Job Description
The Senior Director serves as a strategic leader responsible for building and sustaining a strong pipeline from student experience to lifelong alumni involvement, with a focus on increasing affinity, volunteerism, engagement, and philanthropy among emerging generations of alumni. This position is responsible for designing and executing engagement strategies that inspire pride, foster loyalty, create traditions, and build a lifelong culture of philanthropy and involvement.
Through signature events, student programs, and cross-campus collaboration, the Senior Director ensures that students and young alumni (primarily ages 22–35) see themselves as valued members of the Ball State community—now and in the future.
Signature events led by the Senior Director and their direct report(s) include Homecoming/Alumni Weekend, Top 100 Student Awards, One Ball State Day campus activities, Senior Celebration, Nest to Next, the Foundation’s presence at Admitted Student Day, Orientation, and more.
This role is primarily on-site to support close team collaboration and hands-on engagement with occasional opportunities for remote work.
This role is primarily on-site to support close team collaboration and hands-on engagement with occasional opportunities for remote work.
Join Our Team: Senior Director of Student and Young Alumni Engagement
Are you ready to be part of an energetic and unified team dedicated to transforming higher education? Our foundation is breaking down barriers between advancement, alumni relations, and stewardship to create a cohesive environment where philanthropy and innovative partnerships thrive. This is your chance to make a significant impact as we fulfill Our Call to Beneficence: The Campaign for Ball State University, aimed at elevating student support both financially and academically.
Why Join Us?
- Dynamic Team Environment: Collaborate with passionate professionals who are committed to our mission.
- Cutting-Edge Initiatives: Be at the forefront of redefining philanthropy in education.
- Unified Structure: Work within a seamless organization with no barriers between key departments.
- Supportive Culture: A high-achieving work environment that values camaraderie and collaboration.
- Impactful Work: A mission that changes lives through education and philanthropy.
This role is primarily on-site to support close team collaboration and hands-on engagement with occasional opportunities for remote work.
Job Function:
The Senior Director serves as a strategic leader responsible for building and sustaining a strong pipeline from student experience to lifelong alumni involvement, with a focus on increasing affinity, volunteerism, engagement, and philanthropy among emerging generations of alumni. This position is responsible for designing and executing engagement strategies that inspire pride, foster loyalty, create traditions, and build a lifelong culture of philanthropy and involvement.
Through signature events, student programs, and cross-campus collaboration, the Senior Director ensures that students and young alumni (primarily ages 22–35) see themselves as valued members of the Ball State community—now and in the future.
Signature events led by the Senior Director and their direct report(s) include Homecoming/Alumni Weekend, Top 100 Student Awards, One Ball State Day campus activities, Senior Celebration, Nest to Next, the Foundation’s presence at Admitted Student Day, Orientation, and more.
This role is primarily on-site to support close team collaboration and hands-on engagement with occasional opportunities for remote work.
This role is primarily on-site to support close team collaboration and hands-on engagement with occasional opportunities for remote work.
Minimum Education:
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
Preferred Education:
Master's degree.
Minimum Experience:
Three years of experience in alumni engagement, event planning/management, student affairs, higher education advancement, or related field
Preferred Experience:
Direct experience within a university foundation or alumni association setting.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for Foundation-led engagement initiatives, including the planning and execution of high-impact events and programs such as Homecoming and Alumni Weekend, Nest to Next, the Top 100 Student Awards, One Ball State Day events and more.
- Lead the Nest to Next effort, which is to foster a culture where students see themselves as future alumni from day one, understand the lifelong value of staying engaged, and are equipped with simple, actionable ways to stay connected after graduation. In partnership with deans, department chairs, Student Affairs and Admissions, foster relationships with students from admitted student day, to orientation, to commencement with a goal of creating a strong pipeline for lifetime engagement.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive, multi-year strategic vision and plan for Homecoming and Alumni Weekend, aligning with University priorities and alumni engagement objectives. Ensure programming engages students and increases the number of alumni participating in activities.
- Develop and execute a comprehensive communications plan to maximize Homecoming and Alumni Weekend outreach, attendance, awareness, and engagement.
- Form and lead a committee comprised of individuals from student affairs, athletics, community engagement, academic affairs, University marketing and communications and the Foundation whose focus is on meaningful engagement, and philanthropic opportunities and the execution of all homecoming events and the promotion thereof.
- Meet with campus partners to encourage participation in hosting an alumni event such as milestone celebrations, open houses, educational sessions, and/or campus tours during the week.
- Handle all logistical aspects, including event timelines, venue selection and setup, registration processes, collegiate signup and necessary permissions.
- Collaborate with annual giving colleagues to integrate philanthropic messaging and opportunities as applicable throughout Homecoming and Alumni Weekend.
- Assist in the selection of the Homecoming Steering Committee.
- Evaluate the success of Homecoming through data collection, post-event surveys, and feedback analysis, implementing improvements for future events.
- Cultivate and maintain strong collaborative relationships with key internal stakeholders (e.g., University leadership, academic departments, athletics, student affairs, marketing, facilities) and external partners (e.g., volunteers, community leaders, vendors).
- Lead and inspire a team with responsibility for the student to engaged graduate pipeline. Ensure culture of beneficence tactics provide a clear pipeline for student leaders and recent grads to engage with us as ambassadors, Club leads, mentors and volunteers.
- Successfully utilize the Raiser’s Edge NXT (CRM) and other technologies to analyze data and evaluate trends to determine new tactics, reprioritize programs, and strategy modification to assist in reaching goals.
- Establish and maintain peer and aspirational contacts across higher education, benchmark work related to the position of hire and seek professional development opportunities that enhance knowledge and improve our work.
- Represent the Ball State University Foundation and the Alumni Association at University functions as necessary, which may at times include evenings or weekends.
- Supervise a graduate assistant who will conduct listening sessions with student leaders, represent the Foundation at student org meetings, assist with the backend logistics of Top 100 and more.
At Ball State University, we recognize inclusive excellence as an integral endeavor to fulfill our University’s mission and our strategic plan. We recruit, support, and retain a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff. We encourage and reward diversity of thought. We promote a work environment that encourages and rewards innovation and creativity. We pledge to keep Inclusive Excellence at the highest level of institutional importance and as a foundation in all that we strive to do. Our over-arching goal for Inclusive Excellence is to adopt a university-wide Inclusive Excellence approach to academic, administrative support, and service functions of the university. We believe Inclusive Excellence must be infused in every step we take.
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