Annual Giving Officer - Athletics

The Annual Giving Officer (AGO), Athletics spearheads all annual giving efforts for UNH Athletics and its various sport programs. Reporting to the Director of Annual Giving and partnering with the centralized Annual Giving team members, the incumbent will help set Athletics’ annual giving strategy and execute a comprehensive annual giving program that reaches all constituencies (alumni, student-athletes, coaches, staff, families and friends) through omni-channel marketing and personal interactions (utilizing all available vehicles such as phone, email, mail, social media, and other digital methods). The AGO will also liaison with the Athletics Director (AD), coaches, staff and student-athletes across UNH Athletics to deeply integrate annual giving practices across the department, determine funding priorities, support their fundraising initiatives, and leverage their connections and motivations to expand the already robust annual giving program. Additionally, the AGO will manage a portfolio of donors and prospects and work directly with individuals to secure financial contributions that will advance Athletics and/or the university’s mission and strategic plans. This entails identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding prospects and continually improving relationships with all constituencies in ways that have a quantifiable impact on philanthropic revenue. These collective efforts will aim to capitalize on the energy of Athletics’ passionate and spirited community and ultimately increase funds raised and the pipeline of donors.

The incumbent will embrace goal-oriented outcomes and be an entrepreneurial, strategic, and creative thinker who is capable of building and expanding relationships with constituents in ways that have a quantifiable impact on philanthropic achievement. They will have a proven track record in fundraising or a closely related field of expertise, and will possess outstanding interpersonal competencies, ability to effectively manage projects/priorities, and be highly motivated, organized and detail oriented.

Duties/Responsibilities

Fundraising Coordination (30%)

• Partner with the Director of Annual Giving to develop an Annual Giving strategy for Athletics that aligns with the Athletics Director’s vision and priorities and with the overall Annual Giving strategy for the university that aims to significantly increase revenue and constituent participation in the current campaign. Oversee the effective implementation of these strategies across Athletics, partnering with Annual Giving colleagues, Athletics Development colleagues and leadership.
• Partner with the central Annual Giving team members on all direct marketing efforts and communications they are executing on behalf of Athletics (mail, phone, email, social media, etc.) to provide Athletics specific messaging, content, and strategies.
• Serve as the Athletics representative for The (603) Challenge by securing underwriter funds, coordinating multi-channel outreach, driving goals and strategies, recruiting volunteers, and motivating coaches and staff to participate.
• Assist in the determination of metrics and goals for Athletics’ Annual Giving program; regularly monitor progress via reports to ensure these goals are achieved.
• Participate in events, programs, meetings, and initiatives that support UNH and Athletics’ Annual Giving program as directed by Athletics and Advancement leadership.
• Consult with coaches and staff from the various sport programs to provide guidance on any Annual Giving efforts they may be conducting to ensure they have a coordinated strategy and follow policies and procedures.
• Engage, educate, and train key volunteers on Annual Giving and recruit new volunteers.
• Work collaboratively across the entire Development and Advancement teams to support UNH’s overall Annual Giving and other fundraising and engagement goals and strategic plans.

Front-Line Fundraising (70%)

• Manage and actively expand a portfolio consisting of alumni, coaches, staff, friends, corporations and other constituents as appropriate capable of making annual gifts up to $25,000 and maintain frequent contact with these prospects to build relationships and increase philanthropic support.
• Conduct 100-125 visits each fiscal year via video conference, phone, and/or in-person; meeting this activity goal will require travel across the state, region, and, on occasion, the U.S.
• Solicit annual gifts for Athletics and UNH toward achieving personal and unit-wide annual revenue and donor participation goals.
• Partner with colleagues across Development/Advancement to plan effective engagement, solicitation, and stewardship strategies that will move prospects forward.
• Qualify prospects for potential leadership, major and planned giving capacity and interest and provide background to appropriate colleagues to effectively move them through the pipeline.

Requirements

Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of 2-3 years of fundraising experience or equivalent (sales, business development, account/relationship management, marketing and/or public relations).

