Associate Director of Development, Annual Giving

American University is a student‑centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly ranked schools and colleges, internationally renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meaningful change in the world.

• Department: Annual Giving
• Time Type: Full time
• Job Type: Regular
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Work Modality: Hybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)
• Union: Excluded

The Associate Director of Development in the Office of Annual Giving serves as a senior annual giving officer. The role is responsible for achieving aggressive solicitation, commitment, qualification, cash, and visit goals set annually while managing a prospect portfolio of at least 200 active prospects—parents, alumni, and friends—with giving capacities from $10,000 to $100,000. The Associate Director personally manages these relationships to identify and qualify new prospects, cultivate, solicit, and close gifts, and steward donors.

• Prospect Cultivation/Solicitation
  • Conduct 120+ strategic, in‑person visits per year to qualify new prospects, cultivate and solicit lead annual gifts of $10,000+, and recruit and engage volunteers.
  • Leverage university and development and alumni relations events, giving days, and targeted direct response marketing to increase year‑over‑year giving for portfolio prospects.
  • Deliver 175+ personalized solicitations for annual and lead annual gifts to meet specific solicitation, commitment, major gift referral, and cash goals.
• Prospect Identification/Qualification
  • In consultation with Annual Giving, Research, and Prospect Management colleagues, create and hone a call list of 500+ lead annual giving prospects in 5‑10 major metro areas in the U.S.
  • Conduct desktop research using various electronic resources; execute mail, phone, and email outreach to assess capacity and qualify inclination; build and constantly refine a portfolio of 200 promising lead annual gift prospects.
• Prospect Stewardship
  • Prioritize intentional stewardship and donor relations to retain and upgrade annual gifts from portfolio prospects.
  • Develop and implement a sustainable lead annual gift stewardship program focusing on cultivating lead annual and eventually major gifts from previously unknown, unrated, or unqualified prospects.
• Collaboration
  • Work closely and collaboratively with development and alumni relations and university partners to maximize productivity.
  • Meet regularly with cross‑campus partners to identify fundraising opportunities and share information with Annual Giving colleagues.
  • Identify prospects for potential engagement through committees, volunteer activities, giving days, and events.
  • Meet with divisional colleagues to facilitate major gift hand‑offs and develop solicitation strategies for specific prospects.
• Other Duties as Assigned
  • Assist in the fulfillment of the broader objectives established by the Vice President of University Advancement.

• Acting Strategically.
• Making Accurate Judgments and Decisions.
• Evaluating and Implementing Ideas.
• Prioritizing and Organizing.
• Serving Customers.
• Acquiring and Analyzing Information.
• Displaying Creativity.
• Developing Plans.

• Full‑time.
• 35 hours per week.
• Seasonal evening and weekend work for scheduled university events and programs.

$70,450.00 – $73,000.00 annually.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• 4 – 6 years of relevant experience.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills (a writing sample may be required).
• Proven track record of successful project management and strong customer/client support.

• Bachelor's degree.
• Experience with front‑line fundraising is strongly preferred.
• Experience with volunteer management is preferred.
• Proficiency in current online and social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Linked In) and e‑communications strategies is preferred.

• This position may require travel outside the Washington metropolitan area 20 – 40% of the time.

American University offers a competitive benefits package. To learn about American University's unique benefit options, visit the benefits portal.