Assistant Director, Alumni Events and Programs

Position Summary

The Columbia College Development and Alumni Relations (CCDAR) team serves the more than 55,000 living alumni of Columbia College along with current and past College parents and friends. We are an innovative team of development and alumni relations professionals committed to fostering strong, lasting relationships between Columbia alumni, parents, students and friends through engagement, participation and philanthropic investment. We connect stakeholders to opportunities that support College goals and advance engagement and fundraising priorities.

Reporting to the Director of Alumni Events and Programs within CCDAR, the Assistant Director is responsible for the support of Columbia College’s Reunion program with guidance from the Director, and supports individual reunion events and several volunteer committees for milestone classes. These duties include, but are not limited to, volunteer committee management, meeting preparation, event management, data research and reporting, volunteer boards and alumni communications and general assistance for the operations of the team. The Assistant Director works independently and handles multiple responsibilities, requiring strong prioritization skills to be successful in this role. A successful candidate is interested in forming relationships with alumni volunteers and creating opportunities for alumni to engage with Columbia College.

Responsibilities

Reunion Planning and Reunion Committee Management

• Works with the Director to develop the programming and overall strategy for Columbia Reunion.
• Manages Reunion committees in collaboration with the Director and development colleagues. Responsibilities may include drafting emails, leading volunteer committee meetings, pulling data, researching potential venues, and planning class events.
• Oversees the Reunion Ambassadors program, providing resources and touch points throughout the year to support their goals.
• Directs the Golden Lions program (alumni 50+ years beyond graduation) including outreach, annual events, and Reunion programming.
• Coordinates alumni featured panels and manages the alumni speakers.
• Partners with Development and Alumni Relations Marketing colleagues to implement the rollout of Reunion marketing.
• Serves as a staff liaison to the Columbia College Alumni Association (CCAA) Reunions and Homecoming Committee.
• Partners with other undergraduate school staff on the implementation and coordination of Reunion; leads meetings with counterparts from The Fu Foundation School of Applied Sciences, The School of General Studies and Barnard College.

Data and Reporting

• Researches, prepares and updates reports related to Reunion and other alumni relations and development projects.

Event Staffing

• Responsible for supporting the implementation and staffing of a variety of large and small scale events throughout the year.

Other Duties as Assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and/or its equivalent
• A minimum of 2 years of related experience
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team is essential
• Discretion, attention to detail and ability to manage multiple responsibilities under changing deadlines in a fast-paced office
• Proficiency with word processing, including mail merge and e-mail merges
• Excellent spreadsheet skills and experience with presentation software (i.e. PowerPoint)

*Applications submitted without a cover letter and résumé will not be reviewed*

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a university or other complex organization preferred