William Peace University is a nationally-ranked, award-winning institution located in one of the best cities in the United States in downtown Raleigh, NC. WPU provides a culture that values diversity, fosters an energized team environment, builds on our strengths, promotes creativity and innovation, and encourages inclusiveness, respect, and open communication by leading with our actions. Our mission is to prepare our students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. The ideal candidate will have the ability to embrace the five core values, mission, and vision of William Peace University. Follow your passion and make an impact at WPU!

The Office of Advancement exists to connect alumni and friends to advance the mission of William Peace University. We are responsible for alumni engagement, creating and sustaining community partnerships, friend-raising and fundraising for annual (operating), capital, and endowment campaigns. Our vision is to cultivate a philanthropic culture among our alumni and friends, fostering pathways of support for WPU to provide vibrant learning experiences for our students.

The Director is an essential member of the University Advancement team, with responsibility for directing and overseeing activities related to data integrity and reporting and the overall stewardship plan. The Director develops strategies, processes, and systems for collecting and reporting accurate and timely data; develops and manages gift processing and reporting activities; and manages the implementation, enhancement, and use of advancement-related technology applications such as Raiser’s Edge, Alumni Finder, and Foundation Search. The Director identifies ways to enhance record-keeping and processing and creates relevant analytics and measures the success of advancement giving strategies. The Director creates and manages online giving practices and systems as well as electronic giving campaigns and related reporting. The Director is responsible for determining systematic processes for stewardship management in collaboration with other staff members. The Director is responsible for creating and managing a donor relations plan to steward donors based on giving history and potential. They will also develop and manage personalized stewardship plans for annual $10K+ donors. Activities include appropriate follow up and regular engagement. The Director also supervises staff engaged in prospect research, identification, and reporting. In addition, the Director partners with Finance and Financial Aid to ensure efficiency and effectiveness with annual direct aid scholarship management.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

● Support WPU and University Advancement strategies and assists the VP for University Advancement to plan, organize, and implement annual departmental goals and objectives.
● Serve as peer to Director of Annual Giving and Engagement and Director of Development
● Supervise staff responsible for prospect research and identification providing training, guidance, and performance evaluation.
● Provide strategic vision for Advancement Services serving the advancement information needs of all facilities on campus, as well as the President’s Office and other members of the University senior leadership team.
● Work collaboratively with the University Advancement team to strengthen relationships between the University and alumni, donors, friends, and partners.
● Develop and manage a donor relations plan to appropriately steward donors based on giving history and potential (including phone program and other touch points).
● Create a donor relations program stewarding relationships with donors, friends, alumni, faculty/staff, etc. using key constituents on campus to help manage the stewardship process.
● Develop and oversees activities related to data integrity and reporting, creating a monthly report for the Senior Leadership Team Meetings, quarterly reports for Board meetings, as well as responsibility for annual reporting to donors.
● Supervise the processing and acknowledging of gifts, pledges, pledge payments, matching claims, memorial gifts, in honor gifts, and other contributions to the University which may often be of significant dollar values. Monitors the timeliness and efficiency of processing, and assures that all corresponding links in the database are updated and maintained as gifts are processed. Record links may include but will not be limited to: spouses and other family members; other alumni and friends; corporations/foundations to employees/owners, etc.
● Manage the overall donor database, including conversion of paper records to digital and cleaning up current database.
● Ensure timely and accurate gift acknowledgement process that supports overall stewardship plan.
● Maintain a calendar of stewardship activities for the Office of Advancement.
● In collaboration with staff, manage weekly phone acknowledgement program.
● Work cross-functionally to ensure the quality of donor interactions, including all potential touch points.
● Foster the establishment and maintains best practices in collecting and reporting data to ensure fundraising success.
● Research tools and systems and recommend best practices and implementation, enhancement, and use of fundraising technology applications and systems.
● Develop measurable and applied metrics for success, maintaining an on-going evaluation and reporting system for gift processing and donor identification activities.
● Create and manage online giving practices and systems including electronic giving campaigns in collaboration with annual giving staff.
● Work in collaboration with donor relations team members to produce organizational stewardship report and reports for major donors.
● Contribute to the overall stewardship plan of the Advancement office
● Develop a systematic plan for notification to the VP and other advancement members of donor trends and identification of prospects through data analysis.
● Collaborate and partner with University Advancement colleagues and other WPU departments in increasing support from alumni, donors, prospects, friends, and partners.
● Create and regularly report relevant metrics and measures to monitor giving strategies.
● Partner with Finance and Financial Aid to ensure efficiency and effectiveness with annual direct aid scholarship management.
● Manage the annual endowment reporting process (November) and the annual donor reports (July).
● Oversee and approve access for all data entry personnel requiring the use of the advancement database within University Advancement and campus-wide.
● Oversee the gift acknowledgement and receipting processes, ensuring frequent updates to thank you letters and maintain best practices within CASE reporting standards.
● Provide data support and processes for annual campaigns including annual fund, student calling programs and other initiatives of the office.
● Work with on-campus constituencies to make connections with donors and friends as appropriate.
● Approve all donor contributions to the university prior to submission to finance.
● Assist in the development of the departmental budget.
● Address “critical needs” which may occur on short notice and requires immediate action.
● Ensure the accuracy of the alumni database in order to publicize various alumni and development activities, by working closely with Advancement colleagues to maintain current alumni information, data entering of class notes, death notes, career notes, education notes, family (birth / adoption / wedding / engagement) notes, etc.
● Foster good relationships with various constituencies of the University by responding to inquiries, both verbal and written, on relevant topics.
● Contribute to the overall success of the Office by working on special projects and performing all other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Vice President.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
● Supervision of Data Coordinator and Advancement Communications Specialist
● May supervise student workers/interns

● Bachelor’s degree in information systems, data management, computer information systems, communications, or related field
● Minimum four (4) years of experience in advancement services, data management, stewardship, alumni relation, donor relations, annual giving or other equivalent experience within higher education or other relevant entity
● Comprehensive understanding of Advancement Services as a functional area, including gift processing, stewardship, donor relations, customer service, prospect management, information security, and data maintenance
● Significant understanding and experience with fundraising electronic applications and systems
● Understanding of donor relations program
● Experience in using development software, preferably Raiser’s Edge with work at the strategic systems level
● Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), with emphasis on database software
● Ability to recognize data challenges and search for solutions to any challenges or data need
● Ability to analyze and review computer system capabilities, current operational procedures, identifying problem areas, and optimize formats for data inputs and summaries
● Well-organized with attention to detail, including organization, prioritization, judgment, discretion and problem-solving skills; excellent customer service skills and a commitment to continuous improvement

● Experience with Raiser’s Edge, Alumni Finder, Foundation Research or other relevant applications/systems
● Advanced experience in Raiser’s Edge, will consider similar CRM (alumni) database maintenance and reporting experience.
● Web (HTML and content management programs), social media, and other electronic communications experience
● Advanced experience in Microsoft Excel and data reporting processes