Position Summary
Housed within the Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) department of Columbia Business School, the Annual Giving team is responsible for stewardship of the School’s donors up to $250,000.
The Senior Associate Director is a critical member of the Annual Giving team and reports into the Director of Marketing and Participation and is vital in expanding the overall donor participation of the CBS Annual Fund.
The Senior Associate Director plays a key role in initiating, creating, developing, and managing marketing and communications projects and will help develop strategies to increase the engagement of alumni, friends, and other stakeholders and support the department’s progress in meeting or exceeding its Annual Fund goal.
The Senior Associate Director will be responsible for writing and editing a variety of original donor-oriented and alumni-centric communication materials including but not limited to solicitation correspondents, internal stakeholder presentations and reports, web content, and social media posts.
The Senior Associate Director maintains key relationships at CBS, at the University-level, and among alumni as a collaborative member of the Annual Giving team.
The Senior Associate Director will meet core values of Respect, Inclusion, Service, Empathy, and Excellence (RISEE).
Responsibilities
Implements marketing and communication campaigns by assembling and analyzing giving forecasts; preparing marketing and communications strategies, plans, and objectives;
planning and organizing promotional presentations; and updating calendars.
Work with the Director to generate email and direct mail copy for appeals and support the unit's general email account;
maintain appeal calendar; respond to routine donor requests or questions; work closely with Director to develop video and dynamic content for solicitation projects.
Work closely with the Executive Director, Director, and the School’s Alumni Relations team to effectively implement a strategy for student philanthropy.
This effort includes creating an annual student philanthropy education series, interfacing with current student leaders to identify opportunities to build a culture of giving and service among their peers, assisting in the development of messaging and tactics to ensure a high participation rate of the class gift and subsequent gift fulfillment, and measuring results to ensure continuous improvement.
Work with the Director, managing other projects related to unrestricted giving growth, including providing assistance on data reporting.
Prepares marketing / giving reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing donor data.
- Partner with Director to strategize, plan, and source content for social media and work with internal stakeholders to identify and integrate content requests for campaign promotion, stewardship messaging, and deepened engagement.
- Review content and design to ensure alignment with CBS brand style guidelines and editorial style guidelines.
- Review and edit impact reports collateral and promotional materials.
- Other duties as assigned. Supporting DAR managed initiatives such as reunion, annual dinner, etc.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required. Minimum 4-6 years of work experience required.
Excellent oral and written communication skills required. Proficiency with Microsoft Office and donor databases required.
Creativity, persuasiveness, tact, capability to manage multiple tasks under deadline, and the ability to work in a fast-paced, high-performing, and intrapreneurial / entrepreneurial environment.
Interest in occasional travel. Availability to work nights and a few weekends a year to staff Reunion events, affinity events, and other Business School gatherings.
Preferred Qualifications
Higher education experience desired. Working knowledge of marketing strategies, web development, video production, and social media campaigns preferred.
Marketing and communications experience preferred. Fundraising writing experience preferred.