Director of Annual Giving (Annual Giving Officer)

Department

ARTS and SCIENCES; DEAN (BL-ARSD-IUBLA)

Department Information

The College of Arts and Sciences Office of Advancement handles development, stewardship, and alumni relations. Contact us today to find out how you can become more involved with the College.

Job Summary

The Director of Annual Giving leads the College of Arts and Sciences in comprehensive annual giving strategy with a clear mandate to grow revenue, increase first-time donor acquisition, improve donor retention, and expand overall donor participation across the College and its academic departments and programs. This position combines strategic leadership, data-driven insight, and cross-campus collaboration to design and execute a best-in-class annual giving program that advances the College's mission and long-term fundraising pipeline. The Director serves as a key architect of the College's philanthropic culture-developing personalized, impactful campaigns that inspire alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends to invest in the College's success.

Department-Specific Responsibilities

• Leads Annual Giving Program and Strategy.

  • Develops and implements a multi-channel annual giving plan aligned with College and Indiana University (IU) Foundation priorities, focused on revenue growth, donor acquisition, retention, and participation.

  • Establishes clear performance goals and metrics, and uses data analytics to drive decision-making, measure outcomes, and refine strategies.

  • Leads continuous testing and innovation of appeals, giving pages, and engagement tactics.

  • Evaluates Return On Investment (ROI) by channel and audience segment.
  • Identifies opportunities for recurring giving, leadership annual gifts, and challenge campaigns to deepen donor commitment.
  • Oversees the annual giving budget, ensuring optimal resource allocation toward strategies that yield measurable impact.
• Leverages Data to Optimize Donor Engagement.
  • Partners with IU Foundation data teams to analyze donor behavior, giving trends, and audience segmentation.
  • Uses predictive modeling, dashboards, and campaign analytics to guide strategic priorities and identify high-potential donor segments.
  • Reports on campaign performance, progress toward goals, and actionable insights for leadership and department partners.
  • Leverages data to improve year-over-year participation and revenue, including reactivation of lapsed donors and conversion of first-time donors into repeat supporters.
• Integrates Advancement Efforts to Amplify Impact.
  • Works closely with alumni engagement, marketing and communications, and academic units to create integrated campaigns that combine storytelling, impact, and clear calls to action.
  • Coordinates with advancement colleagues on stewardship and impact messaging to strengthen long-term donor relationships.
• Partners with Departments to Strengthen Fundraising.
  • Serves as the primary liaison to departments and programs on annual giving strategies.
  • Provides consultation and training on developing and executing crowd-funding campaigns, online giving initiatives, and digital fundraising strategies.

General Responsibilities

• Plans and participates in a variety of solicitation efforts for outright annual fund gifts from alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, and other constituents and supporters of the university via direct mail, email, phone, in person, and/or social media. Fundraising outreach is generally focused on programming or funds/needs of a particularly large school or spanning multiple schools or departments.
• Cultivates donor relationships through regular communications and outreach events; updates, maintains, and forwards prospective and current donor files and information to other development officers as necessary.
• Sets annual funds targets, contacts, and timelines by campaign for self; may participate in goal-setting for lower-level development staff, as well. Tracks progress toward goals, reporting or presenting figures on a regular basis to manager, team, and/or department/school representatives. Progress may be monitored via an incentive plan.
• Creates and distributes compelling print and digital fundraising materials for each campaign; tracks cost, funds received, and metrics such as return on investment for solicitation and pledge to donation yield.
• Researches, compiles, and provides metrics, facts, and general operations information about IU and its schools and departments to donors. Regularly collaborates with colleagues in relevant departments and schools and conveys donor questions/concerns related to their willingness to contribute.
• Provides an excellent donor experience through customer service, active listening, inclusive language, and thoughtful and persuasive discussion, consistently upholding the integrity and mission of Indiana University.
• Regularly takes on complex special projects, such as re-engaging lapsed donors, creating new annual fund campaigns, or developing and executing targeted events for potential donors.
• May participate in committees or strategy teams with department, school, campus, and/or Indiana University Foundation representatives and assist with setting short- and long-term annual giving strategy.
• May delegate administrative tasks, such as preparing and sending digital and direct mail solicitations, to other staff.

Qualifications

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

• Bachelor's degree in related field

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• 5 years in fundraising, sales, a higher education foundation, or related field

Preferred

• Project management experience coordinating initiatives involving multiple collaborators, including vendors, internal stakeholders, and organizational leadership

SKILLS

Required

• Proficient communication skills
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism
• Demonstrates time management and priority setting skills
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty
• Highly thorough and dependable
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure
• Possesses a high degree of initiative
• Ability to influence internal and/or external constituents

Preferred

• Demonstrated experience with annual giving reporting tools

Working Conditions / Demands

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

Work Location

Bloomington, Indiana

Advertised Salary

$72,000-$80,000 Annually

Benefits Overview

For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:

• Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
• Health savings account with generous IU contributions
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Basic group life insurance paid by IU
• Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death and dismemberment insurance
• Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
• Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
• Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
• 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
• Generous paid time off plans
• Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure.

Job Classification

Career Level: Advanced

FLSA: Exempt

Job Function: Development and Advancement

Job Family: Annual Giving

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Posting Disclaimer

This posting is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm EST on the advertised Close Date. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University, but will remain open for a minimum of 5 business days. To guarantee full consideration, please submit your application within 5 business days of the Posted Date.

If you wish to include a cover letter, you may include it with your resume when uploading attachments.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.

Campus Safety and Security

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, containing policy statements, crime and fire statistics for all Indiana University campuses, is available online. You may also request a physical copy by emailing IU Public Safety at iups@iu.edu or by visiting IUPD.

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