Senior Director, Davison Society and Alumni Special Giving

Be You.

The Senior Director, Davison Society and Alumni Special Giving provides strategic and fundraising leadership for the School of Medicine's leadership annual giving and alumni special giving programs.

This position is responsible for the vision, growth, performance, and long-term success of the Davison Society, Duke School of Medicine's premier leadership annual giving program, and serves as the lead strategist for donor engagement, solicitation, stewardship, communications, and recognition efforts designed to increase philanthropic participation and support.

The Senior Director develops and oversees comprehensive strategies to identify, engage, retain, and upgrade leadership annual giving donors while strengthening the donor pipeline and advancing philanthropic support for School of Medicine priorities. The position directs all aspects of Davison Society operations, including annual planning, communications, stewardship, and performance measurement.

The Senior Director serves as both a strategic leader and frontline fundraiser, responsible for managing key donor relationships, securing leadership annual and special gifts, and advancing philanthropic support for School of Medicine priorities. Through a combination of direct fundraising activity, donor engagement, program leadership, and staff management, the Senior Director strengthens the donor pipeline and increases donor participation and philanthropic investment. In addition, the Senior Director provides strategic oversight for fundraising and engagement efforts related to Graduate Medical Education and Health Sciences Education and collaborates with School of Medicine leadership, faculty, alumni, volunteers, and development colleagues to advance institutional priorities.

The Senior Director supervises professional staff responsible for annual giving and donor engagement programs and is responsible for developing and implementing constituent-based fundraising and engagement strategies that support donor acquisition, retention, stewardship, and long-term philanthropic growth. The position serves as a senior member of the School of Medicine development team and contributes to broader constituency and pipeline development planning across Duke Health Development & Alumni Affairs.

Minimum Hiring Specifications

EDUCATION/TRAINING

Work requires analytical, organization and communications skills generally acquired through a bachelor's degree program. Master's education preferred.

EXPERIENCE

Minimum of 10 years related alumni and development programs management experience. Significant program development, personnel and project management experience strongly preferred.

Demonstrated experience leading fundraising programs, managing donor relationships, developing strategic initiatives, and supervising professional staff.

Equivalent combinations of relevant education and experience may be considered.

Be Bold.

Strategic Leadership and Fundraising Strategy (35%)

• Lead the strategic vision, planning, and implementation of Davison Society and alumni special giving programs, establishing long-term goals, metrics, and growth strategies that increase donor participation, retention, and philanthropic revenue.
• Provide strategic leadership for annual and multi-year fundraising initiatives that advance School of Medicine priorities.
• Develop innovative approaches to donor acquisition, cultivation, stewardship, recognition, and engagement.
• Manage a portfolio of leadership annual giving and alumni special giving donors and prospects, developing and executing customized strategies to cultivate, solicit, steward, and close philanthropic commitments.
• Personally conduct donor visits, virtual meetings, and other engagement activities to build relationships and secure philanthropic support.
• Partner with faculty, volunteers, alumni leaders, and institutional leadership to develop and execute donor engagement and solicitation strategies.
• Prepare and present gift opportunities, proposals, and philanthropic priorities aligned with donor interests and School of Medicine needs.
• Meet or exceed annual fundraising goals through the solicitation of leadership annual gifts, alumni special gifts, donor upgrades, and multi-year commitments while strengthening the future donor pipeline.
• Analyze donor trends, giving patterns, participation data, and engagement metrics to inform strategy, forecasting, and decision-making.
• Collaborate with development colleagues to identify and advance opportunities that strengthen the donor pipeline and expand philanthropic engagement.

Davison Society Leadership and Program Management (30%)

• Serve as the institutional leader responsible for the overall success and growth of the Davison Society.
• Develop and oversee annual business plans, donor engagement strategies, stewardship programs, and communications plans.
• Direct all Davison Society communications, including solicitations, impact reporting, stewardship messaging, donor recognition, digital engagement, and marketing initiatives.
• Oversee the planning and execution of Davison Society events and donor experiences.
• Develop strategies to increase membership, retention, participation, and donor satisfaction.
• Monitor program effectiveness and establish measures of success for donor engagement and fundraising outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to enhance the value, visibility, and impact of the Davison Society across the School of Medicine alumni community.

Graduate Medical and Health Sciences Education Giving (15%)

• Provide strategic oversight for fundraising and engagement efforts supporting Graduate Medical Education and Health Sciences Education.
• Partner with institutional leaders, faculty, alumni, residents, fellows, students, and volunteers to identify philanthropic opportunities and support funding priorities.
• Develop engagement and fundraising strategies that strengthen support for educational initiatives, learner experiences, scholarships, and related priorities.
• Coordinate communications, stewardship efforts, and donor engagement opportunities related to education-focused philanthropy.

Staff Leadership and Team Development  (10%)

• Supervise professional staff, including directing personnel actions such as hiring and performance appraisals.
• Establish annual goals, performance expectations, and professional development plans.
• Provide strategic direction and oversight for constituent giving initiatives and donor engagement activities.
• Foster a collaborative, innovative, and donor-centered team culture.
• Support professional growth and encourage continuous improvement and best practices.

Volunteer, Alumni, and Institutional Partnerships (10%)

• Build and maintain productive relationships with alumni leaders, volunteers, faculty, administrators, and development colleagues.
• Partner with Alumni Engagement Stewardship, Communications, Special Events, Development Records, and other institutional stakeholders to advance fundraising priorities.
• Serve as a key advisor and resource on leadership annual giving strategy and alumni engagement.
• Represent the School of Medicine at donor, alumni, and volunteer events as appropriate.

Departmental Preferences/Skills

• Demonstrated experience leading fundraising programs, managing donor relationships, developing strategic initiatives, and supervising professional staff.
• Success in leadership annual giving, alumni engagement, and donor society fundraising.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and solicit donors, build strategic relationships, and achieve fundraising goals.
• Strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills.
• Experience in academic medicine, higher education, healthcare philanthropy, or a similarly complex environment preferred.

Choose Duke.

Duke Health Development & Alumni Affairs (DHDAA) supports a flexible work environment by offering on-site (in office 5 days a week),hybrid (in office a minimum of 4 days a week or defined by manager), remote (work off-site 5 days a week), and flexible start and end time work arrangements. All team members must reside within a 50 mile radius of our downtown Durham office. 

If working a hybrid or remote schedule, individuals must have access to and maintain a secure home office environment with high-speed internet service and work collaboratively with others using a variety of technologies and tools. With approval from their manager, staff members may work a flexible schedule in terms of start/end times, while working within DHDAA’s core work hours between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (eastern standard). At the discretion of Managers and/or Senior Leadership, staff working a hybrid, remote or flex schedule may be required to be in the office on days and/or times outside of the agreed upon schedule.

This position is located full time in Durham, NC.  This is not a remote position.