Executive Director for Annual Giving

The Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with Carnegie Mellon University in the search for an Executive Director for Annual Giving.

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Advancement Communications and Marketing for University Advancement, the Executive Director will serve as the strategic leader for annual giving across Carnegie Mellon University. The Executive Director will demonstrate extensive experience with executing visionary annual giving programs at the university level that meet ambitious quantitative objectives. Well versed in industry best practices, the Executive Director will lead a central Annual Giving team focused on direct marketing (mail and email), Telefund, crowdfunding, and special initiatives, including Giving Tuesday, for constituent groups including alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the university.

The Executive Director will work collaboratively with other members of the Advancement Marketing and Communications team, as well as colleagues across the University Advancement division and in the university’s colleges and schools. Serving as a strong collaborative partner, advisor, and mentor to staff across the university with annual giving responsibilities, the Executive Director will be responsible for developing a transformative vision for the program across the university to meet goals for increased retention and acquisition of donors, and a strengthened pipeline of donors, with emphasis on support from undergraduate alumni.

Carnegie Mellon University has been a birthplace of innovation since its founding as an engineering and fine arts school in 1900. It has soared to national and international leadership in higher education and research, especially since 1967 when the Carnegie Institute of Technology merged with the Mellon Institute for Industrial Research to form Carnegie Mellon University. CMU made an early commitment to computer science and information technology, where the university continues to advance discovery and impact. CMU is renowned for its blend of technical rigor and creativity, for its commitment to solving real-world problems, and for its strength in interdisciplinary collaboration. Carnegie Mellon is ranked as 27th among global research universities, according to the Times Higher Education World University rankings, 26th in U.S. News and World Report, and 20th in The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education U.S. College rankings. Its alumni have earned distinction around the globe.

In a world that continues to struggle with bias and inequality of opportunity, Carnegie Mellon University strives to better represent the variety of the human condition, and to better support all students, faculty, and staff. As a community devoted to rigorous analysis and creative approaches to real-world problems, CMU has both the tools and the responsibility to address these challenges. It will continue to cultivate a welcoming culture, improve programs, recruit and retain world-class talent, and become a leader and champion for best practices. This is core to its mission.

A bachelor's degree is required for this position with preference for marketing, as is at least 7 to 10 years of related experience and at least 5 years of experience in a senior leadership role in managing annual giving programs within a university setting that achieve quantitative goals. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters must be responsive to the mission of Carnegie Mellon University and the position of Executive Director for Annual Giving.