Director of Class Philanthropy and Engagement

Job Description
Department:

Annual Giving

Salary

The Director of Class Philanthropy and Engagement leads Colby’s class-based fundraising and engagement strategy, using reunions, volunteer leadership, and lifelong alumni connections to increase philanthropic participation, current-use support, and the pipeline for leadership and major giving.

The director leads the Class Philanthropy and Engagement team and works in close partnership with colleagues across College Advancement to align class-based strategies with broader fundraising and engagement priorities and drive results for increased support across class and reunion fundraising. The director oversees reunion philanthropy and will lead the 25th and 50th Reunion program; develops and supports volunteer-led engagement and fundraising strategies;

and manages a portfolio of alumni prospects with responsibility for qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

The director is both a fundraising leader and people manager, responsible for translating institutional priorities into coordinated strategies that deepen alumni relationships with Colby and inspire increasing levels of philanthropic support.

The hiring range for this position is $94,000 - $125,000.

• Lead and implement the overall strategy, volunteer opportunities, communications, and execution of reunion and class philanthropy to drive record-breaking alumni participation, maximize philanthropy of Colby alumni, and increase overall engagement.

• Develop and execute class and reunion fundraising strategies in support of annual revenue, participation, retention, upgrade, and pipeline development goals.

• Lead the efforts for the milestone 25th and 50th reunion fundraising programs, including recruiting and building reunion committees through class-specific mass communications, and support personalized recruitment by the classes' chairs and reunion committee members.

• Collaborate with Advancement fundraisers to establish target asks for top prospects in reunion and non-reunion classes and drive strategies to achieve aspirational goals for class fundraising results.

• Establish measurable fundraising goals for class and reunion programs and use results to evaluate performance and inform future strategy.

• Manage a pool of alumni prospects with the capacity to make gifts of $2,500-$100,000; develop and execute a comprehensive moves management strategy for prospects through the processes of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

• Build relationships with alumni and personally cultivate, solicit, and steward donors in support of individual, class, and institutional annual fundraising goals.

• Engage and support team members with class volunteer recruitment seeking to increase the number of volunteers and setting giving as an expectation for volunteers; support class agents once recruited, prepare and convene reunion committee interactions to keep the committees informed and active in fundraising and engagement, and facilitate ongoing communication between class chairs, committees, and various Advancement staff.

• Establish class giving and engagement goals in collaboration with Annual Giving and Advancement leadership and volunteers.

• Develop Top Potential Prospect lists and coordinate and drive strategies with frontline fundraising staff.

• Develop volunteer opportunities and peer-to-peer strategies that strengthen alumni engagement, increase philanthropic participation, and support annual fundraising priorities.

• Provide strategic direction, coaching, and accountability for the Class Philanthropy…