Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs - Alumni + Students

Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs - Alumni + Students

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) seeks an Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs - Alumni + Students to join Institutional Advancement (IA). Reporting to the Director, Annual Giving Programs, the Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs manages a portfolio of new and existing annual giving donors as well emerging philanthropy initiatives. This position plays a key strategic role in RISD's Annual Giving efforts as we work to establish a more robust culture of philanthropy both on campus and in the wider RISD alumni community.

In their frontline fundraising work, the Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs will employ an in-depth donor-centric management mindset to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward new and existing donors supporting RISD. They will develop an annual plan to cultivate and solicit a portfolio of prospective and current donors for annual support with a particular focus on recent alumni and student donors. The Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs creates personalized engagement plans for each assigned donor and conducts meaningful personal, local and virtual visits to secure gifts. The Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs also plays a vital role in building a robust donor pipeline, serving as a key conduit between the annual fund level and major gift level of giving.

The Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs will also play a crucial role as the divisional lead for RISD's Student Ambassador program and philanthropy initiatives for students and recent alumni. The Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs will recruit, train and supervise approximately 10-20 Student Ambassadors responsible for making calls to solicit / steward annual fund gifts, care calls in support of recent graduates and other crucial constituent outreach. The Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs works closely with the Director, Annual Giving Programs, to implement a strategic plan for the program as well as an overall strategy for recent alumni and student philanthropy programs aimed at broadening RISD's base of support.

The successful candidate will thrive in a campus environment that is committed to advancing the principles of social equity and inclusion, environmental and climate justice, and equal access to resources and opportunities.

Essential Functions :

• Tasked with executing solicitations and closing gifts to secure annual fund gifts for unrestricted and designated, current use purposes (Museum and College)
• Conduct independent research through the Institutional Advancement database, Internet sources, and referrals from RISD representatives and volunteers to identify and appropriately engage prospective donors.
• In conjunction with the combined assigned portfolio of current and prospective donors, conducts meaningful solicitation, stewardship, and cultivation visits either locally or virtually.
• Develop and execute an annual solicitation plan for submitted proposals and gift closures providing gift projections of commitments.
• Maintain a rigorous schedule of personal contacts with assigned prospects, creating moves management plans related to them that include strategies of engagement and solicitations.
• Collaborate with the RISD Fund, Alumni + Family Relations, and Donor Engagement teams to leverage appropriate Alumni Association, 1877 Society, and volunteer opportunities for select prospective and current donors.
• Seamlessly transition newly identified prospective and current donors with a major gift capacity to Philanthropy Officers for further relationship development.
• Utilize Raiser's Edge NXT system, which identifies, assigns, rates, and tracks assigned prospects, to comply with department policies and procedures.

Program Responsibilities :

Additional Functions :

Required Knowledge / Skills / Experience :

No Union

35 hours per week; 12 months per year

Full-time; Exempt; Regular

Grade : 540EX

Hybrid Eligible

Resume (Required)

Cover Letter (Required)

Salary Grade Structure

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please upload all required documents.

The successful candidate will be required to meet our pre-employment background screening requirements.

RISD recognizes diversity and inclusivity as fundamental to its learning community and integral to an art and design education. We welcome candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.