Assistant Director – Annual Giving Programs

Description

Assistant Director- Annual Giving Programs

Job Description:

The position of Assistant Director- Annual Giving Programs is part of the Virginia Athletics Foundation Annual Fund team. This four-person team oversees the Annual Fund which includes gifts made by UVA fans including alumni, student-athlete alumni, friends and businesses. Each year more than 8,000 individuals make the commitment to be members of the Virginia Athletics Foundation. The financial investment of VAF members helps position our teams to successfully compete in the ACC and on the national stage. Gifts to the Annual Fund support athletics scholarships, the academic experience of student-athletes and sport-specific operational budgets.

The Assistant Director- Annual Giving Programs will have the primary responsibility for communication, engagement, solicitation and stewardship of all UVA student-athlete alumni. In addition, this position will support the general activities of the annual fund. The Assistant Director will communicate regularly with current and prospective donors via email, phone and in person. As such, successful candidates have strong written and verbal skills. Working with multiple software and database tools will be critical as will the utilization of new solicitation technology. Finally, the Annual Fund works closely with each other and the VAF staff more broadly so the ability to work in a team setting, collaborate on projects, and step in to help where needed is imperative.

Job Duties

General Responsibilities

• Work directly with the members of the Annual Fund team to achieve annual fundraising goals, objectives and strategies of the VAF, especially as they relate to student-athlete alumni and parent giving.
• Assist in the solicitation and stewarding of Annual Fund donors through mass appeals and campaigns in order to secure overall support for scholarships, operations and academic
• Assist Director of Marketing and Communications in the strategy and facilitation of digital communications to Annual Fund donors and
• Oversee the planning, execution and follow up of Giving to Hoos Day, which is the university wide day of giving campaign.
• Acquire and demonstrate complete command of Paciolan/FanOne, eQuery, CRM systems (Advance), EverTrue, Opendorse and

Cavaliers for Life

• Oversee the strategy, planning and execution of the Cavaliers for Life (student-athlete alumni giving) program including:
  • Developing educational and solicitation materials with the Director of Marketing and Communications to outline giving opportunities for current and prospective donors while creating awareness of the need for financial support.
  • Monitoring and analyzing giving results from UVA student-athlete alumni.
  • Manage a small portfolio of student-athlete alumni capable of making leadership level gifts.
  • Optimize the use of technology including social media for marketing, communications, data reporting and analysis as it relates to annual fund campaigns and initiatives, Cavaliers for Life and parent giving.
• Develop and implement strategies for increasing 4th year giving among 4th year student- athletes.
• Oversee the VAF Student-Athlete Ambassadors Program.

Event Responsibilities

• Work with VAF staff to strategically identify activities, events and programs that would increase engagement with prospects, students and alumni. This includes sport-specific reunions as well as the All-Sports Reunion.
• Assist with game day hosting and entertainment of donors at various sporting events.
• Assist with game day pregame responsibilities including monitoring the parking lots and working in the office for football games as well as working in the ticket office before basketball games.
• Assist the Stewardship Coordinator when necessary with annual team Thank-A-Thons.

Other

• Support Associate Directors on special projects, specifically as they pertain to their sport liaison roles.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of industry best practices.
• Provide a high level of customer service while maintaining a consistently positive attitude.
• Oversee interns when they aid in any of the duties and responsibilities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills Required

• Knowledge of college athletics and college athletics fundraising
• Bachelor’s degree
• Strong communication skills.
• Ability to think and plan strategically and creatively.
• Highly organized and strong work ethic.
• Willingness to engage in advancement work at all levels driven by a passion for Virginia Athletics.
• Experience using Paciolan and/or Advance software preferred.

Additional Info

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to Jim Harshaw, Associate Director, Virginia Athletics Foundation (jlh6x@virginia.edu).