The Steward School seeks a Development Associate, Alumni Engagement and Volunteers with excellent administrative, project management, and fundraising skills with a high degree of organization, attention to detail, and the ability to think critically. This is a full-time, fully benefited position reporting to the Director of Development.

The primary responsibility of the Development Associate, Alumni Engagement and Volunteers position is to create a robust program for engaging the School’s alumni. This position will create and execute a strategic plan for supporting the School’s alumni that instills pride in Steward, connects alumni to each other and back to the School in meaningful ways.

 Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Create and implement a strategic alumni engagement plan for the School’s alumni through special events, communications, volunteer activities, and other programming.
• Identify, cultivate, and engage potential alumni leaders in the life of the School as speakers, volunteers, hosts, committee members, board members, and donors.
• Make personal and direct solicitations (Annual Fund, specific campaigns/projects) of Alumni and Alumni Parents via face-to-face meetings, phone calls, personal mail, and email.
• Manage and oversee Almabase (Alumni directory), meeting all benchmarks for growth.
• Engage and inform alumni on a regular basis in a strategic, innovative, and personal manner through individual meetings, affinity groups, Enouncements, social media, the Colonnade, and other forms of communication.
• Manage and oversee the activity of the Alumni Board, board committees, and class agent program, including meeting coordination, financial management, membership recruitment and retention, and event coordination.
• Lead all alumni events, including Reunion Weekend events, Alumni Inspiration Day, Alumni Achievement Award, alumni affinity groups and activities, seasonal socials, and regional visits.
• Work with Development colleagues to create an alumni annual fund giving strategy, including recruitment and training of alumni volunteers. Work with ADOD on fundraising strategy for reunion classes and special groups.
• Lead all engagement with the current senior class. This would include all senior-related events up to graduation day. Work with Upper School Administration on Senior Year Engagement Plan, including programming and events.
• Manage and plan the activities of the Student Philanthropy Initiative club.
• Serve as lead for all alumni communications in coordination with marketing, including quarterly newsletters, event invitations and reminders, articles and highlights in the Colonnade (alumni news such as weddings, deaths, births, and promotions), alumni spotlights, online features, and social media.
• Manage Steward alumni social media platforms including schedule of posting and creating all content for Steward School Alumni Association Facebook and StewardAlums Instagram.
• Work with the Director to create a method for tracking and analyzing alumni engagement programs. Analyze traditional engagement programs and seek innovative ways to further strengthen and support existing programs.
• Work with development colleagues to oversee the collection and verification of lost alumni and improve industry and employment information in the School’s database.
• Benchmark with peer institutions to determine best practices to engage alumni in impactful and cost-effective ways.
• Assists with all special scholarship programs, including donor solicitation, recognition, and coordination of scholarship donor events.
• Handles correspondence, mailings, publications, and invitations associated with the Alumni Board and all alumni events and alumni stewardship.
• Other duties as assigned.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain communication with the Director on programmatic progress and activity.
• Serve as a strategic member of the Development team supporting all office functions/events/campaigns.
• Work collaboratively with the Director, Assistant Director of Development, Development Associate, Auxiliary Groups and Volunteers, Events Coordinator, Development Special Projects Coordinator, Marketing & Communications, Admissions, and Business & Finance to achieve overall development goals.
• Stay current with stewardship best practices and create and implement a program that supports fundraising efforts.
• Ability to run accurate reports, lists, and queries in Raiser’s Edge to support development activity.
• Directs, coordinates, and supervises the activities of personnel, volunteers, and vendors as required to successfully execute assigned events.
• Creates event reports noting attendance, profit and loss statements, and general event synopsis.
• Compiles and prepares reports, correspondence, forms, and other related documents, which include memos and meeting minutes.
• Answers general development office phone and greets development office visitors.

Generally Applicable School Competencies

• Excellent communication skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to maintain accurate records.
• Adherence to all personnel policies, procedures, and rules continued in the Faculty/Staff Handbook.
• Maintain productive relationships with the School Faculty and Staff.

Functional Competencies

• Leadership/Integrity – effectively communicates the School’s shared purpose; builds trust among colleagues; is accountable; lives up to commitments.
• Team Player/Commitment to Cause – understands the big picture and manages areas of responsibility in a manner consistent with the School’s mission and values.
• Interpersonal Skills – relates to Steward Community, including alumni, faculty, staff, students, and parents, in a cooperative manner that helps others to achieve their best.
• Productivity/Organizing/Planning – meets deadlines, demonstrates effective use of time, and handles multiple assignments simultaneously.
• Willingness to Acknowledge Areas for Growth – understands the need for growth and is receptive to constructive feedback.

Knowledge and Skill Set Requirements

• Microsoft Office including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel
• Google suite of applications
• Blackbaud/Raiser’s Edge
• Almabase
• Social media platforms
• Strong Interpersonal Skills

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Minimum of 5 years development or comparable advancement experience, alumni programming a plus.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 10 lbs.

Interested candidates should upload their resume and cover letter as part of the online employment application. Please reference “Development Associate, Alumni Engagement and Volunteers” as the position you are interested in. No calls or visits, please.

About The Steward School

The Steward School's mission begins with "to prepare each child for college and for life." Critical to this endeavor are the faculty and staff members of our school. Our core character values are honor, responsibility, and achievement, balanced by caring and respect for oneself and for others. Our faculty and staff are much more than mere representations of these values—they are the designers, sculptors, and builders that frame our students’ educational goals with these values in mind. The Steward School is committed to diversity and the development of an educational environment that fosters mutual respect, responsibility, and empathy in our school and in life. We value the presence of individuals whose differences include, but are not limited to, age, ethnicity, gender, learning style, talents, physical ability, political views, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and family structure. We actively encourage applications from candidates with broad and diverse backgrounds and from individuals of all races, nationalities, and beliefs. Why Work at Steward? The Steward School was named one of the 2020 Top Workplaces in the Richmond region by the Richmond ...Times-Dispatch in conjunction with Workplace Dynamics. In addition, Steward offers a competitive compensation package for full-time employees. We invite you to find out more about how you can become a part of our community.

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