Assistant Director of Annual Fund and Donor Engagement

Assistant Director of Annual Fund and Donor Engagement US-NY-New York Job ID: 2026-16209Type: School of Law (LW1131)# of Openings: 1Category: Development/Sponsored Research/Grant WritingNew York University Overview The Assistant Director of Annual Fund and Donor Engagement owns two connected halves of the annual giving lifecycle: building the future donor pipeline (students through recent alumni, years 1-4, including the 3L Class Gift) and stewarding current annual fund donors so they stay engaged, retained, and moving toward reunion and leadership annual giving. This role consolidates ownership that is currently spread across the Annual Fund team as overflow, creating a single point of accountability for the donor journey from a student's first gift to a loyal, long-term supporter. It is deliberately scoped apart from Law's reunion/gift officer roles, which are portfolio- and quota-driven; this position is programmatic, building the systems and early relationships that feed those portfolios years later. Responsibilities Required Education:Bachelor's Degree Required Experience:4+ years of relevant annual giving, development, or nonprofit fundraising experience, including direct donor cultivation/stewardship and volunteer or program management. Preferred Experience:5+ years of relevant annual giving, development, or nonprofit fundraising experience, including direct donor cultivation/stewardship and volunteer or program management. Higher education advancement experience preferred. Working knowledge of MS Office (Word and Excel), Google (Docs and Drive), business messaging apps, such as Slack, and prospect management databases (Blackbaud, Advance), volunteer management/recruitment. Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:Exceptional relationship-building skills; experience designing stewardship or engagement strategies; strong project management abilities; excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfort using donor/fundraising CRM data to guide decisions; event or campaign management experience; understanding of donor lifecycle strategy; creative thinking and willingness to test new ideas. Ability to take initiative, integrate feedback, and collaborate exceedingly well with others. Preferred Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:The successful candidate is a relationship builder who enjoys creating meaningful experiences that inspire long-term engagement. They understand that philanthropy is built over time through thoughtful communication, authentic relationships, and strategic stewardship. They are curious about donor behavior and enjoy developing new ideas based on audience insights and data. Comfortable managing multiple initiatives simultaneously, they thrive in collaborative environments and work effectively across Development, Alumni Relations, Student Affairs, and Communications teams. The ideal candidate possesses: Annual Fund or frontline fundraising experience Exceptional relationship-building skills Strong project management abilities Creative thinking and willingness to test new ideas Excellent written and verbal communication skills Experience designing stewardship or engagement strategies Comfort using data to guide decisions Event or campaign management experience An understanding of donor lifecycle strategy A passion for higher education and alumni engagement. Most importantly, this person sees fundraising as relationship-building rather than transaction management and is energized by creating experiences that foster lifelong loyalty to the institution. Qualifications In compliance with NYC's Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is USD $77,000.00 to USD $85,000.00. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equ