Department:

Philanthropy

Work Hours:

8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, some evenings and weekends required for events

Anticipated Start Date:

July 1, 2025

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Philanthropy, the Assistant Director of the Annual Fund provides overall strategy, leadership and direction for the Jacksonville State University annual fund and works in collaboration with the Director of the Gamecock Athletic Foundation to provide oversight to athletic annual fundraising initiatives. The Assistant Director oversees the comprehensive strategy and implementation of all annual fund activities including creating goals, strategies, and programming that aim to build and engage the university’s donor base. The Assistant Director should demonstrate a strategic approach to fundraising and be able to demonstrate a successful track record of soliciting and acquiring annual gifts across a diverse group of constituents.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leads and manages the annual giving team.
• Develops the annual fund plan with specific goals and performance metrics such as dollars raised, participation, diversify annual fund donors by affinity groups, etc. 
• Work collaboratively with the philanthropy team and office of alumni engagement to create and manage a comprehensive fundraising plan and appeal schedule for the annual fund. 
• Create and manage a calendar/schedule of multidimensional appeals that leverages a variety of media (e.g., electronic solicitation, direct mail appeals, events) to communicate with potential and current donors.
• Spearhead special fundraisers working in collaboration with philanthropy officers.
• Manage Annual Fund volunteer organization including recruitment, management, and training. 
• Participate in the expansion of the university’s alumni program.
• Build relationships with constituents and personally solicit an assigned pool of prospects as appropriate. 
• Coordinate the gift entry and acknowledgment process with the Database Manager to ensure timely recognition of gifts. 
• Draft and coordinate Annual Fund solicitation and acknowledgement letters. 
• Analyze results of the fund by tracking progress from year to year and generate reports and statistics for monthly philanthropy team meetings. 
• Contribute content to school publications and social media as appropriate. 
• Attend on-campus and off-campus events, as appropriate. 
• Provides income for specific projects and unrestricted funds
• Establishes giving habits and allows patterns of giving to be tracked.
• Establishes a donor pipeline, enabling the identification of donors with the potential capacity and propensity to increase the size of singular future donations. 
• Increases donor participation rates.
• Helps improve and keep current prospective donor data.
• Understands and cultivates exemplary stewardship.
• Helps reinforce core messages about the University.
• Helps identify potential leaders and significant volunteers.
• Strengthens the bonds between the University and its prospects.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• At least five (5) years of having a proven track record managing an annual campaign, preferably higher education.
• Strong knowledge of Raiser’s Edge software.
• Direct experience managing volunteers.
• A strong sense of fundraising ethics and practices, and respect for confidentiality of donor information.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, with a professional and empathetic approach.
• Willingness to be part of a collaborative environment and work closely with colleagues and parents.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, verbally and in writing.

Required Documents:

1. Cover Letter
2. Resume
3. Unofficial Transcripts (official required upon hire)

Employee Benefits:

JSU strives to provide a great quality of life to our employees through an attractive, competitive benefits package for our full-time faculty and staff. These benefits enhance your salary as a JSU employee and are part of your total compensation package. Benefits include:

• Retirement Plans
• Alabama Teacher’s Retirement System (TRS)
• RSA-1 Deferred Compensation
• 403-B Retirement Annuity (TIAA)
• Health Insurance
• Medical (PEEHIP)
• Optional plans:  vision, dental, flexible spending plan, dependent care, cancer, and hospital indemnity
• Long-term disability and life insurance
• Tuition assistance
• Paid and unpaid leave
• Employee Assistance Program
• Prescription assistance

For additional information regarding benefits, please visit our website.

Clery Notice: In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act,  https://clerycenter.org/policy-resources/the-clery-act/ the Jacksonville State University Police provide information on crimes statistics, crime prevention, law enforcement, crime reporting, and other related issues for the past three calendar years. The JSU Annual Campus Security and Fire Report is available online at: https://www.jsu.edu/police/docs/cleryannualreport.pdf

Equal Employment Opportunity: Jax State is an Equal Employment and Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.