.