Assistant Director, Reunion and Leadership Giving

Job Summary:

The Assistant Director is a frontline fundraising position responsible for managing class-based reunion fundraising campaigns and securing leadership gifts from alumni. Directly oversees reunion fundraising activity, including volunteer management, for a portfolio of classes to primarily raise support from alumni for the HBS Fund. Cultivates, solicits, and stewards gifts of five-, six-, and seven-figures from a portfolio of class-based prospects. Identifies, enlists, and manages volunteer leadership who serve as partners in driving class fundraising activities and leads class fundraising committee meetings and calls. Develops and/or collaborates on class campaign and individual prospect strategies. This position requires a strong command of fundraising principles, a familiarity with the objectives of reunion and leadership giving fundraising, a high level of organization and professionalism, and the ability to work with a sophisticated and high-level alumni constituency.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

• Oversees a portfolio of reunion and non-reunion classes and is responsible for the development and management of class gift committees. Identifies and recruits class leadership and fundraising volunteers, sets goals, develops and implements class fundraising plans as well as collaborates with class leaders and colleagues on individual prospect strategies.
• Manages a portfolio of leadership gift prospects (reunion and non-reunion). Cultivates, solicits, and stewards alumni; coordinate with Gift Opportunities team on proposals and gift agreements; partners with Donor Relations team on stewardship of named funds.
• Determines and executes fundraising strategies to increase reunion class giving, including personal cultivation and solicitations, management of peer-to-peer solicitations, appeals, events, stewardship activities, and strategic visits by School leadership.
• Analyzes fundraising activity to identify ideas for improvement in both dollars raised and participation. Advises on class fundraising strategies, participates in class leadership conference calls, surveys class leadership and donor prospects, and determines solicitation strategies for leadership gift prospects. Works to increase dollars, educate volunteers, and drive donor retention and acquisition in both reunion and non-reunion classes.
• Collaborates regularly across HBS Development and External Relations to promote strategies to move prospects through the gift cycle and to further the case for HBS Fund support.
• Conducts approximately 75 personal visits annually for recruitment, volunteer management, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship purposes. Solicitation activity focused on Investors Society gifts of $25,000 and above. Identifies prospects for longer-term institutional engagement and giving.
• Partners with Direct Marketing colleagues on development of reunion appeals strategy.
• Strategically plans events and programs in support of fundraising activities and partners closely with Alumni Relations to ensure partnership between Reunion fundraising and Reunion program committees and activities.
• In collaboration with Reunion and Leadership Giving leadership, works on special projects to advance overall fundraising objectives.
• Build trust and collaboration by being present on-site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents.
• This role is responsible for other duties as assigned.