Associate Director of Development

Overview

Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Why join the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences?

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is the historic heart of Harvard University. It is the home of Harvard’s undergraduate program (Harvard College, founded in 1636) as well as all of Harvard’s Ph.D. programs (the Harvard Kenneth

C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1872), Harvard Athletics and the Division of Continuing Education. The 40 academic departments and 30+ centers of the FAS support a community unparalleled in its academic excellence across the broadest range of liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Together, the FAS seeks to foster an environment of ambition, curiosity and shared commitment to knowledge and truth that elicits excellence from all members of our community and prepares the next generation of leaders through a transformative educational experience.

Job Summary

The Associate Director of Development at Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education (DCE) will design, implement, and grow impactful annual giving and stewardship programs.

As a key member of DCE’s Advancement team, the Associate Director of Development reports directly to the Director of Advancement, with a dotted-line relationship to Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Development. This structure supports close coordination with FAS development teams, alignment of strategy, and access to shared resources.

DCE’s goal is to secure consistent annual support while broadening awareness of the diverse opportunities for engagement across FAS.

• Development Strategy
• Set and oversee strategy to acquire, retain, and upgrade non-rated and non-managed donors giving between $100 and $10,000, building a robust and sustainable donor pipeline for FAS Development.
• Develop and direct DCE annual fund strategy, including setting fundraising priorities, ensuring alignment with institutional goals, and coordinating closely with FAS to maximize engagement and opportunity for donors.
• Enforce content standards to ensure all fundraising communications align with best practices and University branding, while leveraging FAS Development resources for strategic insight.
• Lead cross-functional, project-based initiatives that advance DCE’s fundraising objectives, including expansion into emerging donor and volunteer communities.
• Develop, implement, and refine policies and procedures to support consistent, scalable, and effective fundraising operations.
• Attend various FAS, DCE and University-wide communications and staff meetings with marketing, stewardship, annual-giving, and research.

• Annual Giving
• Create and provide strategic oversight of annual giving programs in close collaboration with DCE’s Director of Advancement and the FAS Development team, ensuring alignment within institutional priorities and revenue goals.
• Direct and manage a portfolio of annual fund priorities, setting goals, identifying value propositions, allocating resources, and evaluating performance to drive sustainable growth.
• Leverage the alumni database to support annual giving strategy, including donor segmentation and accurate management of biographic records. Develop initiatives and incentives that encourage alumni to update their information, ensuring data integrity and stronger engagement.
• Recruit, lead, and manage the volunteer leaders on Harvard Extension Alumni Association (HEAA) Board of Directors Development Committee; partnering with them to establish and grow peer-to-peer cultivation and stewardship strategies.
• Collaborate with development colleagues across disciplines, including FAS major gifts and planned giving, to design and execute integrated fundraising strategies.
• Build and maintain relationships with peers at comparable institutions to establish benchmarks, share best practices, and assess program effectiveness.

• Donor Stewardship
• Draft and send weekly,…