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Assistant Director of Donor Engagement

Sidwell Friends, a coeducational Quaker day school, seeks a full-time Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement to work with the Advancement Department, located on its DC campus. The Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement supports the planning, implementing, and managing of the comprehensive engagement program for alumni. Reporting to the Director of Alumni Engagement, this position facilitates thoughtful engagement opportunities for alumni to connect with each other and the life of the School. Working collaboratively to advance the goals of the department, the Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement has a demonstrated track record of volunteer management, event planning, creativity, and dedication to alumni engagement best practices.

Key Responsibilities:

Alumni Engagement

  • Work with the Director of Alumni Engagement to strengthen affinities and create engagement opportunities between alumni and the School, including those with students, faculty, and administration.
  • Assist with and/or manage aspects of 50+ events with alumni, including Homecoming Weekend, alumni affinity programming (example: the Black Alumni Alliance Summit), the Let Your Life Speak Morning at Founders Day, Alumni Holiday Parties, Summer with Friends, and other events/programs as assigned.
  • In collaboration with the Director of Alumni Engagement, build on the strength of current alumni and parent-of-alumni programs to create new and innovative ways to meet the personal, professional, and intellectual needs of a diverse alumni base, ultimately engendering philanthropic support for the School.
  • Develop effective communication with the alumni community by actively seeking to expand, correct, and maintain alumni contact and personal information contained within the advancement database.  
  • Ensure effective tracking of engagement activity.

Volunteer Management

  • Cultivate and strengthen the six regional alumni clubs located in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle through strategic planning, engagement with local alumni, identification and recruitment of volunteers, and travel.
  • Manage two standing committees under the Friends Alumni Network Advisory Board:
    • Let Your Life Speak Morning Committee, in selection and recruitment of alumni participants for the event; manage all logistics associated with the event.
    • Dehejia Internship Program Committee, in recruitment of alumni to provide internships opportunity to current students; additionally, engage alumni of this program.
    • Manage any task forces, as assigned.
  • Manage  non-alumni volunteer groups:
    • Parents of Alumni Steering Committee and associated POA events
    • Retired and Former Faculty and Staff Steering Committee and associated RFFS events.
  • Oversee the 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th and 45th year classes for Reunion Weekend. Recruit and manage volunteers for these classes to plan class-specific events and engage alumni via Reunion Weekend.

Qualifications:

A Bachelor’s degree is required with three to five years of experience in alumni engagement, preferably in a higher-education or independent school setting. The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker who has an understanding of sustained relationship management, fundraising, stewardship, and engagement programming. Professionalism, discretion, creativity, willingness to travel and work occasional irregular hours, and the ability to deal with confidential information are vital in this role.

Skills and Abilities:

Required

  • Must be a self-motivated, highly dependable, independent worker with the ability to effectively prioritize work and problem solve.
  • Able to work in a fast-paced environment and handle multiple tasks simultaneously, prioritize projects to meet deadlines.
  • Knowledge of fundraising principals and best practices in alumni engagement.
  • Skill in project and event management, both in-person and virtual.
  • Excellent written and verbal skills.
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to manage complex, multi-phase projects from inception to completion.
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills with ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively colleagues.
  • Ability to represent the School with internal and external constituents in the community by attending events and social gatherings as needed.

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