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

•  Experience with Annual Giving strategies and donor qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies (or demonstrated equivalent sales/marketing experience).
• Understanding of the relevance of philanthropy.
• Successful experience working in a metrics-driven environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, about fundraising support; requires the ability to build rapport in an open, friendly, and accepting way, listen attentively and change the thinking of, or gain acceptance of, others in sensitive situations.
• Strong interpersonal skills including negotiation and communication; able to reach across a wide variety of audiences for different areas of ethics and compliance.
• Sensitivity and experience interacting with internal and external constituents who are diverse in characteristics such as age, education level, race, gender identity and expression, ability, and socioeconomic backgrounds in a culturally competent and supportive manner.
• Demonstrated understating of the responsibility to maintain sensitive information.
• Sound judgment and ability to work well as part of a team, including collaboration with diverse university units and others.
• Ability to provide effective project management.
• Ability to travel on behalf of the university including local, regional, and domestic trips.
• Commitment to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and advancement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the fundraising profession, theories, and standards.
• Knowledge of philanthropy policies, practices, and systems.
• Familiarity with a university setting and fundraising campaigns.
• Proficiency in database technologies and Microsoft Office.
• Experience with portfolio and volunteer engagement. 

Applicant Instructions: 

Applicants should be prepared to upload the following documents when applying online within the My Experience: Resume/CV section of the application: (Maximum of 5 Documents - additional documents can be added to the Application Questions section of the application)

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter

Applications that are missing any of the required items may not move forward for consideration. Additional uploaded documents not requested in the position announcement will not be reviewed.

About the UNH Foundation (UNHF) and UNH Development: Established in 1989, the UNHF exists to build private philanthropic support for the university with the goal of strengthening programs and supporting students, faculty and staff. The UNH Development team is the fundraising arm of the UNHF, working to advance the mission of the university by inspiring giving among alumni, parents/families, friends, employees, corporations, and foundations. Our donor-centered approach connects stakeholders’ passions and philanthropic goals to funding opportunities at UNH, resulting in meaningful and lasting impacts across the university. The Development team is structured to ensure every level of the donor pyramid is poised for growth and success in the short and long-term, with staff focused on annual giving, leadership giving, major giving, principal and planned giving, and foundation relations. Further, most team members are assigned to fundraise for a specific area of the university, supported by Development leadership and operations staff who work across the various teams. Our team is ambitious about the potential of our fundraising outcomes, embraces diverse perspectives, commits to professional growth, operates with integrity and collaborates in every way possible. Please join us!

About Annual Giving and The (603) Challenge: UNH’s Annual Giving function is comprised of a core central team (that sets the overall strategy for the university and manages the direct marketing and communication aspects of the program), and multiple gift officers assigned to fundraise on behalf of UNH colleges/schools, athletics and other units. UNH secures 20,000+ donors each year, with Annual Giving revenue accounting for over $7M+ each year. The cornerstone of UNH’s Annual Giving program is The (603) Challenge, which has grown significantly over the past 11 years, raising $3M+ from 12,000+ donors each fiscal year to support 500+ funds across UNH.

Hybrid Workplace Expectation: University Advancement has implemented a hybrid work model, and this is a hybrid position. The expectation is that employees reside within reasonable distance to the Durham, NH campus (under three hours) so they are available to come to campus as often as business needs dictate, which vary depending on the position and assigned areas. The hiring manager will determine and communicate exact expectations of in-person versus remote working time for each specific position.

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

EEO Statement

The University System of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access employer. The University System is committed to creating an environment that values and supports diversity and inclusiveness across our campus communities and encourages applications from qualified individuals who will help us achieve this mission. The University System prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or marital status.

Compensation Pay Range:

$54,990.00 - $98,150.00

The pay range for this position is listed above. Actual offer will be based on skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity, in addition to relevant business considerations. More information on benefits can be found here:USNH Employee Benefits | Human Resources

Location:

Durham