Development Communications Coordinator

Development Communications Coordinator

The Development Communications Coordinator plays a key supporting role in executing strategic communications that inspire alumni, parents, and friends to engage with and give to Furman University. Residing in the Development Department, reporting to the Associate Director of Communications, this position helps implement storytelling, event promotion, social media content, and marketing strategies designed to deepen affinity, promote giving, and elevate Furman's impact through donor engagement and alumni pride within the department of Annual Giving and Office of Alumni Engagement. The ideal candidate is a collaborative and proactive communicator with a strong eye for detail, a clear understanding of channel-appropriate voice and tone, and a passion for engaging audiences through compelling and strategic content.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with drafting, editing, and deploying mail, email and digital campaigns that support fundraising efforts, alumni engagement, and special initiatives (e.g., Homecoming, Day of Giving, bicentennial). Monthly email volume to various segments is typically 10 or more unique messages.
• Own creation and deployment of weekly Dins Digest email, including content selection and maintenance of distribution list.
• Partner with Advancement Services and Communications teams to segment audiences and personalize outreach.
• Ensure quality control and accuracy through careful proofreading and attention to detail.
• Maintain or exceed an average click-through rate of 3% across email campaigns and use A/B testing and segmentation for continuous improvement.

• Support the creation of written, visual, and multimedia content to be used across email, web, and social platforms that highlights donor impact, alumni success stories, and university initiatives.
• Coordinate alumni and donor spotlights in collaboration with Alumni and Donor Relations teams to feature at least 2 alumni or donors monthly.
• Maintain a consistent voice across platforms aligned with the Furman brand and Advancement messaging strategy.
• Execute social media posts to support the communications calendar, typically three or more posts weekly.

• Analyze engagement metrics to refine content strategy and report key insights.
• Create and execute social media calendars that align with campaign goals, giving days, and event promotions.
• Support the team's ability to manage and grow the Development and Alumni social media presence across Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and emerging platforms with an annual increase of 5% in followers on each platform.
• Achieve year-over-year growth in engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments, and clicks) on Development and Alumni social media posts by at least 10% annually.

• Support integrated communications for key events and campaigns, working with event leaders to ensure cohesive and on brand promotion.
• Coordinate campaign timelines and deliverables, helping ensure all communications go out on time and align with overall strategy.

• Maintain editorial calendars for the Development Communications team.
• Assist with organizing media assets for each department.
• Support the Associate Director with preparing materials for meetings or leadership updates.
• Ensure 100% on-time delivery of promotional communications (social, email, and web) for key initiatives such as Day of Giving, the Clearly Furman campaign, and regional alumni events.

Relationships

• Daily contact with members of own work unit and immediate supervisor to plan, coordinate, problem solve, present information, and make suggestions related to mutual goals.

Responsibility for Final Decisions

• Responsible for own work. May assist or instruct others doing similar work including student workers.
• Tasks involve multiple procedures with interrelated processes or steps. Work involves choosing the appropriate option or procedure to follow and applying established rules and procedures.

Reports To

• Associate Director of Development Communications.
• Work is performed independently on routine work, non-routine issues or questions are referred to the supervisor.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and one year of experience in fundraising, marketing, design, and/or social media management.
• Demonstrated ability to be innovative and think creatively.
• Understanding of digital advocacy, online fundraising, and best practices for social media programs.
• Proficiency with social media platforms and basic analytics.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and two or more years of experience in fundraising, marketing, design, and/or social media management.
• Outstanding verbal communication skills; excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong understanding of office management software tools and the ability to use those tools to promote departmental initiatives: Mail Chimp, Canva, WordPress, Almabase.
• Experience with Raiser's Edge or similar fundraising software.
• Ability to work effectively and to participate in cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of AP style guidelines.
• A commitment to undergraduate liberal arts education.

Work Conditions

• Work is performed under usual office conditions.
• Occasional work on nights and weekends required.

Education Requirements

Certification Requirements:

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