Associate Director or Director of Annual Giving

Cottey College

Associate Director or Director of Annual Giving

Nevada, Missouri

Position Summary

Cottey College, a nationally recognized women’s liberal arts college supported by the P.E.O. Sisterhood, seeks a strategic and results-oriented advancement professional to lead and grow the College’s annual giving program, known as the Cottey Fund.

This role is responsible for shaping and executing a comprehensive annual fund strategy that increases donor participation, strengthens retention, and grows unrestricted support through the Cottey Fund.

The Associate Director or Director of Annual Giving will play a central role in fostering a culture of philanthropy among alumnae, P.E.O. members, parents, students, faculty/staff, and friends of the College. The successful candidate will combine strong execution skills with data-driven strategy and compelling storytelling to expand engagement and build a sustainable donor pipeline in support of women’s education and leadership development.

Title and salary will be commensurate with experience and demonstrated leadership capacity.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy Growth

• Develop and execute a comprehensive annual giving strategy aligned with institutional priorities.
• Establish measurable goals for participation, retention, and revenue growth.
• Lead a coordinated, multi-channel annual giving calendar including appeals, digital campaigns, phonathon, giving days, and fiscal year-end efforts.
• Design targeted Cottey Fund segmentation strategies for alumnae, P.E.O. members, parents, young alumnae, students, faculty/staff, and friends.
• Develop and execute intentional donor retention and reactivation strategies, including systematic LYBUNT/SYBUNT efforts.

Donor Engagement Pipeline Development

• Position and grow the Cottey Fund as a vital source of flexible, mission-centered support.
• Build donor pathways that move individuals from first-time gifts to sustained annual support and future major and planned gift engagement.
• Partner with major gifts and stewardship colleagues to identify and qualify leadership annual donors.
• Collaborate with Marketing Communications to craft compelling appeals and impact reporting.
• Support student philanthropy and participation initiatives that reinforce lifelong engagement.
• Manage a portfolio of leadership annual donors and select mid-level prospects, conducting qualification and cultivation conversations to strengthen retention and pipeline development.
• Solicit leadership annual gifts and collaborate with major gift colleagues on strategy for donors with increased capacity.

Data, Reporting Management

• Leverage Raiser’s Edge to segment audiences, track performance, and ensure data integrity.
• Monitor participation rates, renewal rates, average gift size, and donor reactivation strategies.
• Develop revenue projections and manage the annual giving budget.
• Prepare clear and concise performance reports for cabinet and board audiences.

Collaboration Leadership

• Work closely with Advancement Services to ensure timely gift processing, acknowledgment, and stewardship.
• Engage volunteer ambassadors, including alumnae and P.E.O. leaders, in participation efforts.
• Supervise student workers and/or staff as appropriate.
• Contribute to broader Institutional Advancement initiatives and campaign planning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in annual giving or related advancement work; 7 years with demonstrated strategic leadership preferred for Director-level consideration.
• Proven success in increasing donor participation and/or annual fund revenue.
• Strong communication skills and ability to translate data into an actionable strategy.
• Experience with CRM systems (Raiser’s Edge preferred).
• Commitment to the mission of Cottey College and women’s education.