Director of Annual Giving Storytelling and Constituent Engagement

Department: DEV Annual Giving · Full-time position

About the Organization

From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor's degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.

About the Role

Under limited supervision, reporting to the Senior Director of Annual Giving Programs and Unit Strategy, the Director of Annual Giving Storytelling and Constituent Engagement is responsible for leading storytelling, constituent engagement, and donor retention strategies for the Annual Giving and Donor Experience programs. The Director will serve as the lead storytelling strategist, creative writer, and content curator for annual giving, developing donor-centered content that supports direct mail, email, digital, social media, crowdfunding, giving day, employee philanthropy, next-generation philanthropy, stewardship, and other engagement efforts.

This position will provide strategic direction for key constituent engagement programs, including employee philanthropy, student and young alumni engagement, crowdfunding, assigned unit-based annual giving programs, and metrics-driven donor retention and stewardship strategies designed to improve renewal, second-gift conversion, lapsed donor reactivation, loyalty giving, and long-term donor engagement. The Director will lead a team of fundraising professionals and develop and execute the overarching omnichannel strategy for a complex set of annual giving solicitations for the University of South Carolina and its academic units, university priorities, and special interest programs across assigned programs and portfolios. The Director will utilize Blackbaud CRM and other analytics, project management, digital fundraising, and reporting tools to ensure that strategies are data-driven, personalized, relevant, timely, measurable, and consistent with the goals set forth within the Annual Giving and Donor Experience programs.

Requirements

• Experience in Annual Giving, Donor Relations, Alumni Relations, Advancement Communications, Higher Education Fundraising Operations, or nonprofit fundraising
• Proven experience in creative writing, storytelling, donor-centered communications, constituent engagement, stewardship, donor retention, and integrated fundraising campaigns
• Previous experience supervising professional staff and managing complex projects across multiple partners or units
• Previous experience with Blackbaud CRM, crowdfunding platforms, digital fundraising tools, project management tools such as JIRA, or other higher education and/or nonprofit donor systems

Skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of principles and methods of planning and conducting a comprehensive integrated and omnichannel annual giving program
• Strong knowledge of storytelling, creative writing, donor-centered communications, constituent engagement, donor retention, annual giving stewardship, and metrics-driven fundraising strategies
• Ability to develop compelling content for multiple audiences and channels, including direct mail, email, digital advertising, social media, crowdfunding, giving day, stewardship, and engagement communications
• Ability to supervise staff, manage complex projects, align work across multiple programs, and maintain effective relationships with development colleagues, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, students, volunteers, external vendors, and campus partners
• Understands best industry practices as they relate to annual giving, donor experience, segmentation, UX, content optimization, stewardship, digital fundraising, and analytics tools for fundraising success
• Utilizes quantitative and qualitative information to improve decision-making, document outcomes, and refine strategies
• Works with a high degree of flexibility in a collaborative, fast-paced, goal-oriented environment
• Applies creative and entrepreneurial thinking while using sound judgment and conducting oneself with integrity
• Outstanding oral, written, editing, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to adhere to industry guidelines, methodologies, and codes of ethics as defined by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and other professional organizations and associations

Benefits

• Health and Life Insurance
• Retirement Programs
• Paid Tuition
• Dependent Scholarships
• Annual Leave
• Sick Leave
• 13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Professional Development Opportunities

Schedule

Full Time