Associate Director, Reunion and Affinity Giving

Lehigh University's Development and Alumni Relations team is seeking a strategic and relationship-driven fundraiser to lead Reunion and Affinity Giving programs that connect thousands of alumni to the university's mission.

About the Role

This position offers the opportunity to shape giving culture at a nationally recognized research university. If you bring a sharp eye for data, genuine enthusiasm for donor engagement, and the ability to turn collaborative plans into measurable results, this role provides real scope to make an impact.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate, solicit, and steward a dynamic portfolio of Reunion and Affinity prospects through in-person/digital visits, strategic outreach, and tailored communications to assess donor capacity and passion.
• Drive unrestricted gifts for the Lehigh Fund by executing multi-channel strategies, preparing high-quality donor briefings and proposals, and ensuring prospects are solicited for the appropriate giving levels.
• Partner with DAR College Partners, Senior Directors, and Associate Deans to design direct response plans (direct mail, email, digital) aligned with institutional fundraising priorities and unified messaging across all five colleges.
• Manage end-to-end campaign timelines, vendors, and copywriting deliverables while collaborating with Information Systems to ensure precise audience segmentation, data integrity, and on-schedule campaign launches.
• Design and execute a comprehensive annual giving plan for Reunion classes by collaborating with Individual Giving, Alumni Relations, Planned Giving, and Family Philanthropy to align mass solicitations, events, and individual prospect strategies.
• Drive milestone reunion giving by leveraging events and cross-departmental partnerships to maximize high-impact, unrestricted support for the Lehigh Fund.
• Serve as the primary liaison for University constituent and affinity groups, partnering with Alumni Relations and Information Systems to define audience targets, evaluate direct-response channels, and elevate annual giving support.
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, students, and external vendors to design, coordinate, and launch integrated, multi-channel fundraising initiatives across direct mail, digital, and crowdfunding platforms.
• Partner with Donor Relations to build and evaluate targeted donor stewardship plans while continually analyzing campaign performance to optimize future solicitation strategies.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Communications, Marketing, or a related field.
• Three to five years of work-related experience.
• Fundraising experience or experience in higher education preferred.
• Strong communications and marketing experience preferred.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to coordinate across departments and competing priorities.
• A data-informed approach to strategy with comfort using CRM or fundraising platforms.

Benefits

• Exceptional benefits package including generous paid leave.
• Above-benchmark retirement contributions.
• Tuition benefits for employees and dependents.
• A campus environment that balances intellectual rigor with genuine warmth.

Pay

Approximate salary range of $67,270–$81,830, subject to change based on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Schedule

• Position requires some weekends and evening work as necessary for special university events.
• Duties do not allow for remote work; the employee must work on campus.

Successful completion of standard background checks, including social security verification, education verification, national criminal background checks, motor vehicle checks, PATCH, FBI fingerprinting, Child Abuse Clearance, and credit history, is required.