Description
Friends Seminary educates students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, adhering to the values of the Religious Society of Friends. We strive to build a diverse school where students exercise their curiosity and imagination as they develop as scholars, artists and athletes. In a community that cultivates the practices of keen observation, unhurried reflection, critical thinking, and coherent expression, we listen for the single voice as we seek unity. The disciplines of silence, study, and service provide the matrix for growth: silence opens us to change; study helps us to know the world; service challenges us to put our values into practice. At Friends Seminary, education is rooted in the Quaker belief in the Inner Light – that of God in every person. Guided by the testimonies of integrity, peace, equality, and simplicity, we prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be.
Founded in 1786, Friends Seminary, the oldest continually operating coeducational, independent Quaker school in New York City, seeks a dynamic, relationship-centered Director of Alumni Engagement & Philanthropy to join the Office of Institutional Advancement.
Reporting to the Director of Institutional Advancement, the Director of Alumni Engagement & Philanthropy serves as the primary liaison to Friends Seminary's alumni community and leads a comprehensive strategy to strengthen alumni engagement, volunteer leadership, and philanthropic support.
This position plays a critical role in fostering lifelong connections between alumni and the School while advancing institutional priorities through meaningful engagement, stewardship, and fundraising. The successful candidate will be an energetic relationship-builder who can inspire alumni participation, cultivate volunteer leaders, identify philanthropic opportunities, and serve as an ambassador for Friends Seminary's mission and values.
Primary Responsibilities
Alumni Engagement Strategy
- Develop and implement a comprehensive alumni engagement strategy that advances the School's mission and strategic priorities.
- Foster lifelong relationships between alumni and Friends Seminary through meaningful opportunities for connection, service, mentorship, networking, and philanthropy.
- Develop programs that engage alumni across generations, geographic regions, identities, and areas of interest.
- Strengthen pathways that connect students, recent graduates, and alumni.
- Collaborate with faculty, administrators, and community partners to increase alumni involvement in the life of the School.
Fundraising and Philanthropy
- Assist with alumni fundraising efforts in support of institutional priorities including Fund for Friends.
- Develop and implement reunion giving strategies that increase both participation and philanthropic support.
- Manage a portfolio of alumni prospects and conduct qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
- Partner with the Director of Institutional Advancement and Major Gifts team to identify, develop, and advance leadership and major gift opportunities.
- Support planned giving initiatives and long-term donor stewardship.
- Promote a culture of philanthropy grounded in community, stewardship, and shared responsibility.
Volunteer Leadership
- Serve as staff liaison to the Alumni Council and drive its strategic priorities.
- Recruit, train, and steward alumni volunteers, including reunion volunteers, class agents, class correspondents, affinity group leaders, and career mentors.
- Develop volunteer leadership pathways that deepen alumni engagement and strengthen philanthropic participation.
- Partner with volunteer leaders to expand alumni outreach and community-building efforts.
Events and Community Building
- Lead the planning and execution of alumni engagement programs including:
- Reunion Weekend
- Regional and affinity-based events
- Alumni networking opportunities
- Career exploration and mentoring programs
- Service initiatives
- Alumni-student engagement programs
- Partner with School leadership on cultivation, stewardship, and community-building events.
- Travel as needed to engage alumni in key markets and regions.
Communications and Storytelling
- Collaborate with the Communications Office to develop compelling alumni communications across print, digital, social media, and web platforms.
- Oversee alumni newsletters and engagement communications.
- Identify and elevate alumni stories that reflect the impact of a Friends Seminary education and the School's mission.
- Ensure alumni communications reflect Friends Seminary's commitment to belonging, inclusion, and community.
Data, Analytics, and Advancement Operations
- Maintain accurate alumni records and engagement data in partnership with Database Manager.
- Utilize data and analytics to identify opportunities for engagement, volunteer recruitment, donor cultivation, and pipeline development.
- Monitor and report on key performance indicators related to engagement (participation/attendance) and philanthropy (giving and volunteering).
- Ensure timely documentation of donor interactions and volunteer activity within Raiser's Edge NXT.
Leadership Transition and Institutional Priorities
- Support alumni engagement efforts related to School leadership transitions and strategic initiatives.
- Serve as an ambassador for Friends Seminary during periods of institutional growth and change.
- Partner with colleagues across the School to strengthen alumni understanding of and investment in the School's future.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required.
- Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in advancement, alumni relations, fundraising, higher education, independent schools, or a related nonprofit environment.
- Demonstrated success in relationship-building, volunteer management, fundraising, and event leadership.
- Experience managing a portfolio of donors or constituents preferred.
- Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Strong organizational and project management abilities with careful attention to detail.
- Experience working with constituent databases; Raiser's Edge NXT experience preferred.
- Ability to analyze engagement and fundraising data to inform strategy.
- Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and community engagement.
- Ability to work evenings, weekends, and occasional travel as required.
- Appreciation for and willingness to support the mission and values of Friends Seminary.
Key Performance Indicators
Success in this role will be measured through:
- Growth in alumni participation and philanthropic support.
- Increased reunion engagement and reunion giving.
- Expansion of alumni volunteer leadership.
- Growth in alumni event attendance and participation.
- Development of a sustainable alumni major gift pipeline in partnership with DOIA.
- Strengthened alumni-student engagement opportunities.
- Improved alumni data quality and contactability.
- Meaningful contributions to the School's culture of philanthropy and community engagement.
Compensation
The annual salary range for this position is $110,000 - $130,000.
Benefits
Friends Seminary offers excellent benefits including paid time off, health, dental, vision, 403(b) with a School-paid match; wide-ranging opportunities for professional development, including tuition support and summer grants; and a talented and dedicated team of teaching colleagues and supportive administrators. Successful candidates will join a dynamic and forward-thinking teaching community of over 150 educators.
To apply, please submit the following:
- Completed Friends Seminary employment application
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Contact information for three professional references
When submitting your materials, kindly be sure to reference your first and last name, the position for which you are applying, and where you heard about the position in the subject line. i.e. [last name], [first name] - Director of Alumni Engagement & Philanthropy - Friends Seminary website. You will receive a confirmation email when you submit your application. No phone calls, please.
Submit all materials to: [email protected]
Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates of color and members of other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. We urge all applicants to identify and express their individuality and the ways in which they might enrich and diversify the School community.
Moreover, all successful applicants, whether for a faculty or administrative staff post, must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in their professional lives. Applicants for a faculty position should highlight ways their curriculum, pedagogy, and classroom culture may advance these goals. Applicants for an administrative staff position should highlight ways they seek to promote these goals in their office work, programming, or operational endeavors.
