Alumni Relations Manager

The Alumni Relations Manager reports to the College of Engineering’s Advancement Manager and is a core member of the Advancement Office. Provide daily management of a comprehensive program of alumni relations and coordination of the annual fund raising efforts for the College of Engineering.

The Alumni Relations Manager is responsible for the following areas:

• Alumni Communication, Engagement, and Records
• Gift Stewardship
• Annual Fund Program
• Alumni Awards submission
• Alumni Events including but not limited to: On campus events, Regional alumni events, Engineer’s Day alumni award events

Some weekend and night work required. Ability to travel as needed.

This is a position for someone who enjoys broad-ranging tasks and responsibilities in a dynamic department. The Alumni Relations Manager establishes and maintains communication links with internal and external constituencies and assists faculty, staff, students, and visitors in support of the mission of the department. The incumbent also recommends strategies for strengthening alumni participation and support, oversees the implementation and management of assigned programs which includes the recruitment and coordination of a volunteer alumnus base, and maintains and updates the alumni database to track engagement, attendance, and donations. The incumbent will work closely with fundraising, marketing, and other college departments and the UW Foundation to align alumni relations strategies with organizational goals.

This position requires excellent administrative, organizational, oral and written communication, computer, and interpersonal skills in order to carry out the duties set forth. The incumbent is expected to utilize a considerable amount of independent initiative and judgment, exercising a high level of administrative problem solving, analytic ability, and confidentiality. It is critical that the incumbent establishes and maintains effective working relationships with individuals and groups at all levels of the organization and always uses discretion in carrying out their duties.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Plans, directs, and executes alumni visits and discovery calls, passing leads to the appropriate major gift officers to cultivate relationships to assist in achieving established donor goals
• Monitors, organizes, and updates donor records, and implements operating policies and procedures
• Plans and directs staff implementation of the annual giving campaign and identifies opportunities for new programs and events to increase donor contributions, and serves as a subject matter expert on annual giving strategies
• Plans and leads the implementation of major alumni events, volunteer committees, and activities in alignment with strategic initiatives and objectives
• Identifies, proposes, and implements new or revised stewardship operational policies and procedures
• Plans and directs staff implementation of advancement initiatives and programs in alignment with the strategic plan, evaluating advancement strategy effectiveness
• Serves as a unit liaison for internal and external stakeholders, answers questions, and provides information about established programs based on set material or standards
• Leads the development, production, and dissemination of communication and branding strategies and materials for the unit
• Identifies data trends, errors, and insufficient data; and reports variances according to established policies and procedures

Department: College of Engineering, Advancement

Compensation: The starting salary for the position is $58,000, but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Required Qualifications:

• A minimum of 2 years of experience in a professional relationship building role such as event planning, student engagement, alumni and/or donor relations among others.
• Professional event planning experience.
• Ability to work collaboratively and courteously with faculty, staff, students, alumni, other constituents, and the general public.
• Demonstrated ability to strategize, implement, and build alumni affinity and communications activities, along with a talent for motivating and coordinating volunteers.
• Strong oral and written skills with high degree of office management/administrative skills.
• Flexibility and initiative, as well as the ability to work independently, combined with the skills for thriving in a team environment to achieve institutional goals.
• High professional and ethical standards for handling confidential information.
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks simultaneously with close attention to detail and prioritization to meet deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with email marketing tools
• Experience with utilizing a CRM database
• Higher education or nonprofit experience
• Experience with Excel or Google sheets

Education: Bachelor’s degree required, focus in public relations, communications, marketing or related field preferred

How to Apply:

Applicants will be asked to upload a resume and cover letter outlining relevant qualifications and experience as it pertains to the required and preferred qualifications outlined in this job posting.

Contact Information:

Cassandra Bocchieri
1415 Engineering Dr
bocchieri@wisc.edu

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.