Director of Marketing and Donor Growth (Annual Giving)- Rice University

Job Description

To be considered for the Director of Marketing and Donor Growth (Annual Giving) opportunity at Rice University, please submit your resume and cover letter in confidence to Paradigm Advancement Group at [email protected] with the subject line: Director of Marketing and Donor Growth (Annual Giving) at Rice University. 

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Executive Director, Annual Giving, the Director of Marketing and Donor Growth (Annual Giving) is a forward-thinking, highly innovative partner who leads a team of professionals to develop and execute a sophisticated, university-wide direct marketing fundraising strategies. This role oversees and drives strategy to increase and diversify the number of donors and philanthropic dollars to Rice University, with an emphasis on support of current use funds. Additionally, this person will manage a team of individuals focused on mass highly segmented solicitations, emerging technologies, and overall direct response. The Director of Marketing and Donor Growth (Annual Giving) is key in the shift to use digital components in fundraising to align with the industry trend that identifies digital as the future and will be a key collaborator across campus.   

The ideal candidate is a data-driven, strategic thinker with a passion for leveraging modern fundraising and annual giving marketing practices in support of higher education. This person is a collaborative team player and will have experience in direct marketing, emerging fundraising technologies, and staff management.

Workplace Requirements:

• Open office environment
• Occasional travel to conferences
• Some weekend and evening work hours are required

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s Degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis may be substituted
• 4+ years of direct marketing experience, preferably in fundraising, and/or related experience in development
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

Skills: 

• Leadership and strategic management skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to lead and motivate others
• Ability to manage a large number of project activities simultaneously
• Ability to engage and motivate groups of diverse individuals
• Strong ability to understand customer needs and show good judgment and diplomacy 
• Strong attention to detail and ability to quickly understand and remember details about alumni/donors and projects to which they assigned

Preferences:

• Three to five years of annual giving experience at an institution of higher education or non-profit organization
• 3+ years of management experience 
• Experience creating and implementing complex, multi-channel fundraising marketing campaigns
• Experience using generative or predictive artificial intelligence to develop marketing or fundraising strategies
• Ability to direct, manage, implement, and evaluate department operations
• Ability to demonstrate good judgment in dynamic situations
• Ability to display confidence as a mentor and collaborator
• Ability to utilize strong time management skills
• Ability to analyze data and make data-driven decisions to set goals
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• Knowledge of emerging fundraising technologies
• Knowledge of project management fundamentals and the ability to influence across teams
• Strong familiarity with fundraising CRM
• Ability to think strategically, to work collaboratively, to prioritize, and to create and follow processes
• Ability to build, manage, and motivate a team
• Ability to direct staff members, students, and campus partners in an organized way to carry out the multitude of background details essential in a successful annual giving campaign
• Certification in digital strategy, generative artificial intelligence, leadership, or nonprofit management

Essential Functions:

• Collaborates closely with the Marketing and Communications team in the Development and Alumni Relations division, as well as the Development Information Services team and the Development Research and Analysis team, on all fundraising projects and campaigns, including, but not limited to: Giving Day, mailings, emails, phone calls, texting, websites, and emerging technologies
• Develops and oversees direct marketing and participation fundraising strategies, and tracks and analyzes results of development activities guiding future solicitations
• Closely monitors return on investment and makes data-based decisions to guide future fundraising strategies
• Designs annual giving programs and goals targeted at increasing philanthropic support for a school, a unit, or the university and works closely with these campus partners on priority campaigns, including Giving Day, to help them achieve their fundraising goals
• Works closely with other colleagues in Development and Alumni Relations to align program goals with the overall philanthropic goals of the university
• Monitors, analyzes, and reports on overall results to internal and external constituencies, as needed
• Oversees vendor relationships to ensure accuracy and effectiveness of philanthropic campaigns and monitors budget efficiency with our contracts
• Stays up to date on the latest fundraising trends, technologies, and strategies and implements them as appropriate
• Manages and leads a team focused on highly segmented solicitations, emerging technologies, and overall direct response
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Build and manage the university’s solicitation calendar, ensuring that all solicitations are segmented, targeted, maintaining key performance metrics, and delivered on time
• Manage audience personas to ensure the right people receive the right message, through the right channels, at the right time
• Set annual strategy for a corporate matching gift program
• Requires extensive contact within the university at all levels, including upper-level administration, in person, in meetings, in writing, and by telephone
• Requires extensive contact outside the university with alumni, parents, and friends of Rice University, often in person, with follow-up by phone or in writing

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits-overview

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity at all levels. It considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

About Us

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.