Senior Director of Alumni Engagement

Overview of the Position

The Senior Director of Alumni Engagement develops, implements, and leads a comprehensive alumni engagement and communications strategy that builds and strengthens relationships between Mary Baldwin University (MBU) and its broad alumni community. The position is responsible for the primary design and execution of the alumni engagement program, providing value-added services to alumni that will increase their interest, engagement, and involvement with the University. The Senior Director understands the relationship between volunteer engagement and fundraising, and proactively collaborates with colleagues to ensure a robust pipeline of alumni is cultivated for philanthropy and other ways to give back to Mary Baldwin.

The Director’s overall goal will be to increase the number of engaged, committed Mary Baldwin alumni; connect alumni to each other, build leadership and volunteer opportunities for alumni to bring their skills and talents to bear for the university; and strengthen pathways for ambassadors, champions, and supporters.

About MBU

 Mary Baldwin University is a private university enrolling nearly 1,800 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels on campuses in Staunton and Fishersville, Virginia, and online. Since 1842, this intimate learning environment has allowed students to cultivate strong connections with faculty, staff, and peers. With a rich history of access and innovation, MBU prepares the diverse leaders of the future in fields ranging from health sciences, creativity and design, business and technology, and education and society. The university is organized into three academic colleges: the Gold College of Arts and Sciences, the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences, and the Palmer College of Professional Studies.

One of the Most Diverse Campuses in the Nation

With 60 percent of undergraduate residential students being Pell-eligible, 50 percent students of color, and 40 percent first generation, Mary Baldwin is among the most diverse campuses in the country. MBU fosters a vibrant and inclusive campus community, where students feel a strong sense of belonging, acceptance, support, and empowerment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Volunteer Engagement

• Serve as the staff liaison for the Alumni Advisory Council and collaborate with the Vice President for Advancement to execute a strategy that ensures alumni leaders have meaningful volunteer work that furthers their connection with the university and leverages their talents for the benefit of both students and other alumni.
• Building on the institution’s five-year strategic plan, Elevate MBU, serve as the lead engagement officer and will define, build, refine, and market volunteer opportunity pathways for the broader alumni community, with pathways in partnership with admissions, fundraising, career and professional development, events, and communications.
• Be responsible for developing and executing the strategy for regional network volunteer engagement and affinity group engagement, inclusive of pipeline development, recruitment, training, retention and stewardship of volunteers who serve in both national regional networks and on affinity groups (such as VWIL, Alumni of Color, etc.).
• Work directly with reunion planning committees and volunteers, developing engaging ways to involve class year representatives in the planning process, class outreach and cultivation, along with advising on reunion giving strategies that leverage class affinity.

Events and Programming

• Oversee strategy development, execution support, and oversight of events and programming listed below, including pre and on-site facilitation, event registration publishing and marketing, RSVP management, as well as logistical planning and post-event analysis. Alumni Weekend/Homecoming – annual weekend open to all alumni as an opportunity to reconnect with classmates and peers on campus; held in the fall, with additional emphasis on 5-year reunion class celebrations.
• Alumni Awards – to be reintroduced during alumni weekend/homecoming, this awards program celebrates alumni who have conducted exceptional service in their careers, to the university, and in their communities.
• Regional Events – through a network system of twelve, and growing, regional networks, events occur on an ongoing basis throughout the year and at variable frequencies pending the size of the regional network.
• Virtual Events – lifelong and other learning opportunities that provide virtually engaging content for alumni around the world.
• Affinity programming – events that support the opportunities to reconnect by affinity/area of interest (i.e. VWIL, PEG, Alumni of Color, etc.); may include program anniversary milestones.

Communications

• Provide strategic direction and guidance for broad alumni communications and outreach. The successful candidate must be a strong written and oral communicator, and will have responsibility for content ideation, generation, and review, including areas listed below.
  • Monthly newsletter
  • Website
  • Social media
  • Content generation and writing
  • Monthly squirreling around town
  • Annual engagement report
  • Event calendar management in Anthology software

Administration, Management, and Reporting Lines

The Senior Director reports to the Vice President of Advancement, supervises the Assistant Director of Alumni and Donor Events, provides managerial support for student workers, and serves on the senior leadership team for the division. The Senior Director is responsible for managing the alumni department’s budget and strategic goals, which directly support the institution’s five-year strategic plan.

Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree, 4-6 years alumni engagement experience, strong communications skills, event management experience, and volunteer management experience required. 

Preferred skills and experiences include:

• Work history in an academic setting
• Experience with customer relationship management software
• Prior communications and marketing experience
• Collaboration skills
• Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities
• Demonstrated experience with execution over delegation of a small team
• Demonstrated ability to be resourceful, careful budget oversight, and ability to be creative with resources
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and foster positive relationships with a diverse array of constituents, colleagues, and institutional partners.

To Apply

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three professional references to Mary Harvey, Vice President of University Advancement, at mcharvey@marybaldwin.edu. 

Mary Baldwin University values and celebrates diversity, is committed to equal opportunity, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or veteran’s status.