Director of Annual Giving and Engagement
About the role
The Harvard Radcliffe Institute (HRI) seeks a strategic, data-driven, and collaborative Director of Annual Giving to lead the Institute’s annual giving program. Reporting to the Director of Donor Engagement, this role is responsible for developing and executing multi-channel direct marketing campaigns and advancing strategies that drive donor acquisition, retention, and annual giving revenue.
Responsibilities
Develop and implement strategy for the Institute’s multi-channel direct marketing program, using a data-driven approach to drive donor acquisition, retention, and annual giving revenue.
Drive all aspects of the annual direct marketing plan, including individual project calendars, channel mix, segmentation strategy, budget and vendor management, and goal forecasting and tracking.
Collaborate with the Associate Director of Donor Relations and Communications and the Donor Engagement and Annual Giving Officer to ensure project schedules, appeal data, content and design, and reporting are executed in a timely manner and meet institutional standards.
Partner with Harvard’s Alumni Affairs & Development University Business Solutions team and the Donor Engagement and Annual Giving Officer to ensure effective audience segmentation, testing, reporting accuracy, and continuous process improvement for direct marketing data.
Monitor direct marketing outcomes, identify opportunities to strengthen reporting mechanisms, and provide regular reporting and updates to department and Institute leadership.
Conduct in-depth analyses of campaign effectiveness and target audience engagement to translate data into actionable insights; develop forecasting models and scenario planning to guide annual goal setting and resource allocation.
Develop a deep understanding of HRI’s affiliate groups and their respective engagement with the Institute; partner with colleagues in External Relations, Communications, and Academic Programs to map out potential target audiences, current engagement mechanisms, and opportunities to strengthen affiliation.
Develop annual and five-year plans to engage, educate, and cultivate target audiences; identify necessary investments and prioritize efforts to align with institutional resources and growth areas.
Define measures of success, report out on learnings, and recommend strategic adjustments as necessary.
Develop targeted marketing strategies and events to increase awareness of and participation in the Institute’s giving societies (Leadership Society, Associates, and Ann Radcliffe Society).
Work closely with the Director of Donor Engagement and the Senior Director of Development, Major and Leadership Gifts, to build processes to ensure current and potential Leadership Society ($5K+) donors are solicited, and overall participation continues to grow.
Monitor, analyze, and report monthly progress for the department and, as necessary, Institute and volunteer leadership.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree
Minimum of five years progressively responsible experience in fundraising and administration or related transferable experience.
This experience must include: strong project management experience involving managing multiple projects and priorities within budgets and timelines;
Executing multi-channel direct marketing campaigns;
Leveraging data analysis to inform strategy.
Additional Qualifications and Skills
Experience in higher education or non-profit setting preferred
Superior interpersonal skills with proven ability to successfully interact and collaborate with varied constituencies in a professional manner, exhibiting excellent written and oral communication skills.
Prior proven track record of working in a dynamic, evolving, and highly energetic fundraising environment.
Ability to function at a high level within a complex organization.
Ability to apply good judgment and discretion when dealing with highly confidential alumni, family, donor, and prospect information.
Experience working with prospect tracking systems (e.g., BSR Advance), constituent relationship management (CRM) systems (e.g., Salesforce), email marketing tools, and social media platforms is preferred.
Experience managing donor engagement events.
A sense of humor, problem-solving mindset, and collegial spirit.