Summary
Description
Employee Benefits
Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.
- Review our detailed benefits information here.
- Explore the additional perks of working at CSU here.
- For the total value of CSU benefits in addition to wages, use our compensation calculator.
Desired Start Date
03/03/2025
Position End Date (if temporary)
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on
02/02/2025
Description of Work Unit
Who We Are
Located in the beautiful town of Fort Collins, Colorado, CSU is a premier land-grant university with world-class programs in education, outreach, and research. CSU has a student body of over 34,000 students, 7,400 employees, 232,000 living alumni, and annual research expenditures exceeding $350 million. Guided by the five supporting Principles of Community: Inclusion, Integrity, Respect, Service, and Social Justice, the University constantly pursues its mission and vision of access, research, teaching, service, and engagement.
Within CSU, the Division of University Advancement is integral to achieving and sustaining the University’s institutional excellence through fundraising and engagement efforts. Our purpose is to connect our alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations to raise the financial support necessary to advance the University’s mission and vision. With one of the leading development teams in the country, the Division most recently reached its $1 billion fundraising campaign goal 19 months ahead of schedule.
CSU Alumni Association facilitates meaningful relationships between its 258,000+ alumni and the University. Using a combination of proven alumni engagement strategies and new, innovative approaches, the Alumni Association strives to celebrate the success of our alumni, build an emotional connection back to the CSU, and help alumni identify connections that are meaningful to them. In addition, the Association also utilizes the Iris & Michael Smith Alumni Center to serve as a place of pride and home to alumni when they return to campus as well as a space to engage students and the campus community.
Position Summary
The Director of Membership and Giving is responsible for directing, developing, and executing a comprehensive acquisition, retention, and stewardship strategy designed to increase membership and giving to the Alumni Association. They will also carry a portfolio of donor prospects with leadership, major, and planned giving potential to support Alumni Association programs, initiatives and scholarships. Membership and giving demonstrates engagement with and support of the University and provides financial support for Alumni Association programming, communications, and outreach.
This Director will engage and build relationships with alumni, donors, volunteers, and Division and University colleagues. This position will develop and direct a sophisticated annual direct mail, digital, and in-person strategy to acquire, upgrade, retain, and renew annual members, and increase overall life members to the Alumni Association. The Director will work to identify areas of collaboration in solicitations sent by Annual Giving, and work closely with the entire annual giving team to enhance each project with digital components, texting, social ads, etc. They will make data driven decisions working closely with the UA analytics team to analyze the success of each project.
The Director will work closely with the Alumni Association team to develop member programs and events, exclusive opportunities, benefits, communications and stewardship opportunities. They will educate and engage staff how best to support and grow the program. They will develop a comprehensive strategy for grad pack renewals and retention and work closely with key partners to develop a plan for this unique segment of alumni. The Director will serve as the membership liaison to UA colleagues, working to weave membership language and collateral distribution into their plans.
This position requires working non-standard hours, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends. This position requires a valid driver’s license with reliable transportation or access to a driver. This is a 12-month, full time appointment and reports to the Senior Director, Alumni Operations. This position will work from the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Required Job Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university by employment start date
- Minimum of 5 years’ professional experience in marketing membership or annual giving programs in an institution of higher education or other non-profit setting
- Minimum of 1 year experience supervising professional staff
- A demonstrated ability to engage and effectively communicate with diverse audiences
- Ability to travel in and out of state and work non-standard hours, including early mornings, evenings and weekends
- Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license or access to a licensed driver by the employment start date
Preferred Job Qualifications
- Experience with direct mail and online solicitations and giving
- Frontline fundraising or sales experience with defined dollar goals
- Ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative metrics for making data driven decisions
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
- Demonstrated knowledge of various fundraising aspects, including annual giving, leadership annual giving, stewardship, pipeline management, etc.
- Ability to successfully manage multiple projects and meet deadlines
- Experience managing member/donor relations and stewardship plans
- Demonstrated ability to foster collaborative working relationships and deliver positive results.
- Proven ability to successfully identify and build relationships with donors to connect their interests with opportunities in a higher education or other nonprofit organization
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience working in a CRM or other relational database such as Salesforce.
Diversity Statement
Reflecting departmental and institutional values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Essential Duties
Job Duty Category
Alumni Association Membership and Giving Strategy
Duty/Responsibility
- Direct strategy to exceed Alumni Association metrics for annual membership, life membership, stalwart membership, and annual giving to Association programs and scholarships, totaling more than $540,000 annually.
