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Department

Annual Giving Operations

Time Type

Full time

Job Type

Regular

FLSA Status

Non-Exempt

Work Modality

Hybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)

Union

Excluded

Job Description

Summary:

The Assistant Director of Annual Giving supports the strategic execution of a comprehensive omnichannel fundraising program aimed at increasing donor acquisition, retention, reactivation, and engagement. This position blends creativity with analytics, helping to design, deploy, and optimize campaigns across multiple channels—including email, direct mail, social media, text messaging, and personalized video. With a strong understanding of visual communication, digital tools, and donor behavior, the Assistant Director plays a key role in shaping a modern, donor-centric giving experience.

Essential Functions

Collaborate with the Director of Development, Annual Giving to plan and execute an integrated, omnichannel direct marketing calendar that encompasses email, direct mail, social media, SMS, video, and web. Coordinate with vendors to design and deploy appeals. Work with Alumni Communications colleagues to build, schedule, and evaluate solicitation emails in Engaging Networks. Develop stewardship collateral aligned with the annual giving calendar that highlights the impact of donor support, as well as materials for project-based campaigns and special events. Lead initiatives related to AU’s annual giving consecutive giving society, phonathon pledge reminders, and donor retention strategies through milestone recognition, digital thank-you campaigns, and support for the senior class gift campaign. Lead the creation and production of digital materials using tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or similar platforms. Collaborate with AU’s Advancement Communications team to develop engaging storytelling content for email, social media, and video. Script and produce personalized donor messages using ThankView to enhance both solicitation and stewardship efforts. Assist the Director of Development, Annual Giving in managing the university’s crowdfunding program and key giving initiatives such as AU Giving Day and Giving Tuesday. Support campaign development, including page setup and asset coordination, while partnering with departments, student organizations, and campus partners to provide strategic and creative input. Manage production schedules, timelines, and review processes to ensure the efficient and successful execution of these high-visibility projects. Analyze campaign performance metrics—such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates—to generate actionable insights for optimizing future outreach. Use A/B testing, behavioral data, and strategic segmentation to improve donor engagement and drive higher giving results. Support division-wide initiatives and institutional priorities by participating in cross-functional projects, events, and other duties that align with the mission and goals of University Advancement.

Supervisory Responsibility

May supervise one student worker.

Competencies

Prioritizing and Organizing. Displaying Creativity. Acting Strategically. Thinking Broadly. Building a Customer Focused Organization. Acquiring and Analyzing Information. Making Accurate Judgments and Decisions. Evaluating and Implementing Ideas.

Position Type/Expected Hours Of Work

Full-Time. 35 hours per week.

Salary Range

$27.48 - $33.52 per hour.

Required Education And Experience

High school diploma or equivalent. 1-3 years of relevant experience. Demonstrated success in planning, executing, and evaluating multi-channel direct response campaigns in a nonprofit, higher education, or similar setting. Proven experience managing complex projects with competing deadlines and multiple stakeholders, including use of project management tools such as Smartsheet, Monday, Asana, or Basecamp. Hands-on experience with digital tools such as Engaging Networks, ThankView, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, and email marketing platforms to create and manage donor communications. Ability to craft compelling donor-centric messaging for solicitations, stewardship, and campaign materials across various platforms and formats. Comfort interpreting campaign performance metrics and applying insights to improve strategy and engagement outcomes. Understanding of donor retention strategies, donor segmentation, and giving trends, particularly at the annual giving level.

Preferred Education And Experience

Bachelor's degree or equivalent. 2-4 years of relevant experience.

Benefits

AU offers a competitive benefits package including a 200% matching retirement plan, tuition benefits for full-time staff and their families, several leadership development certificates, and has been recognized by the American Heart Association as a fit-friendly worksite. Click here to learn about American University's unique benefit options.

Other Details

Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful completion of a background check. Employees in staff positions at American University must deliver their services to the university from either the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or perform work on-site at the university. Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. American University is an E-Verify employer.

Current American University Employees

American University current employees must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings.

Contact Us

For more information or assistance with the American University careers site, email theworkline@american.edu.

American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities. Seniority level Seniority level Entry level Employment type Employment type Full-time Job function Job function Other Industries Higher Education Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at American University by 2x Sign in to set job alerts for “Assistant Director of Annual Giving” roles. Assistant Director of Development – Employee and Annual Giving – Hybrid Silver Spring, MD $57,200.00-$95,347.20 6 days ago Washington DC-Baltimore Area $46,200.00-$60,000.00 4 weeks ago Washington, DC $85,000.00-$110,000.00 5 hours ago Bethesda, MD $100,000.00-$115,000.00 2 weeks ago Associate Director of Annual Giving WAMU Washington, DC $85,000.00-$95,000.00 5 days ago Executive Assistant, Development (Job ID: 2025-3704) Washington, DC $85,000.00-$110,000.00 2 weeks ago Executive Assistant / PR & Strategic Communications Coordinator Program and Financial Management IV and EA Washington, DC $100,000.00-$109,000.00 3 months ago Washington DC-Baltimore Area $44.44-$58.88 1 month ago Medical Malpractice/Litigation/Executive Assistant Executive Assistant, WWPS Industry Sales Arlington, VA $50,000.00-$107,100.00 1 week ago Washington, DC $85,000.00-$120,000.00 2 weeks ago Oliver Wyman - Executive Assistant to Health Actuarial Practices - Washington, DC Washington, DC $63,000.00-$105,000.00 1 week ago Arlington, VA $50,000.00-$107,100.00 5 days ago Executive Assistant, Chief Revenue Officer Washington, DC $60,000.00-$90,000.00 2 weeks ago District of Columbia, United States $86,539.03-$140,624.86 1 day ago Washington DC-Baltimore Area $120,000.00-$140,000.00 2 weeks ago EAS - Educating All Students (NY Teaching exam) Tutor EAS - Educating All Students (NY Teaching exam) Tutor EAS - Educating All Students (NY Teaching exam) Tutor EAS - Educating All Students (NY Teaching exam) Tutor EAS - Educating All Students (NY Teaching exam) Tutor DOS Executive Assistant for Legislative Affairs Assistant Director of Alumni Relations/Events - McDonough School of Business Government Relations - Executive Assistant Washington, DC $130,000.00-$165,000.00 1 month ago We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.

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