This role is part of the Penn Champions Club team, which is the alumni relations and development arm for the Department of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics (DRIA) at The University of Pennsylvania that sponsors 33 varsity sports and dozens of club and intramural opportunities. The Penn Champions Club is committed to providing a world-class experience for Penn student-athletes in the classroom, in the community and in competition. Its staff fosters relationships with alumni, donors, parents, volunteers, coaches, other athletics staff as well as colleagues in Penn Development and Alumni Relations in support of overall DRIA fundraising achievement. The Director of Annual Giving is an integral part of the DRIA development team and reports to the Sr. Associate Athletic Director. This individual is responsible for managing and supervising DRIA’s annual giving program, supporting DRIA’s external development communication strategies (print, social, and web) as well as manage and oversee Asst. Director of Events. This position will potentially have front line fundraising responsibilities for the right candidate, including a portfolio of major gift donors.
Engage in all aspects of the DRIA’s annual fund marketing efforts, including determining target audiences, generating new and creative marketing themes, producing fundraising material and collateral, determining efficient delivery mechanisms to constituents (direct mail appeals, publications, web, social media, e-communications, phone-a-thons, etc.). Promote involvement of volunteers and board members in the Program’s fund-raising efforts.
Actively manage and market the R. Tait McKenzie Society, which is Penn’s athletics leadership giving group ($2,500+ donors), Above the Rim Club (Penn’s leadership annual giving society for basketball), the creation of a young alumni giving program, and the creation of a loyalty giving society
Conceptualize, develop and administer comprehensive communication plan that brings uniformity to the messaging from 18 different sports across multiple communication platforms and channels
Work with the Sr. Associate AD in creation of DRIA publications (potential publications include: Annual Report, Honor Roll, membership guide, etc.).
Research, compile and prepare various data for analysis and reporting. Responsible for database management, online reports, creating email groups, constituent record keeping and ongoing analysis of prospect pool and annual giving patterns
Manage Penn Champions Club website content creation and implementation
Create, implement and manage Penn Champions Club social media strategy across multiple social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
Manage hiring and day-to-day oversight of interns within the PCC internship program
Manage Assistant Director, Events with goal of increasing efficiency of events and producing highest ROI on our events as possible
Potential for front line fundraising responsibilities for the right candidate, which will include a portfolio of major gift donors and the ability to work directly with one of volunteer boards associated with Penn's 33 varsity teams.
The Penn Champions Club serves as the Development and Alumni Relations arm of the Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Pennsylvania. The Penn Champions Club aims to advance the Division’s mission of providing world-class experiences for Penn student-athletes. Our goal is to develop and maintain relationships with alumni, family and friends to secure resources for Penn Athletics’ top priorities. At the core of our daily efforts is the commitment to the holistic development of every student-athlete across each of Penn’s 33 varsity sports, sport club and recreational participants, and through the Penn Athletics’ Centers for Excellence.
In two of the past three fiscal years, the team has raised over $60 million in commitments, the two largest fundraising years in the history of Penn Athletics. With the conclusion of the Game Onward Campaign in June 2021, in which Athletics raised $241 million in commitments, planning has begun surrounding new opportunities and our next major fundraising initiative. We strive to have a positive impact on the experience of current and future student-athletes while creating environments where they can become champions in the classroom, in the community and in competition.