- Direct a $145,600 membership and giving budget and deliver all marketing activity and revenue projections.
- Develop the plan for email and direct mail solicitations, texting strategies, and social ads and develop a sophisticated segmentation strategy.
- Direct a comprehensive stewardship plan to recognize, engage, and retain Association members/donors.
- Work closely with Alumni Association staff to ensure messaging is consistent with overall marketing and communication objectives, and create member-only events and engagement opportunities.
- Work closely with the Alumni and UAE Marketing and Communications staff in the development of Around the Oval member magazine, AlumLine e-newsletter feature stories, member calendar, and the design and copy for membership materials and solicitations.
- Manage and evaluate membership benefits and services to enhance the member experience.
- Represent Association at alumni and community events.
- Supervise the Assistant Director of Membership. Manage performance metrics, and conduct annual reviews. Direct workload to ensure goals and timelines are met.
- Develop and provide monthly reports on the status of marketing activities. Make recommendations on the effectiveness of reports and determine what metrics will solve analytics queue.
- Direct data analysis to evaluate efforts and aid in forecasting.
Percentage Of Time
40%
Job Duty Category
Frontline Fundraising
Duty/Responsibility
- Identify and manage a limited portfolio of donors and prospective donors and create successful cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each.
- Execute a set number of strategic interactions monthly to identify prospects and determine capacity and inclination to support Alumni Association programs, initiatives, and scholarships.
- Work with the prospect research team to identify prospects and create a portfolio for personal member visits.
- Write, prepare and present persuasive proposals to include leadership, major and planned gifts to the Alumni Association.
- Negotiate donor contracts and fund agreements necessary to bring to full closure.
- Document all contacts and interactions in a timely and thorough manner in accordance with UA best practices.
- Work in partnership with colleges, units and central UA to achieve donor intent and develop opportunities for mutual success.
- Represent Alumni Association at alumni and community events.
Percentage Of Time
30%
Job Duty Category
Grad Pack Retention Strategy
Duty/Responsibility
- Develop a comprehensive strategy for grad pack renewals and retention
- Work closely with the Alumni Association Engagement team to develop collateral, stewardship opportunities, and assist in the planning and execution of events for this segment.
- Determine the goals for the grad pack program and outline a plan to exceed all goals.
- Work closely with the UA Analytics team to create reports, and evaluate the program to make adjustments, and recommendations.
Percentage Of Time
20%
Job Duty Category
Unit Impact
Duty/Responsibility
- Exercise initiative, sound judgment, creativity and discretion in performing work assigned, anticipating and addressing concerns, responding to requests for information, and organizing and maintaining confidential files and records.
- Contribute to the total effectiveness of the department, communicating openly, solving problems proactively, offering creative ideas and working as a positive, engaged team member.
- Actively participate as a staff member in the Division of University Advancement, attend
- Division-wide meetings and trainings, support Division-wide priorities and initiatives and serve as an Association representative on University committees as assigned.
- Demonstrated knowledge of, and relevant ability with, culturally diverse communities among potential target and constituent populations.
- Other work related duties not specified above may be assigned.
Percentage Of Time
10%
Application Details
Special Instructions to Applicants
Applicants should submit:
- A cover letter that demonstrates any and all of the required and preferred qualifications that they meet
- A resume
- Three professional references noting name, phone number, email address, and professional relationship (one should be a current or former supervisor).
For tips on how to craft a successful application, please review the FAQ document on our Careers site at: giving.colostate.edu/careers/current-opportunities/.
CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.
Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates.
Questions regarding the position or anything else related to careers with UA may be directed to the University Advancement Talent & HR team at UA_TMHR@colostate.edu
Conditions of Employment
Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires), Valid Driver’s License, Travel
Search Contact
Jennifer Healy, jennifer.healy@colostate.edu
EEO Statement
Colorado State University is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or pregnancy in its employment, programs, services and activities, and admissions, and, in certain circumstances, marriage to a co-worker. The University will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity and equal access institution and affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services.
The Title IX Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Title IX Programs and Gender Equity, 123 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-1715, titleix@colostate.edu.
The Section 504 and ADA Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
The Coordinator for any other forms of misconduct prohibited by the University’s Policy on Discrimination and Harassment is the Vice President for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, Co. 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
Any person may report sex discrimination under Title IX to the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education.
Background Check Policy Statement
Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.
