Assistant Director

Apply now Job no:502028
Work type:Exempt Staff Full-time
Location:Bethlehem
Categories:Development/ Alumni Relations

The Digital Gift Officer (Assistant Director) delivers effective multi-channel outreach to Lehigh University alumni that will initiate relationships resulting in increased alumni giving. An active member of the annual giving team, this individual grows revenue and donor counts through solicitations and targeted fundraising campaigns. Responsible for developing / implementing a strategic fundraising plan to increase alumni giving and retention, with a particular focus on recent alumni.

1. Fundraising: Digitally manage, engage and solicit a pool of alumni prospects for gifts to Lehigh, with a focus on young alumni. The incumbent will strategically solicit annual gifts from prospects using various communication methods, including video, texting, phone, social media and virtual visits
*Identify, cultivate and solicit young alumni prospects through digital tools, and initiate strategies to deepen relationships with the University
*Conduct targeted contact with 1,000+ identified alumni throughout the year
*Focus on soliciting unrestricted support and increasing contributions from the prospect pool by more than $50,000 over previous year
*Research and learn best practices within this relatively new field of digital fundraising
*Develop Lehigh Fund/Financial Aid and Scholarship content to share with young alumni
*Meet with Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) colleagues and University partners as appropriate, to refer potential major gift leads and collaboratively outline strategic next steps

2. Stewardship: Through this one-to-many strategy, this role involves delivering a personal touch with every interaction, providing concierge-style service to existing and prospective donors while building stronger connections in the pursuit of identifying prospects for deeper cultivation by individual prospect managers
*Focus on retention; tailor and segment monthly communications to donors to cultivate and steward meaningful relationships with this dedicated group of constituents; apply data analytics to develop and execute strategies to make initial contact with current and recent donor
*In partnership with Donor Relations and Alumni Relations, reach out to constituents to strengthen their relationship with the University; celebrating milestones such as birthdays, graduation anniversaries, upcoming local events etc.
*Write and send texts, emails and/or hand-written letters demonstrating impact and appreciation to donors
*Work with colleagues within DAR to formulate plans around marketing and/or communications of recognition societies

3. Digital Marketing: works in collaboration with colleagues throughout DAR to develop and implement strategies aimed at digital engagement of alumni with a particular focus on philanthropic opportunities
*Develop a comprehensive digital impact strategy that coincides with solicitation and cultivation strategy for identified segments of the alumni body
*Drive the creation of donor-centric content to demonstrate impact with the intent of yielding increased donor counts
*Strive to strengthen alumni agency, which creates connections by showing how the University makes a significant, sustainable difference in the world
*Curate information from technology such LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others to measure demonstrated interest for University priorities
*Identify alumni influencers in the digital and social media realms who can help drive philanthropic revenue
*Work in concert with partners in Alumni Relations on engagement strategies and across *Individual Giving for solicitation strategies, with a focus on creating and sharing digital content to support giving priorities
*Collaborate with other marketing professionals in DAR, as well as partners across campus, to curate relevant stories and/or initiatives to share with targeted audience segments
*Share updates to biographical data and communications preferences learned through outreach with foundation and alumni association colleagues to strengthen quality of data in customer relationship management database

Grade: 9 – 40

Position Number: S82610

Special Considerations

The duties of this position may allow the employee to work partially remote as deemed appropriate by the supervisor

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in related field or equivalent combination of education and experience

Three to five years related work experience

Excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, time management and sound judgment 

Adept use of digital communication preferred 

Proven ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and a high degree of initiative for bringing tasks to completion

Solid analytical, decision making and problem-solving skills

Ability to build, foster and maintain positive professional relationships

Excellent computer skills with experience using word processing, spreadsheet, database and presentation software

Successful completion of standard background checks including but not limited to: social security verification, education verification, national criminal background checks, motor vehicle checks, PATCH, FBI fingerprinting, Child Abuse Clearance and credit history based upon the requirements of the position

All Lehigh faculty and staff are required to be fully vaccinated and receive a booster shot six months after their second vaccine; unless they receive an approved medical or religious exemption from the requirement.

Only complete applications will be considered therefore please complete the application in its entirety.  Once the posting is removed from the website applications may no longer be allowed to be completed.

Advertised:January 26, 2023 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close:Open until filled