Director of Annual Giving & Alumni Relations

About SUNY Maritime College:

SUNY Maritime College located on a 55-acre scenic waterfront property on the outskirts of New York City on the Throggs Neck peninsula where the East River meets Long Island Sound. The campus blends the best of two worlds: a comfortable college-town feel with the greatest city in the world. An impressive view of the sound extends toward the North Atlantic, yet only a few miles away are Yankee Stadium and midtown Manhattan.

SUNY Maritime offers an array of employment opportunities stemming from entry level to professional positions which encourage growth and development among its employees.

The State University of New York Maritime College is an undergraduate and graduate institution focused on engineering, business, science, and maritime transportation. SUNY Maritime College was founded in 1874 and holds the distinction of being the first and largest maritime school in the United States.

Job Description:

The Director of Annual Giving & Alumni Relations provides leadership for a comprehensive annual giving and alumni engagement program that increases philanthropic support, grows participation from alumni, parents, friends and industry, strengthens leadership and annual giving pipelines, and fosters lifelong relationships with alumni and friends. The Director, under the guidance of the VPIA, oversees the strategy, execution, and evaluation of annual giving, alumni relations, advancement communications and cornerstone engagement events in support of institutional priorities.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive multichannel annual giving program, including digital, direct mail, email, events, texting, and engagement-based fundraising
• Lead annual Giving Day strategy and execution, including goal-setting, volunteer engagement, stewardship, and post-campaign analysis
• Grow unrestricted annual giving, alumni participation, donor retention, and the recurring giving program
• Develop and manage leadership annual giving programs, including acquisition, upgrade, and retention strategies
• Strengthen participation in the Admiral's Council (donor $1,000+) through targeted engagement and stewardship efforts
• Develop targeted giving programs for key constituencies such as athletics, parents, students, affinity groups, and recurring donors
• Work collaboratively with campus partners in planning and executing cornerstone annual events, integrating donor engagement and fundraising opportunities into programs such as the Admiral's Dinner, Homecoming, and Athletic Hall of Fame
• Use data, analytics, and prospect research to guide strategy, segmentation, and pipeline development
• Partner with the Major Gift Officer to support reunion class giving campaigns and identify prospects for ongoing cultivation
• Promote a culture of philanthropy through initiatives such as a student-led thank-a-thon and senior class giving program
• Other duties as assigned

Alumni Relations:

• Lead alumni engagement strategies that build lifelong relationships and support philanthropic participation
• Coordinate class-based reunion engagement and fundraising programs
• Collaborate with class representatives to plan and execute milestone reunions, including committee meetings and volunteer engagement
• Engage leadership of upcoming reunion classes early to strengthen participation and giving outcomes
• Partner with Marketing and Communications on segmented alumni messaging, storytelling, and engagement calendars
• Provide oversight of alumni-focused events, ensuring alignment with engagement, fundraising, and stewardship goals
• Support alumni-facing initiatives that advance engagement, philanthropy, and institutional branding

Requirements:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in annual giving, alumni relations, or related advancement work
• Demonstrated success managing annual giving or engagement programs with measurable results
• Excellent communication, project management, and collaboration skills
• High level of proficiency working with Raiser's Edge/NXT and other fundraising platforms
• Flexible, adaptable and ability to work across all areas of institution

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience…