Senior Director, Annual Giving Programs - Hybrid

The Senior Director, Annual Giving Programs is the chief architect and strategist for Wellesley College’s annual fundraising ecosystem. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President, Development and Campaign Director, the Senior Director provides visionary leadership for a comprehensive program that secures essential unrestricted and current-use support. This role is responsible for the design, execution, and continuous optimization of a multi-channel operation that engages alumnae and friends to support Wellesley’s mission: to provide an excellent liberal arts education to women who will make a difference in the world.

The Senior Director holds explicit accountability for meeting and forecasting annual revenue goals ($12M+) and overseeing the strategic growth of the donor pipeline. A high-priority mandate is to drive participation among young alumnae (2010s/2020s) and ensure annual giving strategies are seamlessly integrated with broader Campaign priorities. Leading a high-performing team focused on volunteer management and frontline fundraising, the Senior Director serves as a key bridge-builder with the Wellesley College Alumnae Association (WCAA) and Communications and Public Affairs (CPA).

• Direct ownership of annual dollar and participation goals. Responsible for revenue forecasting and the design of multi-year strategies to reverse national participation trends, with a specific focus on the 2010s and 2020s cohorts.

• Lead the overarching strategy for Reunion Giving, ensuring annual fund goals are aligned with broader Campaign priorities and Major Gift objectives. Drive strategy for milestone reunions to maximize both immediate revenue and long-term donor lifetime value.

• Lead a sophisticated omni-channel approach with an emphasis on digital acquisition, peer-to-peer fundraising, SMS, and the adoption of emerging technologies to emphasize modernization. Serve as a key strategic partner to CPA and Development Marketing in the design of Giving Day.

• Supervise a team of frontline fundraisers and support staff. Oversee high-level volunteer recruitment and training, fostering a culture of high-stakes results and professional mentorship.

• Partner with the Fundraising Analytics team to translate data-driven insights and models into actionable fundraising tactics. Incorporate provided analytics to identify leadership prospects and refine segmentation strategies.

• Manage the Annual Giving departmental budget and maintain relationships with external direct response agencies. Coordinate with LTS and the AVP of Information Strategy and Operations on technology-related vendor partnerships and platform integrations.

• This position supervises up to three frontline fundraisers and up to three annual fund coordinators, in addition to an administrative assistant.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

• Experience:
  
  10+ years of progressively responsible experience in educational fundraising or a related field.

• Leadership:
  Proven track record of managing staff and large-scale, multi-channel projects.

• Financial Oversight:
  Proven experience managing budgets and accountability for eight-figure revenue targets.

• Strategic Architect:
  Ability to align annual giving with long-term campaign goals and major gift pipelines.

• Modernization & Digital Depth:
  Expert knowledge of the modern digital landscape, including digital acquisition, peer-to-peer tools, and omni-channel orchestration; ability to work collaboratively across departments (CPA/Marketing) to execute digital initiatives.

• Collaborative Leadership:
  Ability to navigate a complex institutional environment, specifically partnering with Communications, the Alumnae Association, Fundraising Analytics, and Information Strategy/LTS.

• Analytical Application:
  Ability to interpret complex data and reports from the Fundraising Analytics team to pivot strategies and…