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Employment at VLS

Development and Alumni Relations Manager

Summary:

This position reports to the director of development and alumni relations. In addition, critical relationships are maintained with the database manager, associate director of development, and director of communications. Primary duties include building and maintaining relationships with class leaders, alumni volunteers, and VLS faculty and staff; planning on- and off-campus alumni and development events; executing mail and email fundraising campaigns; and coordinating alumni outreach via various media.


Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Develop and manage a class engagement and giving program with a primary focus on the graduating class and milestone reunion years. Working closely with the development team, the manager will identify, recruit, train, and coordinate volunteer leaders in each class; establish fundraising goals and strategies to increase class participation in the Class Gift and Reunion giving projects; oversee and track solicitation assignments and class giving results; and build an outreach strategy to reinforce positive relationships with each class’ graduates.
  • Coordinate with other VLS departments—including Admissions, Career Services, Semester in Practice, and Legal Writing—which utilize alumni volunteers to network with and mentor current students. This will require creation and implementation of a tracking and reporting system in Raiser’s Edge, as well as a plan to recruit new volunteers for these programs.
  • Assist with the strategic planning of all alumni and development events, including reunion/ homecoming, regional group gatherings, the Class Gift Kickoff, and others. Create and send event invitations, coordinate logistics and manage day-of-event needs, and serve as point of contact for on-campus programming.
  • Provide logistical support for direct marketing campaigns by working closely with external mail houses, e-marketing firms, and other vendors. Participate in the drafting, designing, and editing of appeals, and help prepare mailing segments by working with the database manager on queries and exports of data.
  • Support the communications and development teams in alumni outreach efforts, with a particular focus on web outreach. Online platforms include the VLS website, the alumni website (vlsConnect), Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, email messaging, and De Facto, the alumni e-newsletter. In addition, the manager will assist with production of Loquitur, the alumni magazine.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Education, Training, and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree required.
  • 1-3 years’ experience in fundraising, communications, or volunteer management preferred.
  • Event planning experience a plus.
  • Experience with Raiser’s Edge or other fundraising software a plus.
  • Website development and/or social media management experience a plus.
  • Experience in graphic design may also be useful.

Skills and Abilities:

  • Outstanding writing skills, attentiveness to detail, and ability to communicate verbally in professional and social settings.
  • Demonstrated skill in formatting data so that it is easy to read and understand.
  • Excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines.
  • An ability to quickly learn the history, mission, culture, and programs of VLS.
  • An ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with faculty, staff, alumni and donors of various ages, backgrounds, and capacities.
  • A strong sense of customer service, and the ability to maintain a high level of professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality.
  • Demonstrated ability to think strategically and creatively solve problems.
  • Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
  • Integrity, enthusiasm, and a sense of humor all required.