What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Annual Giving - Alumni, Parent Engagement and Annual Giving position at Lipscomb University?
The Director of Annual Giving is responsible for the strategic planning, execution, and management of the Lipscomb University’s annual giving program. This individual will lead efforts to cultivate and solicit annual fund donors to ensure consistent and growing financial support for the University’s mission. This position plays a key role in fostering a culture of generosity and faithful stewardship among alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the University.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Develop and lead an integrated annual giving strategy to achieve Lipscomb University dollar and donor participation goals. This includes but is not limited to Giving Day, year-end appeals, Senior Class Gift Campaign, and the Employee Impact Campaign
- Manage segmentation, messaging, and targeting strategies across all channels (direct mail, email, social, web, phone, and text).
- Oversee all mass appeals, including seasonal (fall, spring, year-end) and thematic campaigns, ensuring consistent branding, compelling storytelling, and data-driven segmentation to drive engagement.
- Oversee performance analysis of campaigns using key metrics: participation rates, average gift size, retention, acquisition, upgrades, and ROI.
- Partner with Advancement Services to ensure optimal use of data for segmentation, reporting, and forecasting.
- Help assist with the implementation of the Lipscomb Associates program in collaboration with the Director of Donor Relations.
- Collaborate with Alumni and Parent Engagement teams to align messaging and initiatives.
- Serve as a key leader within the Advancement division, contributing to campaign planning and long-term development strategy.
- Coordinate special programs including faculty/staff giving, parent giving, and reunion campaigns
Performance Metrics & Evaluation:
Performance will be evaluated annually based on the following key indicators:
- Achievement of annual giving revenue goals (e.g., total dollars raised)
- Year-over-year growth in donors and dollars
- Donor retention rate (especially first-time and repeat donors)
- Growth in donor participation (alumni, parents, faculty/staff)
- Execution and ROI of giving campaigns (e.g., Giving Day, Year-End Appeal)
- Engagement with segmented giving programs (e.g., leadership annual giving)
- Timely completion of reports, plans, and documentation
- Collaboration with internal and external partners
Qualifications Required:
- Bachelor’s degree
- At least 3 years of professional fundraising experience
- Proven success managing annual giving programs
- Strong organizational and communication skills
Qualifications Preferred:
- Master’s degree or CFRE certification
- Experience with CRM systems such as Raiser’s Edge or Salesforce
- Experience with Gravyty or GiveCampus
Work Environment and Physical Requirements
Office-based with flexibility for occasional evening and weekend work