Assistant Director, Volunteer Programs

Assistant Director, Volunteer Programs

Cornell University welcomes candidates for the position of Assistant Director, Volunteer Programs in our Alumni Affairs and Development division, based in Ithaca, NY. This role presents an exceptional opportunity to contribute to the university's advancement efforts.

Position Summary

The Volunteer Programs team is dedicated to facilitating flexible, lifelong journeys for alumni through volunteer engagement opportunities with Cornell. As part of our work, the Volunteer Programs team oversees all stages of the volunteer life cycle, provides volunteer management of university-wide organizations, and manages and supports key events and initiatives like Cornell Volunteer Summit and the Alumni Trustee Election. Cornell University's volunteer program is robust, with over 6,000 alumni, parents, and friends participating annually in more than 400 volunteer communities across the university.

The Assistant Director will play an integral role within the team as the communications specialist for Volunteer Programs, manager of Cornell's CU Volunteer platform, and as the lead for volunteer appreciation and recognition initiatives for Cornell's alumni volunteer population. This position is a great fit for someone with an interest in volunteer community management, external communications, and who understands the value of volunteer appreciation, recognition, and stewardship.

The ideal candidate is creative, detail orientated, deadline driven, and a strong communicator.

Because this role is involved with alumni programs and events, occasional evening and weekend work are required.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the implementation, oversight, and refinement of the volunteer appreciation and recognition initiatives for Cornell's alumni volunteer population, including university-wide alumni awards, Volunteer Appreciation Week, recognition of alumni at the Cornell Volunteer Summit, and coordination of recognition for volunteers ending their terms each fiscal year.
• Serve as the direct engagement officer and volunteer manager for the volunteer committees implementing continuous volunteer engagement and off-boarding for Alumni Affairs top volunteer organizations.
• Manage day-to-day operations of Cornell's alumni volunteer management platform, CU Volunteer, including training and customer service for alumni volunteers, training colleagues, promoting usage of the platform, and working with system vendor to implement system enhancements and upgrades.
• Serve as the Volunteer Programs team communications specialist. Write, edit and distribute newsletters, letters, and other correspondence to facilitate useful and regular communication with various alumni constituencies.
• As part of the larger Engagement Initiatives, Volunteer Programs and College and Unit Partnerships team, participate in executing key alumni and volunteer initiatives and events including – Cornell Volunteer Summit, Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Awards (FHTR), Cornell's Adult University (CAU) events, etc. Additionally, as an Alumni Affairs and Development team member, staff additional signature events including Reunion, Homecoming, and Giving Day.

Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor's Degree and two to four years of relevant experience or equivalent combination.
• Must be organized, detail-oriented, able to work with and around extremely sensitive and confidential information.
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship management, and customer service skills.
• Effective listening, verbal, and written communication skills; the ability to interpret information and ideas to influence others in various situations.
• Strong technology acumen with demonstrated fluency in standard business software such as the Microsoft Office suite…