"Assistant Director, Reunion and Volunteer Giving"

Position Summary

The Assistant Director, Reunion and Volunteer Giving is a member of Rice University's Annual Giving class and program management team and will be responsible for developing strategy and tactics to increase participation among key Rice constituencies, including, but not limited to, undergraduate alumni, graduate-level alumni, students, parents, faculty/staff, donors and volunteers, with a focus on increasing annual giving total dollars raised. The Assistant Director will develop and implement one or more strategic program plans as part of the comprehensive annual plan and will also manage the fundraising efforts for a program and/or a portfolio of classes that may also work through a five-year reunion cycle. The Assistant Director will engage with, and personally solicit, high profile donors and volunteers within an actively managed portfolio to achieve the ambitious annual giving goals in a given fiscal year.

The ideal candidate will have experience soliciting leadership-level gifts, managing volunteers and projects, and facilitating peer-to-peer solicitation.

Workplace Requirements

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Must possess (or have the ability to obtain one within 30 days of hire) and maintain a valid Texas driver's license with no more than three moving violations and/or at fault accidents within the past 36 months, and no convictions or deferred dispositions for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving Under the Influence (DUI) within the past five years.

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime*.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
• One or more (1+) year of related experience in fundraising, program or project coordination, volunteer management, and/or related experience (experience may be gained while a student)

Skills

• Ability to learn new strategies
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Data analysis skills
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Good organizational and time management skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules
• Attention to detail and ability to quickly understand and remember details about alumni/donors and projects to which they are assigned
• Experience with direct mail, telemarketing, and/or database marketing

Preferences

• Two or more years of experience in annual giving, preferably at an institution of higher education
• Experience working with volunteers to achieve goals set for time-based campaigns
• Experience making face-to-face solicitations, especially at a leadership giving level ($2,500 and above)
• Experience in manipulating database information
• Experience with peer-to-peer fundraising software
• Experience using generative or predictive artificial intelligence to develop fundraising strategies
• Ability to think strategically and to prioritize as well as to create and/or follow processes
• Personal initiative, curiosity to learn and flexibility to adjust one's schedule to accomplish important tasks
• Demonstrated desire to help grow a strong program into an even stronger one
• Knowledge of fundraising database software concepts
• Familiarity with fundraising in a higher education environment

Essential Functions

• Provides recommendations for the design of appeal materials developed by the marketing team
• Tracks and analyzes results of development activities, to determine the effectiveness of outreach efforts
• Makes recommendations to manager for more effective solicitation appeals
• Works with a portfolio of assigned prospects to prioritize solicitation based on data analysis, prepare background information, and, as appropriate, engage with volunteers to further solicitation priorities
• Monitors, analyzes, and reports on overall results to internal and external constituencies, as needed
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Up to 30% out-of-town travel
• Some evening and weekend work hours are required

Special Instructions to Applicants

All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.