Director, Annual Giving

The Director of Annual Giving is responsible for planning, executing, and optimizing a comprehensive annual giving program that drives donor participation, revenue growth, and meaningful engagement across the organization's philanthropic base. This role manages a portfolio of annual fund donors ranging from mid-level to top annual prospects while supporting or leading strategy development, program execution, and team coordination. This position ensures that annual giving appeals, stewardship efforts, and donor engagement activities are data-driven, well-coordinated, and aligned with overall fundraising goals. Responsibilities include cultivating and soliciting donors, executing multi-channel appeal strategies, tracking progress toward key metrics, and ensuring accurate CRM documentation. Success in this role requires leading through influence in a matrixed environment and coordinating effectively with campus units, academic partners, volunteers, and institutional leadership to advance Annual Fund goals. This role may also manage volunteers, oversee budgets, lead the creation of donor communications, and contribute to events that deepen donor connection to the mission. Across all tasks, the Director plays a central role in building a strong donor pipeline, elevating giving levels, and enhancing the overall effectiveness and impact of the annual fund program. The Director ensures alignment between institutional priorities and annual giving messaging by working closely with internal partners to maintain clear, compelling case-for-support themes. Essential Duties & Responsibilities Manage the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of annual fund donors and prospects. Identify and qualify prospects for elevation to higher levels of annual giving . Execute cultivation and stewardship strategies for portfolio donors . Plan and oversee the execution of the College's annual Giving Day . Meet all annual metrics for meetings, calls, and donor touchpoints. Proactively support the ongoing analysis of donor programs and keeps up-to-date on best practices in the field. Ensure annual giving donor plans and actions are accurately entered in Raiser's Edge/NXT. Work with the Development team to support annual events such as the golf tournament, annual Scholarship Luncheon, commencement, etc. Review and edit donor-facing materials. Re-establish and sustain a robust employee giving program. Lead institution-wide annual giving planning, including setting program strategies and coordinating the execution of cross-channel fundraising initiatives. Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure annual giving initiatives are aligned with institutional priorities and reflect coordinated, consistent donor engagement efforts. Apply data insights to guide strategic decision-making and inform program improvements across annual giving campaigns. Knowledge Skills & Abilities Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience producing and editing donor-facing materials. A proven ability to write compelling appeals for support. Ability to analyze donor trends and use data-driven decision making to refine solicitation strategies. Ability to work collaboratively across teams and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of people with a variety of abilities and backgrounds, to maintain good working relationships across the College. Ability to work with all groups from a variety of academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, and with community college students, faculty, and staff, including those with disabilities. Bachelor's degree required, preferably in nonprofit management, business administration, communications, marketing, public affairs, or a related field. Five (5) to eight (8) years of experience in fundraising, development, annual giving, nonprofit management, or related fields. History of successfully soliciting gifts in the $100-$10,000 range. Hands-on experience managing donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies. Demonstrated ability to work with CRM databases (e.g., Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, Slate, or similar) with strong attention to data integrity. Experience supporting or executing multi-channel fundraising campaigns, including email, direct mail, social, and digital appeals. Experience with Raiser's Edge CRM Experience and familiarity with the philanthropic landscape of Salt Lake City and Utah Experience in higher education fundraising development and philanthropy Experience in Annual Giving