Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world. Building on its motto of Ut Prosim (that I may serve), Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVT-serving in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. We seek candidates who adopt and practice the Principles of Community, which are fundamental to our on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion, and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members. Virginia Tech actively seeks a broad spectrum of candidates to join our community in preparing leaders for the world.

Position Summary:
Amid this environment of organizational investment, positive change, and best-in-class ambitions, Virginia Tech seeks candidates for the newly created role of Director of Annual Giving (Director). Reporting to the assistant vice president for leadership gifts and annual giving ( AVP ), the Director is responsible for raising maximum current-use dollars and increasing the overall alumni giving participation rate for Virginia Tech. The Director will provide strategic leadership, and effective management and inspiration to annual giving fundraising officers responsible for securing higher levels of annual support from a diverse constituency. S/he manages a comprehensive and innovative program of face-to-face, mail, phone, and electronic solicitations that also engages all frontline fundraising officers across the Division of University Advancement. Annual giving and direct response fundraising builds a pipeline of private support for the university, including its colleges and other university programs, from alumni, parents, friends, faculty/staff and graduating students of the university. The Director will manage a team of approximately seven staff.
Given Virginia Tech's aspirations for annual giving, there is heightened institutional enthusiasm for trying new approaches to realize a best-in-class program. The Director of Annual Giving will have the opportunity to be decidedly entrepreneurial in providing visionary direction, while testing, learning, and boldly implementing contemporary best practices and innovations in a large, well-established, top-tier research university.

Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree required.
- Demonstrated experience to provide management oversight, leadership, and direction with previous supervisory experience, including creating and managing a budget. A strong record of recruiting and developing talented individuals, and a supportive and accessible management style that brings out the best in staff and fosters pride, ownership, and a sense of team effort. A history of increasing the effectiveness of a development program and staff through established objectives and performance standards.
- Demonstrated experience in developing annual giving, marketing, and/or communication strategies. Direct response marketing, data analytics, and market segmentation and testing experience required. Must be knowledgeable of current trends and how the application of industry best practices can increase net revenue and the number of supporters.
- Strength in developing the case for support and strategic fundraising plans, and executing against those plans to achieve goals and objectives. Demonstrated ability to shape messaging to move individuals and institutions across the spectrum of prospect development, culminating in solicitations appropriate to organizational priorities and donors' interests.
- Demonstrated experience extracting and analyzing data to make effective, efficient decisions about donor strategy and process. A working knowledge of modern data management practices and techniques, including database information systems, data modeling, and analysis. A basic proficiency with statistics.

Preferred Qualifications:
- Significant, progressively responsible leadership experience in development and annual giving, with comprehensive capital campaign experience preferred. Prior fundraising experience, including direct mail and telefund solicitation experience, on behalf of a large, complex nonprofit or higher education institution is preferred.
- Experience leading technology implementation and/or systems and process improvement projects in a complex business setting preferred. Familiarity with contemporary technology and other innovations that can streamline processes and touch new audiences of potential donors.
- Experience nurturing and motivating volunteers, and expressing appreciation for their role in building an effective annual giving program.



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