Director, Annual Giving and Development Communications

Director, Annual Giving and Development Communications

ArtCenter College of Design is searching for an experienced Director, Annual Giving and Development Communications to join our team. The salary range for this position: $90,000.00 - 95,000.00. Final salary is based on education, experience, skills relevant to the role, and internal equity.

Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education and has had an international reputation for its rigorous, transdisciplinary curriculum, faculty of professionals, strong ties to industry, and commitment to socially responsible design. ArtCenter is a private nonprofit fully accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

Every position at ArtCenter plays an important part in carrying out the cultural values, goals, strategic vision, and mission of the College. This includes upholding and cultivating an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Reporting to the senior vice president, Advancement, the director, Annual Giving and Development Communications, will lead and execute a comprehensive, multi-channel annual giving program while overseeing Advancement communications project management and volunteer engagement. The incumbent will drive broad-based philanthropic support by engaging alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and community members through integrated, multi-channel campaigns. The incumbent will play a critical role in strengthening the donor pipeline, from acquisition through stewardship and upgrade, while ensuring a cohesive and compelling Advancement narrative across all communications.

The incumbent will also serve as the primary Advancement liaison to the College's Marketing and Communications team and provide leadership for key volunteer groups, including the FullCircle Board.

This is a full-time in-region position. Normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or as defined by the department. The position is eligible for flexible scheduling and can be performed hybrid with the expectation of at least 3 days in the office or required as a condition of employment. The demands of this work may include weekends or evenings. The college reserves the right to modify schedules as needed to meet the business needs with appropriate notice. Maybe required to work nights and weekends to staff department events.

Essential Functions

Annual Giving Strategy and Execution – 25%

• Lead a comprehensive, data-informed annual giving program supporting both unrestricted and targeted priorities (e.g., ArtCenter100, FullCircle, tribute giving, faculty/staff campaigns)
• Develop and manage a data-informed, year-round calendar of annual giving activities, appeals, and stewardship initiatives aligned with College priorities.
• Plan and implement multi-channel solicitations:
• Partner directly with the College's mail house to produce and distribute hard copy appeals
• Oversee digital appeals and email campaigns through RENXT
• Design and implement donor acquisition, retention, and engagement workflows, including:
• Identifying and cultivating new donors
• Retaining and upgrading existing annual donors
• Identifying donors with potential to move into mid-level, major, and planned giving portfolios
• Partner with Major Gifts and Planned Giving to strengthen pipeline development and identify upgrade opportunities
• Collaborate with Advancement Services to analyze performance metrics, track ROI, and optimize campaign effectiveness

Stewardship and Donor Relations – 20%

• Develop and oversee donor stewardship strategies that reflect best practices in donor relations.
• Oversee acknowledgment and recognition programs, ensuring timely, personalized, and meaningful donor communications
• Maintain appropriate donor recognition levels and benefits, with attention to tax deductibility and donor experience
• Conceive and support donor engagement and appreciation opportunities in collaboration with Advancement colleagues.

Development Communications and Project Management – 25%

• Serve as the primary Advancement point of contact with the College's Marketing and Communications team, ensuring alignment of messaging and brand voice
• Lead Advancement communications planning and execution across fundraising, alumni, and industry engagement initiatives
• Manage complex, cross-functional communications projects from concept through delivery, including timelines, stakeholder coordination, and outcomes
• Oversee the creation of print, digital, and web-based Advancement communications related to annual giving and stewardship.

Volunteer and Board Leadership (FullCircle) – 15%

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the FullCircle Board
• Oversee meeting planning, communications, and engagement strategies to maximize volunteer impact
• Partner with Advancement leadership to align board activities with fundraising goals and donor pipeline development
• Collaborate with alumni and industry engagement colleagues to strengthen volunteer and donor relationships.

Department Administration – 10%

• Provide consistent leadership and clear direction to staff: oversee recruitment, hiring, onboarding, learning and professional development, and fair and equitable compensation grid placement of departments staff; oversee performance effectiveness, ensure consistent use of all applicable policies and procedures; counsel, discipline and makes recommendations in terminations
• Provide clarification and guidance with the interpretation of departmental policies as it relates to gift policies
• Follow and enforce all College policies and work with Environmental Health and Safety/Risk Management (EHS) in EEE to maintain a safe and secure working and learning environment for students, faculty and staff
• Work collaboratively across Advancement (major gifts, planned giving, alumni engagement, prospect research, and advancement services) to ensure cohesive donor strategies

• Maintain memberships and active involvement in applicable professional organizations
• Assisted with occasional advancement-related events
• Serve on educational or college-wide committees, work groups, task forces and/or councils
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university or any equivalent combination of training and experience
• At least 5 years of experience in annual giving, advancement, or nonprofit fundraising
• Demonstrated success executing annual giving programs and donor stewardship initiatives
• Experience working with volunteer groups or advisory boards
• Working knowledge of donor pipelines, including annual, mid-level, major, and planned giving
• Excellent written and oral communication and negotiation skills; ability to translate complex academic, artistic, and technical concepts into language understandable by lay audiences
• Experience with Raiser's Edge or other equivalent Customer Relations Management (CRM) systems
• Ability to maintain good working relationships with various internal and external stakeholders related to the ongoing operations of the division, including, donors, volunteers, executive leadership, administrators, faculty, staff, students, and alumni
• Flexibility and initiative, as well as the ability to work independently, combined with the skills for thriving in a collaborative team environment to achieve institutional goals
• Ability to handle confidential information with tact and discretion and recognizes the confidential nature of ArtCenter business
• Demonstrated experience in cultivating an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment into workplace practices within ArtCenter's diverse communities of faculty, staff, students and visitors
• Ability to enforce, follow, and implement policies and procedures
• Ability to work occasional weekends and evening hours, and to staff events
• Ability and willingness to travel locally between campuses with occasional travel within California and limited travel outside the state may be required to support donor engagement

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education or complex nonprofit environments
• Familiarity with membership-based or giving society programs

Physical Demands and Working Environment

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Environment : Work is performed primarily in a standard office setting with frequent interruptions and distractions; extended periods of time viewing computer monitor; interactions with other individuals. Due to the nature of the work environment, there is regular exposure to fumes, dust and noise.

Physical : The position is generally performed in an office setting and Events. Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting or attend/work events; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight (up to 30 pounds); to operate modern office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a computer