Assistant Director Of Annual Giving

The Institutional Advancement Department at Saint John's University (SJU) invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), benefit-eligible position of Assistant Director of Annual Giving. 


The Assistant Director of Annual Giving works to engage alumni in support of Saint John's University (SJU), with a focus on donors in the $500+ gift level. Primary responsibilities include independently managing the class giving programs from the youngest 25 class years, including five reunion classes per year (5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th). This role also manages the Saint John's Class Committee and Fellows volunteer programs to engage alumni through the following strategies to build loyalty and affinity: volunteer engagement, gift cultivation and solicitation, marketing/communications, and stewardship.


The Assistant Director works with minimal supervision and has authority to make administrative decisions in the following areas: recruiting, training, and supporting Class Chairs, class volunteers and Fellows volunteers; personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts to Student Fund scholarships; and providing highly responsive customer service to donors and volunteers.



The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University believe that an excellent liberal arts education requires an understanding and appreciation of cultural difference and that everyone deserves to feel safe and morally valued. To that end, we will challenge our own practices and systems. Our commitment to an inclusive environment will be incorporated into all decision-making processes. We dedicate ourselves to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons.
SJU offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits program. For further information, see  . Volunteer Engagement  Build a volunteer culture and empower alumni in support of SJU by managing class committees and volunteers. Independently recruit, train, and support class volunteers in the 1st through the 25th class years of alumni. This includes a Class Chair and 5-8 volunteers per class. During a reunion year, this includes a Reunion Chair, Events Chair, Communication Chair, Gift Chair and 10-12 volunteers per reunion class. Duties include recruiting volunteers, conducting training both online and in-person, managing class giving data and responding to volunteer requests. Establish strategies to optimize the stage of each class in the five-year cycle with a special focus on Give SJU Day annually. Emphasize the 4th and 5th years of the reunion cycle to ensure active Class Committees are in place leading up to and during their reunion years. Maintain regular, personalized communication with volunteers via personal visits, calls, emails, and letters to ensure volunteers are motivated and well-supported. Collaborate with Reunion Staff Liaisons from the College of Saint Benedict (CSB) to successfully integrate alum volunteer activities between CSB and SJU as appropriate. Liaise between Reunion volunteers and Alum Relations at SJU and CSB to coordinate and schedule class-specific events during Reunion weekend. Gift Cultivation and Solicitation  Identify, cultivate and solicit annual gifts from alumni in support of Saint John's Student Fund scholarships. Independently schedule and conduct 20 cultivation, volunteer, and/or solicitation visits every month and record contact reports. Maintain a portfolio of approximately 200 Student Fund donors, primarily alumni from the 1st through 25th classes, and personally solicit them for Student Fund gifts annually. Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward Student Fund donors in the $500 to $10,000 level, while laying the groundwork for future relationship development. Guide volunteers to prospect within each class, assign classmates to volunteers, make appropriate volunteer contacts, and track and report volunteer contact reports to Saint John's.  Set and achieve yearly fundraising and activity goals for each class, using independent judgment about donor prospects within the class and comparative decision making. Develop fundraising strategies tailored to specific age, affinity and ask amount segments. Partner with the Major Gifts team to ensure that major, deferred, and planned gifts are incorporated into reunion class giving strategies, especially in the 20th and 25th Reunions. Marketing and Communications  Create strategies and content to reach alumni about the value and significance of giving to SJU and to the Student Fund in particular. Manage volunteer communications through direct mail, email, and social media, by creating templates, negotiating revisions, and clarifying key messages, with a focus on peer-to-peer solicitation for the Student Fund. Advise Director of Annual Giving and Executive Director of University Relations on desired branding, design, composition and timing of class marketing materials for reunion events and communications. Stewardship  Deepen relationships with alumni through acknowledgement and recognition of their support of SJU. Regularly thank Student Fund donors in the 1st through 25th class years through phone calls, personal visits and handwritten letters. Provide highly responsive service to donors and prospects, like following up on requests from donors. This includes investigating and resolving matters of donor complaints on behalf of Saint John's. Attend daytime, evening and weekend SJU Alumni Association events to meet donors and volunteer prospects and secure opportunities for personal visits. Exercise discretion on behalf of SJU to honor donor intent, sign gift agreements or accept gifts to the Student Fund or other designations and purposes. Other Duties and Responsibilities Lead student philanthropy education and engagement programs, including recruiting and managing the Senior Class Committee each year. Work with the Director of Annual Giving and Associate Director of Annual Giving to plan long and short-term strategic objectives of Reunion and class giving programs and contribute to their ongoing strategic revision and refinement. Make recommendations to Institutional Advancement leadership about the refinement of policies and procedures as they relate to alumni volunteer management, donor relations and fundraising. Participate in civic and community organizations and functions as able. Other duties as assigned. Bachelor's degree or equivalent education and experience.  Experience in sales, business development, fundraising, or related field. Demonstrated ability in personally soliciting constituents for philanthropic support. Ability to effectively manage multiple changing priorities with a positive attitude. Excellent interpersonal and diplomatic relationship building skills. High degree of self-motivation and ability to exercise independent discretion. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.  Strong quantitative reasoning skills, including the ability to analyze data. Discreet judgment and confidentiality. Ability to work occasional evenings and some weekend events (typically 8-10 weekends per year). Ability to interact with the Saint John's University and the College of Saint Benedict communities as an integral part of the staff. Physical Requirements: Significant keyboard and computer use, prolong sitting, and occasional standing.  Travel Requirements: Weekly travel throughout Central Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro to meet with donors and volunteers.  Regular travel between the campuses of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. About College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
The College of Saint Benedict (CSB), a liberal arts college for women, and Saint John's University (SJU), a liberal arts college for men, are located in the central lakes area of Minnesota, surrounded by more than 3,000 acres of pristine forests, prairies, and lakes. The campuses are minutes away from St. Cloud, an increasingly diverse regional center with a population of over 100,000, and 70 miles from Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some CSB/SJU faculty and staff choose to reside locally, while others commute from the Twin Cities. Both St. Cloud and the Twin Cities offer a wide range of fine arts, cultural, dining, recreational, and sporting opportunities. CSB and SJU are Catholic colleges in the Benedictine tradition enlivened by values of community, hospitality, stewardship, and justice. The schools are dedicated to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons. Students, staff and faculty from many diverse belief systems and backgrounds collectively bring a rich dimension to the academic, cultural, and religious experience at CSB/SJU. We welcome faculty who devote themselves with passion and integrity to their disciplines and to a transformative ed ... ucation of their students. With a total enrollment of approximately 3600 students, faculty members develop relationships with students in small classroom settings and have opportunities to work closely with students on research projects, experiential learning experiences, and study abroad programs. Recent initiatives to create a dynamic general education curriculum and to develop plans for a new teaching and learning center demonstrate strong institutional support for faculty development. CSB and SJU offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits program. Show more
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