Cottey College, a nationally recognized women’s liberal arts college supported by the P.E.O. Sisterhood, seeks a strategic andresults-oriented advancement professional to lead and grow the College’s annual giving program, known as the Cottey Fund.
This roleis responsible for shaping and executing a comprehensive annual fund strategy that increases donor participation, strengthens retention, andgrows unrestricted support through the Cottey Fund.
The Associate Director or Director of Annual Giving will play a central role infostering a culture of philanthropy among alumnae, P.E.O. members, parents, students, faculty/staff, and friends of the College. Thesuccessful candidate will combine strong execution skills with data-driven strategy and compelling storytelling to expand engagement andbuild a sustainable donor pipeline in support of women’s education and leadership development.
Title and salary will be commensuratewith experience and demonstrated leadership capacity.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Growth
- Develop and execute a comprehensive annual giving strategy aligned with institutional priorities.
- Establishmeasurable goals for participation, retention, and revenue growth.
- Lead a coordinated, multi-channel annual giving calendarincluding appeals, digital campaigns, phonathon, giving days, and fiscal year-end efforts.
- Design targeted Cottey Fundsegmentation strategies for alumnae, P.E.O. members, parents, young alumnae, students, faculty/staff, and friends.
- Develop andexecute intentional donor retention and reactivation strategies, including systematic LYBUNT/SYBUNT efforts.
DonorEngagement & Pipeline Development
- Position and grow the Cottey Fund as a vital source of flexible, mission-centeredsupport.
- Build donor pathways that move individuals from first-time gifts to sustained annual support and future major andplanned gift engagement.
- Partner with major gifts and stewardship colleagues to identify and qualify leadership annual donors.
- Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to craft compelling appeals and impact reporting.
- Support studentphilanthropy and participation initiatives that reinforce lifelong engagement.
- Manage a portfolio of leadership annual donors andselect mid-level prospects, conducting qualification and cultivation conversations to strengthen retention and pipeline development.
- Solicit leadership annual gifts and collaborate with major gift colleagues on strategy for donors with increased capacity.
Data, Reporting & Management
- Leverage Raiser’s Edge to segment audiences, track performance, and ensure dataintegrity.
- Monitor participation rates, renewal rates, average gift size, and donor reactivation strategies.
- Developrevenue projections and manage the annual giving budget.
- Prepare clear and concise performance reports for cabinet and boardaudiences.
Collaboration & Leadership
- Work closely with Advancement Services to ensure timely giftprocessing, acknowledgment, and stewardship.
- Engage volunteer ambassadors, including alumnae and P.E.O. leaders, in participationefforts.
- Supervise student workers and/or staff as appropriate.
- Contribute to broader Institutional Advancementinitiatives and campaign planning.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Minimum 3 years of experience in annual giving or related advancement work; 7+ years with demonstrated strategic leadership preferred forDirector-level consideration.
- Proven success in increasing donor participation and/or annual fund revenue.
- Strongcommunication skills and ability to translate data into an actionable strategy.
- Experience with CRM systems (Raiser’s Edgepreferred).
- Commitment to the mission of Cottey College and women’s education.