Director of Alumni Engagement, Chicago State Foundation (CSF

Director of Alumni Engagement, Chicago State Foundation (CSF)

Position Information

Title
- Director of Alumni and Individual Engagement, Chicago State Foundation (CSF)

Working Title
- Director of Alumni Engagement, Chicago State Foundation (CSF)

Salary Range - $100,000 Annual

Employee Class
- Administrator

Department - CSU Foundation

Full-time/ Part-time
- Full-time

Hours Per Week - 40

Standard Work Week
- Monday-Friday

Benefits
- This position is eligible for health, dental, life insurance and other benefits through Chicago State University.

Job Summary
- The Director of Alumni Engagement is responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive alumni engagement strategy for Chicago State University (CSU), an institution with a tight-knit alumni community and a strong mission-driven culture. This position serves as the University's lead alumni engagement strategist and primary point of contact for alumni relations—building programs that deepen alumni pride, improve participation, increase alumni giving and strengthen long-term philanthropic support.

Job Description
- Alumni Engagement Strategy & Program Execution

Develop and implement an annual alumni engagement plan aligned with CSU and Foundation priorities

Establish measurable goals for alumni participation, event engagement, volunteerism, and giving

Serve as lead staff liaison to the Alumni Association (board/leadership as applicable), supporting planning, communications, and operations

Build a scalable annual programming calendar with a balanced mix of signature events, regional/virtual offerings, and affinity-based engagement

Programming, Events & Volunteerism

Plan and execute CSU alumni programs and events such as:

Homecoming alumni experiences and class-year reunions

Regional alumni gatherings and virtual networking sessions

Alumni mentoring and career engagement (especially aligned with student success and workforce outcomes)

Affinity engagement (Greek organizations, athletics alumni, academic colleges, young alumni, etc.)

Recruit and manage alumni volunteers and ambassadors to expand reach and capacity

Develop run-of-show, content, vendor coordination, and logistics for events with limited internal staffing

Advancement Collaboration & Philanthropic Pipeline

Partner closely with Fundraising Staff to:

Grow alumni giving participation through Giving Day, the annual Gala, annual giving, and targeted campaigns

Cultivate and engage alumni leaders who can serve as fund champions, matching gift prospects, and peer fundraisers

Partner with Individual Giving on alumni-to-donor pipeline strategy and coordinated recognition efforts

Identify and refer engaged alumni with philanthropic capacity to Individual Engagement

Maintain regular pipeline review meetings with Individual Engagement using agreed criteria to define "ready for cultivation".

Communications & Digital Engagement

Serve as content lead for alumni engagement messaging (working with the Foundation Marketing Associate and CSU Marketing & Communications as needed)

Produce alumni newsletters, event promotions, engagement campaigns, and digital updates

Ensure consistent messaging and brand alignment across alumni touchpoints (email, web, social platforms, video, etc.)

Elevate alumni storytelling—highlighting career outcomes, community impact, and CSU pride

Data Management & Systems Improvement

Maintain and improve alumni data systems and engagement tracking (CRM, email lists, segmentation)

Develop dashboards and reporting to evaluate program performance and alumni participation trends

Strengthen data capture at events and online interactions to improve engagement and giving outreach

Cross-Campus Leadership & Relationship Building

Collaborate across campus to co-produce alumni programming and communications with:

Deans and Colleges

Athletics and student success initiatives

Career Services / Workforce Equity initiatives

University Marketing & Communications and Student Affairs as applicable

Represent CSU and the Foundation professionally in alumni-facing spaces

Alumni Participation Metrics (Performance Outcomes)

The Director is expected to establish baseline metrics and drive annual improvements, including:

Increase unique alumni engagement 15% year-over-year

Deliver 6 alumni programs/events annually (minimum 3 in-person and 3 virtual/hybrid)

Achieve 400 total alumni participants annually, including 100+ alumni engagement during Homecoming programming

Recruit and activate 25 alumni volunteers annually, including 10 Giving Day ambassadors

Increase alumni Giving Day participation 15% year-over-year (in partnership with Individual Engagement)

Improve deliverable alumni emails/data quality 10% annually through data capture and outreach

Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required;
Master's preferred

6–8 years of relevant experience in alumni relations, advancement, donor engagement, nonprofit engagement, or related field

Demonstrated success developing engagement strategies and delivering programs with limited staffing/resources

Strong project management…