Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement

St. Norbert College (SNC), a nationally ranked, private, Catholic, liberal arts college, is seeking a Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement. This position provides strategic leadership for programs that strengthen lifelong alumni relationships, increase philanthropic participation, and generate sustainable annual support for St. Norbert College.

Reporting to the Vice President for College Advancement and serving on the Advancement Leadership Team, the Director leads comprehensive annual giving, leadership annual giving, and alumni engagement strategies. The position is responsible for growing philanthropic revenue, acquiring and retaining donors, developing meaningful alumni involvement, and establishing a pipeline of future philanthropic support.

The Director supervises the Associate Director of Annual Giving and Associate Director of Alumni Engagement, ensuring coordinated strategies, effective execution, and measurable outcomes. Working collaboratively with Development and Advancement Services, the Director advances a constituent-centered approach to fundraising and engagement that supports the College's mission and priorities.

This is an on-site position requiring regular attendance on campus.

Specific Responsibilities:

Annual Giving and Leadership Annual Giving -

• Lead a comprehensive, multichannel annual giving program focused on donor acquisition, retention, upgrading, participation, and philanthropic revenue growth.
• Develop and implement a structured leadership annual giving program, including donor identification, giving levels, personalized engagement, solicitation, and retention strategies.
• Establish annual fundraising goals and evaluate performance across appeals, giving initiatives, recurring giving, and other appropriate channels.
• Partner with Development to identify and transition qualified leadership annual giving donors into major gift relationships.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to ensure effective, coordinated, donor-centered solicitation strategies.

Strategic Leadership and Team Management -

• Lead and implement annual and multiyear strategies for annual giving and alumni engagement.
• Supervise, coach, develop, and evaluate the Associate Director of Annual Giving and Associate Director of Alumni Engagement.
• Establish clear program objectives, individual performance expectations, timelines, and accountability for results.
• Evaluate programs, staffing, resources, and opportunities for improvement to strengthen effectiveness and institutional impact.

Alumni Engagement and Lifelong Relationships -

• Develop and implement a comprehensive alumni engagement strategy that strengthens lifelong connections to St. Norbert College.
• Oversee alumni programming, reunions, regional activities, volunteer opportunities, and other meaningful engagement initiatives.
• Build strategies for recent graduates, affinity groups, and other targeted alumni populations.
• Collaborate with academic departments, athletics, career services, and other campus partners to increase alumni involvement and institutional connection.
• Evaluate engagement beyond event attendance, emphasizing meaningful participation, relationships, volunteer involvement, and future philanthropic opportunity.

Performance Analysis and Philanthropic Pipeline Development -

• Establish and monitor performance indicators for annual giving, leadership giving, donor retention, and alumni engagement.
• Use constituent data, segmentation, and performance analysis to improve fundraising and engagement strategies.
• Work with Development to identify emerging major gift prospects and coordinate donor progression.
• Collaborate with Advancement Services on constituent data, reporting, donor retention information, and stewardship insights.

Advancement Leadership and Operational Accountability -

• Serve on the Advancement Leadership Team and contribute to divisional strategy, institutional priorities, and collaborative planning.
• Work with Development and Advancement Services to coordinate donor engagement, fundraising, and stewardship priorities.
• Manage assigned departmental budgets, resources, and operational plans.
• Ensure coordinated communications, appropriate institutional approvals, and consistent evaluation of program effectiveness.
• Represent College Advancement at alumni activities, institutional events, and appropriate external engagements.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, annual giving, alumni relations, or constituent engagement.
• Demonstrated success developing, implementing, and evaluating strategic fundraising and alumni engagement programs with measurable results.
• Strong knowledge of annual giving, leadership annual giving, donor acquisition and retention, solicitation strategies, philanthropic relationship development, and alumni engagement.
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including the ability to coach, develop, and evaluate staff while fostering accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, relationship-building, organizational, and strategic planning skills, including the ability to communicate institutional priorities and philanthropic impact effectively.
• Ability to use constituent data, giving trends, and program performance metrics to inform decisions, evaluate effectiveness, and improve outcomes.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects, collaborate across departments, engage volunteers, and build meaningful relationships with alumni and other constituents.
• Creativity, adaptability, sound judgment, and discretion when managing sensitive relationships and confidential information.
• Understanding of and commitment to advancing the mission, values, and educational priorities of St. Norbert College as a Catholic, Norbertine, and liberal arts institution.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education advancement, with particular expertise in leadership annual giving and leading integrated fundraising and alumni engagement programs.

Benefits package:

The College offers an outstanding benefits package including health, dental, vision and life insurance; retirement plan; paid time-off and tuition waiver.

Application instructions:

Applications received by December 4 will be given full consideration. However, applications will continue to be accepted until the position has been filled. Please submit a cover letter and resume with your application.

Applicants are also required to submit a letter describing how their professional experience, leadership approach, and personal qualities align with the mission and values of St. Norbert College. This letter should address how the candidate would actively advance the Catholic, Liberal Arts, and Norbertine traditions in the context of this role. Mission alignment will be considered a significant factor in the evaluation process.  

St. Norbert College (SNC), a Catholic, Norbertine, and Liberal Arts College, provides an educational environment that fosters intellectual, spiritual, and personal development.  As the only Norbertine institution of higher learning in the world, our roots, traditions, and commitments create a unique and enriching educational experience for our students.  

At SNC, our commitment to communio – the Norbertine ideal of a community united as one – is grounded in the principles of dignity, truth, and justice. Consistent with these principles, St. Norbert is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment.  

We seek those who will embrace our mission and commitment to building a vibrant, inclusive, and spiritually engaged community (https://snc.edu/mission).  

Exempt

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

40

The duties and responsibilities listed in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the job if work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the job. Percentage of time may vary widely depending on the needs of the position during any particular time period. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.