Director of Development Communications

Job Description Summary
Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Strategic and Integrated Communications the Director of Advancement Communications provides strategic leadership in crafting and managing creative communications strategies that drive donor support and alumni and parent engagement across various constituent levels. This role serves as a central collaborator across fundraisers alumni and parent teams and campus partners to create compelling advancement communications materials to inspire philanthropic support and meaningful connections with the university community. Through innovative approaches data-driven communication strategies and cross-organizational collaboration the Director of Advancement Communications ensures consistency in brand messaging while driving measurable outcomes for campaigns fundraising and lifelong engagement initiatives with university constituents.

Responsibilities
CONCEPTION AND DEVELOPMENT In collaboration with SMC leadership and campus partners lead the strategic vision and execution of integrated communications across Development Alumni Engagement and Parent and Family Engagement to cultivate and strengthen constituent relationships throughout their entire journey from initial engagement through sustained philanthropy. Develop and implement tailored communication strategies for donor alumni foundation and parent audiences that drive philanthropic support engagement and participation in events and volunteer programs collaborating closely with respective teams on content and outreach initiatives including: Develop high-level gift proposals and create templates for gift officers to create their own Develop comprehensive campaign messaging in addition to supporting messaging efforts in the Foundation and Corporate Relations area Write content for the monthly donor alumni and parent newsletters Draft and distribute the monthly donor alumni and parent newsletters using Salesforce Conduct monthly check-in meetings with team members in Alumni Engagement Parent Engagement Annual Giving and Corporate and Foundation Relations Ensure strategic alignment and consistent application of institutional brand identity and messaging across all advancement communications serving as a key liaison within SMC including: Schedule tasks in Asana and coordinate with SMC team members regarding their project roles. Customize materials to the needs of academic disciplines and institutional priorities (e.g. Athletics Student Affairs etc.) Customize materials to various donor segments (e.g. annual fund /major /principal /planned gift prospects and donors) Customize stewardship materials to the individual interests of donors Customize communications by synthesizing and applying available research on distinct donor segments including loyal donors philanthropic entrepreneurs and philanthropic investors as well as research on philanthropic propensities that may be unique to individual prospects/donors and their interests. Collaborate within the department and university and with external vendors as appropriate to produce strategic high-quality and persuasive messaging and content for written collateral web electronic mail and social media platforms for the comprehensive campaign when applicable. Oversee strategic messaging and SMC coordination role for Homecoming activities COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION WITH CAMPUS PARTNERS Provide strategic communications counsel guidance and training to UA and university colleagues on the best practices of messaging and content delivery for impactful communications that drive donor support. Collaborate with key academic and administrative leaders student and alumni leaders advancement professionals and others to incorporate the various voices and outlooks that comprise the Chapman identity for the comprehensive campaign and other donor communications. Help to establish the aesthetic direction and consistency for printed collateral and the web environment for campaign image and brand. As needed or requested advise internal stakeholders including front-line fundraisers volunteers and academic leadership on ways to customize their messages to engage alumni parents and friends within the Universitys brand identity parameters. DATA STRATEGY Champion a data-driven approach to communications strategy by establishing key performance indicators analyzing engagement and fundraising metrics and leveraging insights to continuously optimize strategies and content across all platforms and constituent segments. Provide monthly data reports and suggested strategies to improve engagement across all integrated advancement communications.

Required Qualifications
Bachelors degree or equivalent education and professional experience Minimum seven years experience in leading communications strategy for a complex organization preferably in a development or fundraising environment. Experience advising and working closely with executive-level leaders. Excellent written and verbal communication skills Experience creating successful campaign collateral and brand messages Knowledge of fundraising concepts related to proposals and campaign collateral and web content Superior command of grammar spelling and punctuation Meticulous attention to detail Ability to work in a collaborative environment Strong organizational and prioritization skills to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines Ability to forecast expenses and manage a budget Technical skills to use Microsoft Office and position relevant design-related software and to learn and use enterprise systems Demonstrated ability to influence and tactfully manage relationships with diverse internal and external constituencies Strong analytical skills to evaluate data assess alternatives and make appropriate decisions and/or recommendations Ability to learn university policies procedures practices and culture and apply them for effective and persuasive messaging Ability to maintain high level confidentiality and to employ tact and good judgment Working knowledge of current messaging tools styles and best practices for diverse audience appeals Experience managing design and print partners/vendors as well as leading high priority communication projects or related initiatives; graphic design skills a plus.