Position Overview:   The Alumni Engagement & Events Coordinator is part of the Development Team, reporting to the Director of Development and working closely with alumni, faculty, staff, and administrators. They should have a love for connecting with people, consistently provide outstanding customer service, and be able to build relationships with alumni and donors of the School. As much of this position revolves around engaging current and potential donors from the school community, a high comfort level with asking for donations of money, items, services, and time is essential. They will be responsible for several key events including the school’s upcoming Centennial in October 2026, biennial Auction, Reunion Weekend, and Parents Weekend, along with other smaller-scale events throughout the year. Additionally, they will serve as the liaison to Gow’s Alumni Association and Parents Association.

Essential Job Functions:           

• Reflect the Mission of The Gow School to students, faculty, and the community, and adhere to all company policies as listed in The Gow School Employee Handbook.
• Exhibit The Gow School’s core values, embodied in our Four Pillars of Kindness, Respect, Honesty and Hard Work

Alumni Engagement Responsibilities

• Increase alumni engagement and giving to Gow through targeted events, outreach, and cultivation activities. Prioritize personal outreach to individual alumni through frequent phone calls, emails, and Zoom or in-person meetings.
• Serve as the liaison to Gow’s Alumni Association and work with Alumni Association leadership to schedule, coordinate, and communicate meetings and events.
• Work with Alumni Association and Gow administrators to develop new alumni engagement opportunities that are interesting and well attended. Plan on-campus, virtual, and offsite social events such as student sporting events, alumni games, networking events, happy hours, etc.
• Identify/create opportunities for alumni to take active roles in the school’s strategic planning and development efforts.
• Collect, write, and distribute alumni news updates, class notes, and stories.
• Develop and cultivate effective communication and activities with upper school students that will foster future alumni volunteers and positive alumni relations.
• Identify and solicit class ambassadors.
• Reporting and Strategy Assessment including tracking of initiatives, engagement metrics, and event attendance. Identify trends, successes, and areas of development, adjusting strategies as necessary.
• Consistent eye on “lost” or “disengaged” alumni to locate and re-engage with the school.

Event Responsibilities

• Events to include but not limited to: Alumni Weekend, Parents Weekend, Auction, Alumni Association meetings, Parents Association meetings, Senior Dinner, Centennial Celebration, Commencement week, regional Gow gatherings, etc.
• Plan and support fundraising and stewardship events, such as donor recognition receptions, parent gatherings hosted in the community, special receptions related to major campaigns or initiatives, etc.
• Develop and implement event plans from start to finish, as well as work back schedules to allow for smooth, well-coordinated execution of events. Manage all event details – catering, vendors, set-up, takedown, decorations, audio-visual, encouraging attendance, run-of-show, coordinating speakers, arranging for swag and gifts, securing a photographer, etc.
• Foster and build volunteer involvement from parents, alumni, faculty/staff and other friends of the School. Coordinate with other employees regarding their involvement in various events allowing for adequate lead time
• Manage and control event expenditures within agreed budgets and track event finances including check requests, invoicing, and reporting
• Develop, schedule, and manage communications including mailed invitations, email blasts, personalized follow-up, volunteer updates, social media promotion, and more
• Set up online registration system; process registrations and responses
• Coordinate post-event activities – thank you letters to volunteers, invoicing, sharing out photos, debriefs with staff and committees
• Alumni Weekend-specific:
  • Build relationships with class agents and milestone classes to help plan reunion weekend
  • Work with Director of Development to establish Reunion class gifts
• Auction-specific:
  • Work with Director of Development to establish and carry out a solicitation plan for sponsorships, item donations, in-kind product and service donations, and volunteer support.
• Centennial-specific:
  • Gow’s Centennial in October 2026 is a pivotal event for the school. As such, events spanning 3+ days will be held on and off campus. This position will work with the Director of Development on all aspects of the Centennial to ensure all events are celebratory, engaging, refined, and set the school up for increased engagement and philanthropy.
• Parent-specific:
  • Work with Parent Association leadership to carry out gatherings and events throughout the year to keep parents engaged with the school and up-to-date on happenings.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Add and maintain records in Raiser’s Edge to capture contact and communications with alumni, donors, volunteers, and friends.
• Create and maintain a volunteer management system
• Thank you letters and notes for event donors, sponsors, volunteers, and participants
• Other tasks as assigned to ensure donors and volunteers are thanked, stewarded, and engaged meaningfully.
• Other administrative tasks as assigned which may include Raiser’s Edge gift entry and reporting, donation acknowledgement processes, and assisting the Director of Development as needed.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Head of School.

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities: 

• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Detail-oriented and highly organized, with the ability to plan ahead and work independently
• Resourceful, flexible, and professional
• Proven ability to manage projects from start to finish while staying on budget and meeting deadlines
• Committed to a values-based mission
• Maintains strict confidentiality and exercises sound discretion
• Skilled in identifying and resolving problems and conflicts in a timely manner
• Team player with a collaborative mindset and excellent judgment

Qualifications: 

• Minimum: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 2-4 years of experience in event planning; proven experience running large-scale events, preferably in an educational setting
• Proficiency with CRM/database systems (Raiser’s Edge)
• Creative self-starter, able to take ownership of tasks, projects, and commitments and work independently
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, maintain a positive attitude, and be receptive to feedback and direction when needed
• Desire to build relationships and work collaboratively with team and other departments
• Willingness to pitch in with other tasks during busy times of the year
• Excellent project management and organization skills to ensure follow-thru and follow-up
• Enjoys working in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
• Excellent communication skills
• Experience in education, non-profit, or similar environments
• Proficient with Microsoft products, mail merges, spreadsheets, cloud-based database systems, Google products
• Experience with eNewsletter communication programs such as MyEmma or Constant Contact
• Valid Driver’s license

About The Gow School

The Gow School is a school about language. Begun in 1926, Gow was the nation’s first school for dyslexics. Many other specialty schools can trace their roots to the groundbreaking work of our founder, Peter Gow, Jr., and Samuel T. Orton. Today their pioneering spirit continues in our experienced teaching team, who are fiercely dedicated to our research-driven remediation program and to their students’ futures. In small classes that foster personalized instruction, students become stronger readers and more confident writers. In fact, confidence is a natural outgrowth of language improvement (usually apparent shortly after arrival) and our culture of success. We are about college preparation. That’s right. Your family may not be thinking beyond high school now, but we are. Just as Gow students make gains fast, so they keep gaining until they finish—strongly—at Gow and beyond. We pride ourselves on helping students develop what they need academically, socially, and emotionally—strategies to deal with their learning differences, knowledge across our academic curriculum, and qualities such as focus, work ethic, drive, and self-discipline—to go to and through college and achieve their... goals. Gow is about people. Here everyone is treated as equals with unconditional respect and positive regard. We are a warm and united community eager to welcome the next generation. We encourage you to get to know us through this website. Check out our student videos to see what Govians are saying about Gow. Ultimately, though, the website is merely a warm-up. To truly understand what we do for dyslexic students and their families and what the Gow experience is all about, come see the campus in action. At Gow, doors are always open. You just have to walk through.

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