The Alumni Philanthropy Officer reports to the Director of Annual Giving and works collaboratively with the Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving and other frontline fundraisers. This position is responsible for the cultivation and growth of alumni specific annual giving and donor discovery programs including but not limited to reunion giving, regional engagement, Bishop’s Alumni Day of Giving, pipeline development work and individual donor relationships. This role will be responsible for managing a portfolio of 100 - 125 local and regional alumni constituents, and tasked to acclimate themselves to the Bishop’s community, building strong partnerships with Bishop’s employees to help promote objectives that are beneficial to the School. Top candidates will be donor-centric, able to match philanthropic interests of donors with funding needs for the School through individualized donor plans.

Essential Functions and Specific Duties

• Works collaboratively with the Director of Annual Giving to develop, execute, and maintain fundraising initiatives to increase alumni philanthropic support and participation for alumni engagement programming.
• Manage Bishop’s Alumni Day of Giving campaign.
• Identify alumni class representatives to serve as giving ambassadors for annual class reunions.
• Determine class goals and repeatedly implement multi-year reunion class giving programs with a goal to increase year after year.
• Create and implement challenge/match giving opportunities to encourage participation.
• Coordinate and grow regional alumni engagement. 
• Manage a portfolio of 100-125 alumni constituents to increase their philanthropic participation and engagement with the School. 
• Conduct prospect discovery and personally cultivate, solicit and steward individual donors.
• Develop and collaborate with the Alumni Engagement & Digital Marketing Coordinator to execute fundraising marketing plans for all alumni giving programs.
• Track and analyze alumni giving and engagement data to: measure progress, inform strategy adjustments, and provide data driven reporting to key constituent groups.
• Local, national, and international travel is required.
• Perform with a team approach, other duties as assigned.

An Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• Bachelor’s degree is required. 
• At least 5 years of proven fundraising experience, with focused efforts in annual giving best practices as well as personalized solicitations and closing gifts.
• Experience managing an individual portfolio of prospects and donors.
• Experience with a high-level of customer service and working and communicating with high-capacity, busy individuals.
• Must be/remain up to date on giving trends.
• Working knowledge of social media theories, concepts, and platforms.
• Intermediate proficiency with Google Workspace and aptitude for learning new technology.
• Raiser’s Edge and/or other fundraising software.
• Highly motivated and well-organized with a progressive record of achievement. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work well independently and as part of a team. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends for events and programs

Core Competencies:

• Uphold the School’s Core Values.
• Demonstrate professionalism, tact and an unwavering positive attitude.
• Stay up to date on industry standards, trends, developments and legal updates.
• Make timely and ethical decisions both systematically and under pressure.
• Comply with School’s reporting policies and procedures.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and organized work area.

Application Deadline

About The Bishop's School

Founded in 1909 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, The Bishop’s School is an independent, coeducational college-preparatory day school for 800 students in grades six through twelve located on a historic campus in the heart of La Jolla, just 10 miles north of downtown San Diego. With a student-teacher ratio of approximately 9 to 1, Bishop’s is known for academic, artistic, and athletic excellence while celebrating character development, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Last year’s applicant pool drew from 72 zip codes and 168 middle and high schools throughout San Diego County and beyond. Fifty-one percent of the student population self-identify as students of color. Additionally, over $4 million in need-based grants is awarded annually.

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