"Director of Annual Giving"

Director of Annual Giving

University of Puget Sound
Job ID: 8563
Location: Tacoma, WA
Full/Part Time: Full Time
Regular/Temporary: Regular

Appointment: Regular, full-time (1.0 FTE) position.
Work Location: This position is based in Tacoma, WA, and is hybrid eligible (minimum of 3 days on-site) after a successful evaluation period.

Please note that we generally do not sponsor applicants for work visas for staff positions. Therefore, we generally require applicants for staff positions to be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Position Summary

University of Puget Sound seeks an experienced professional to lead and grow programs responsible for raising $2m+ annually in unrestricted giving. As a key leader in the University Relations division and the Constituent Relations cohort (which includes Annual Giving, Alumni & Parent Relations, and Prospect & Information Management), the Director of Annual Giving is a consistent champion for Puget Sound's culture of philanthropy on campus and among 50,000+ alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, and students. As a member of the division's leadership team, the Director of Annual Giving is a key contributor to divisional initiatives that aid the university in meeting its short- and long-term fundraising goals. The director is an externally-facing role with high visibility that reports to the Associate Vice President for Constituent Relations and supervises a forward-facing team of three professional staff and student staff.

The ideal candidate for this position carries a passion and skillset that aligns with the dynamic, diverse nature of the annual fund. The Director of Annual Giving operates at both a strategic and hands-on level, aligning work with industry best-practices, university strategic goals, and the university's centralized fundraising model. The director is charged with meeting each annual Puget Sound Fund goal by way of successfully developing, implementing, and managing a comprehensive multi-channel fundraising program to secure annual, unrestricted gifts through an intentional and diverse suite of strategies, including leadership giving, direct and digital marketing, peer-to-peer volunteer management, giving days, and more. Other key responsibilities include tracking performance, managing budgets, and supporting restricted fundraising initiatives as appropriate. The director also collaborates closely with other colleagues across the division, including the Office of Marketing & Communications, Capital & Planned Giving, Donor Relations, and our esteemed faculty and staff.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

• Meet all Puget Sound Fund goals, including dollars raised and participation targets for key constituencies; both within and beyond the university's Greater, We Ascend comprehensive campaign;
• Champion a culture of philanthropy within Puget Sound's internal and external communities, seeking to educate on and incorporate messages of engagement, philanthropy, and stewardship across all activities and efforts.
• Lead solicitation of the university's top potential Puget Sound Fund donors and make meaningful increases to the the number of donors and gift receipts to the President's Leadership Society, collaborating with university leaders and colleagues in Capital & Planned Giving, Prospect & Information Management, and the Leadership Gift Officer to support leadership-level solicitations and expand the number of leadership-level annual Puget Sound Fund donors;
• Ensure that annual giving contact officer(s) achieve annual personal visit and solicitation goals, including the management of own portfolio that includes prospective annual donors of Puget Sound Fund gifts of $1,000 to $50,000+;
• Develop and execute the overarching mass, omni-channel solicitation strategy and all individual solicitation activities for the Puget Sound Fund that inspire alumni, parents, faculty, staff, friends, and students to understand, initiate and continue giving;
• Manage and direct all aspects of the Office of Annual Giving's constituent volunteer networks from overarching strategy to daily execution of efforts, successfully guiding staff in mobilizing volunteers to expand their impact on outcomes;
• Create, manage, direct, and supervise the university's strategy for giving in seasons of reunion celebration;
• Strategize, direct, and oversee all efforts for Logger Day Challenge, the university's premier giving day (and other giving events as appropriate);
• Supervise various programs managed by annual giving staff members including: The Student Philanthropy Center (Puget Sound's student phonathon program); student philanthropy and/or senior class gift; donor societies such as President's Leadership Society membership; and targeted restricted expendable fundraising initiatives;
• Serve as a leading thought partner for university relations communications, in conjunction with appropriate Office of University Relations colleagues.
• Collaborate with Donor Relations on the stewardship of annual gifts and ensure members of the President's Leadership Society, reunion donors, consecutive donors, and first-time donors receive unique and impactful recognition;
• Build a suite of analytical reports and guides using the division's Raiser's Edge NXT;
• Complete other duties as assigned by the Associate Vice President for Constituent Relations or Vice President for University Relations.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position supervises one assistant director, one leadership gift officer, and one officer manager.

Budget Responsibilities

This position has overall budget management authority for 5047/Annual Giving and for 5048/Phonathon.

Qualifications:

Candidates must be able to explain and/or demonstrate that they possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to safely perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation. The Director of Annual Giving should possess the following qualifications and skills:

• Three or more years in overseeing a fundraising program;
• An understanding of the nuanced, dynamic nature of an annual fundraising environment with a commitment to industry-wide best practices;
• A proven record of successful face-to-face gift solicitation;
• A track record of program management, development, implementation with successfully-met fundraising goals;
• Significant experience working productively with volunteers;
• Excellent organizational and planning skills as well as superior attentiveness to detail and the ability to meet multiple simultaneous deadlines;
• Ability to be innovative while also appreciating university traditions and current practices;
• The ability to work and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with a broad range of internal and external constituents including faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, and friends of the university;
• The ability to work independently, solve problems, handle confidential information, and navigate sensitive situations;
• Superior management and personnel skills, and a track record of leading, managing, and motivating a team to meet and exceed goals;
• Adept in use of software and data, including experience with Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, as well as relationship databases (ideally, Raiser's Edge NXT);
• The willingness and ability to travel if needed; and,
• A bachelor's degree.
• Ability to respectfully work, communicate and provide leadership within a diverse campus community.

Compensation and Benefits

The anticipated range for this position is $86,756 to $95,000. Decisions about starting salaries are made based on the extent and relatedness of the candidate's education and experience and on internal equity and market considerations.

Puget Sound offers a generous benefits package for eligible staff employees, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision
• Life insurance and long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Retirement plan options and 403(b) contributions
• Paid vacation, sick leave, floating holiday, campus holidays and bonus holidays
• Education benefits, such as full tuition for eligible employees and their families
• Access to university facilities and entertainment (fitness center, pool, library, concerts, lectures and more!)

Please note:

• Positions that work less than .75 FTE (1,560 hours per year) do not qualify for long-term disability or education benefits.
• Positions that work less than .50 FTE (1,040 hours per year) will accrue paid sick leave but are not eligible for additional benefits.
• Temporary positions that work at least .50 FTE (1,040 hours per year) will be eligible for benefits.

This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

For more information on Puget Sound's exempt staff benefits package, visit: Summary of 2025 Benefits for Staff Members in Exempt Positions.pdf

Application Deadline:
Review of applications will begin immediately. Search and selection procedures will be closed when a sufficient number of qualified candidates have been identified.

Required Documents:

• Resume
• Letter of Interest

Applications submitted without the required attachments will not be considered.

All offers of employment are contingent on successful completion of all required background checks.

This Position:

• Requires a degree, specific licensure/certification, or other credentials
  Degree/credential required: Bachelors
• Requires the use/operation of a personal, rented, or university vehicle to conduct university business on a regular basis

How to Apply
For complete job description and application instructions, visit: www.pugetsound.edu/employment