"Assistant Director for Annual Giving"

Position Summary

The Assistant Director, Annual Giving plays a pivotal role in surfacing, qualifying, and cultivating prospective donors through high-volume virtual outreach. With a goal of conducting 20+ virtual discovery visits monthly, this role is critical in growing our donor pipeline and ensuring strong handoffs to stewardship and major gift teams. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced, metric-driven environment and brings rigor, curiosity, and warmth to every conversation, and is excited by the challenge of surfacing untapped philanthropic potential in a national and regional portfolio of alumni and friends.

Outcomes

• Meet or exceed performance benchmarks: 1. 20+ discovery visits per month 2. 80%+ of visits yielding documented qualification status 3. Outreach-to-visit conversion rate >25% 4. 100% completion of follow-up tasks within five business days 5. Provide regular reporting and analysis of personal activity and results, including trends and opportunities for refinement
• Add a minimum of 200-250 new qualified prospects to the advancement pipeline annually, categorized by capacity, interest area, and readiness
• Ensure at least 70% of referrals are accepted by gift officers as accurate and appropriately aligned with their work
• At least 50% of qualified prospects express willingness to engage in the future

Essential Functions

Execute Scalable Outreach (40%)

• Use standardized outreach templates (email, text, phone) to connect with unassigned, lapsed, or newly identified prospects
• Leverage calendaring tools and automation (e.g., Calendly) to increase scheduling efficiency and reduce friction in outreach
• Partner with data and research teams to prioritize outreach lists aligned with institutional goals

Conduct Discovery Visits (35%)

• Conduct 20+ virtual qualification visits monthly (Zoom or phone)
• Use a defined question set to assess philanthropic interest, giving potential, and readiness to engage
• Approach each conversation with curiosity, professionalism, and sensitivity to personal narratives

Document & Refer (15%)

• Record all prospect interactions, outcomes, and qualification statuses promptly and accurately in the CRM
• Ensure seamless handoffs of qualified prospects to appropriate gift officers, annual fund teams, or stewardship officers based on alignment and stage
• Track ongoing prospect engagement and status to ensure continuity of relationship building
• Code and tag prospects accurately for ongoing donor journey mapping

Build for Scale (10%)

• Contribute to refining outreach strategies, communication templates, and visit scripts based on performance insights and evolving donor behavior.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of a Discovery Officer playbook for effective discovery engagement for both current and future team members

Experience and Education Required

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Work history that provides experience in a professional work environment
• Previous experience in non-profit or higher education fundraising preferred, but not required.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Skilled communicator with comfort in virtual and phone-based interviews
• Process-oriented and accountable to measurable results
• Familiar with donor CRM systems and calendaring tools
• Passionate about mission-driven engagement and inclusive giving
• Able to balance rigor with donor-centered empathy