Required Duties

This dual position will work closely with the Associate Director of Annual Giving and Stewardship and the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, with the supervision of the Vice Dean for Development and Alumni Relations and the Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Penn GSE.

The Annual Giving and Alumni Relations Graduate Assistant will work to: 

• Support efforts to steward, thank, and recognize alumni, donors, and volunteers.
• Contribute to outreach and appeal initiatives (quarterly, calendar and fiscal year end) to alumni and friends. 
• Assist with the weekly acknowledgment process to thank and recognize donors to the Penn GSE Annual Fund
• Contribute to the planning, marketing, and execution of Giving Tuesday (the last Tuesday in November.)
• Contribute to the yearly mailing of stewardship gifts to the Benchmark Society.
• Contribute to the design, data collection of the Annual Report calendar.
• Support efforts to develop, provide, and sustain meaningful alumni engagement. Examples may include targeted communication outreach initiative development and implementation and increasing partnerships with student groups and offices at GSE and across campus.
• Help maintain and grow Penn GSE Connects, the school specific platform focused on connecting students and alumni around opportunities for mentorship and professional development.
• Contribute to event planning, promoting, and executing alumni and fundraising events that capture and communicate the alumni experience, including communication, invitations, registration, management, and staffing events as able (e.g. Homecoming, New Alumni Orientation, and the Celebration of Educators at Alumni Weekend).
• Assist in maintaining the integrity of the alumni database by updating and verifying information, tracking alumni event and engagement activities, understanding segmentation, and researching alumni trajectories.
• Other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualification and Essential Skills

The ideal candidate will have:

• A strong interest in working with alumni, students, friends, and volunteers of Penn GSE
• Strong writing, editing, and organizational skills
• Familiarity working with web and social media platforms
• Prior experience engaging a diverse constituency, ideally in a higher education or not-for-profit setting
• Strong and demonstrated skills in the following areas: time management, oral communication, written communication, interpersonal relations, and data management.
• Attention to detail.
• An open and creative mind
• The ability to work both independently and collaboratively to successfully carry out multiple projects simultaneously with limited supervision.
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with energy, enthusiasm, and positivity.
  • Proficiencies with Microsoft Office Suite, with prior experience with design platforms (e.g., Adobe Suite, Canva), data management platforms (e.g., Salesforce), and online communication platforms (e.g., MailChimp, Marketing Cloud) a plus.

At the conclusion of this assistantship, the Annual Giving and Alumni Relations GA will have gained an understanding of the processes, objectives, and strategies for effective engagement of alumni and donors through significant experience in, and exposure to, development of marketing materials, best practices for annual fund appeal calendars, best practices for alumni engagement, targeted segmentation, strategic storytelling, stewardship as a tool for thanking and continued cultivation of donors, and the importance of development and engagement to the broader financial picture of Penn GSE.

Other Notes: 
This position deals with highly confidential information; discretion and professionalism are essential. 
 

Application Instructions

Currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 academic year (open until filled).  

This GA position is open to all Penn GSE M.S.Ed. students.  To apply for this position, please send an email with your resume attached to alumni@gse.upenn.edu. In your email message, please express your interest in the position and request an interview.

Interviews will be held remotely by appointment/inquiry.  Questions can be addressed to alumni@gse.upenn.edu.