Advancement Marketing And Digital Communications Officer

University of Guelph • Guelph, ON • 1d ago

General Purpose

Alumni Affairs & Development (AA&D)’s purpose is to maximize philanthropic support for the University of Guelph’s mission of creating unique solutions for the challenges facing our world. We achieve this purpose by building the kind of deep and sustained relationships with our donors, alumni and friends that increase awareness of, engagement with, and investment in the University of Guelph’s work. As a member of this campus-wide team, the Advancement Marketing & Digital Communications Officer epitomizes the department’s shared values of respect, empowerment, integrity, appreciation, and forward focus.

The University of Guelph is currently planning to launch its first fundraising campaign since 2014. The campaign aims to expand on the University’s recent fundraising growth so that AA&D becomes a team that consistently raises $ 75 M a year by 2030 (a record $ 55M was raised in FY24/25). By aligning donor passions with the university’s ambitious goals, the campaign will boost revenue, elevate the university’s global profile, deepen donor relationships, and create a highly developed culture of philanthropy across the University community. Institutional leaders and volunteers will be highly engaged in advocating for the university’s global impact and the vital role of philanthropy in achieving this vision.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Advancement Marketing and Digital Communications Officer is an integral member of the Digital Experience team within the Alumni, Annual Giving & Engagement Department, responsible for managing and delivering against the overall email engagement calendar, supporting the department’s ambitious fundraising and engagement strategic goals, and working collaboratively across the department. With digital fundraising and marketing experience and working knowledge of technologies such as Acoustic Connect, Drupal CMS, and Adobe Premiere, the Officer champions department-wide excellence in digital communications.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Digital Experience, the Advancement Marketing and Digital Communications Officer leads the department’s email communications delivery and supports internal units in building an annual calendar of effective digital communications and fundraising appeals, including measurement and analytics reporting. The Officer works collaboratively with units across AA&D, providing expertise in mobile-first design to help elevate alumni and donor engagement, Annual Giving campaigns, events, and fundraising priorities. The Officer also promotes best practices and stays current on industry trends in digital engagement and marketing automation/email marketing to help advance AA&D’s profile and brand reputation with target audiences.

With interest in digital marketing trends and creative content, the Marketing and Digital Communications Officer maintains up-to-date knowledge of evolving best practices for email design, deliverability, metrics, templates, and visual standards.

Requirements

The University recognizes that no one individual will have the following skills and experience in equal measure; the qualifications below will be used to assess the suitability of candidates throughout the process.

Undergraduate degree in Communications/Marketing or related field preferred
3-6 years experience leading experience leading digital marketing campaigns using multiple channels.
Experience in fundraising communications, content strategy, event marketing, and multi-channel campaigns
Demonstrated experience managing email communications calendars and campaigns, and coordinating complex communications projects across multiple partners
Working knowledge of HTML and mobile-first email design principles
Ability to develop strategic and compelling campaign marketing collateral aligned with University and department brand standards
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to work collaboratively and build effective working relationships
Demonstrated organizational skills, sound judgment, and problem-solving ability
Experience in a university, higher education, or not-for-profit environment preferred
Understanding of fundraising principles, particularly as they relate to email campaigns
Experience with marketing automation/ email marketing and/or constituent management platforms (e.g., Acoustic Connect, Blackbaud CRM)
Experience managing content strategy in a digital environment to increase donor participation and alumni engagement
Experience working in a Drupal CMS environment and publishing website content
Video production skills (storyboarding, shooting, editing, and producing high-quality, engaging videos using tools such as Adobe Premiere)