Overview
Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Jobs in Fargo-Moorhead at MSUM Foundation
Title: Assistant Director of Alumni Relations
Company: MSUM Foundation
Location: Fargo-Moorhead
About the MSUM Foundation
The MSUM Foundation inspires alumni and friends to connect, engage, and give so that Dragons can transform the world by transforming lives. For more than 50 years, the Foundation has partnered with donors to expand access, fund student scholarships, strengthen academic programs, and enhance the campus experience. Rooted in a legacy where grit meets generosity, the Foundation helps ensure that Minnesota State University Moorhead and its students have the resources to learn, lead, and rise.
Position Overview
The Assistant Director of Alumni Relations is one of the most dynamic, outward-facing roles at the MSUM Foundation — part venue entrepreneur, part community-builder, and full-time champion of the Dragon community.
On any given week, this person might be walking a corporate event planner through the Barry Auditorium, closing a rental that brings new revenue and new faces to campus; the next day, welcoming alumni back for a reunion, launching a volunteer program, or working a community event to grow the Foundation’s presence across the region. It’s a role for someone who loves being out in the community, thrives on building relationships, and gets energy from turning a conversation into a booking — or a curious alum into a lifelong Dragon.
The revenue side of this position is real and rewarding: you’ll market the Barry Auditorium as one of the region’s premier event spaces, cultivate corporate and community clients, and directly grow rental income that fuels the Foundation’s mission. The engagement side is just as meaningful: you’ll design the events, programs, and volunteer opportunities that keep alumni connected to MSUM for life — building the affinity and goodwill that ultimately fuels the Foundation’s philanthropic pipeline.
This is a role for a natural connector — someone who’s equally comfortable pitching a sale, planning an event, and telling the MSUM story to anyone who’ll listen. If you want a job where no two days look the same and where your work directly strengthens both the Foundation’s bottom line and its relationships, this is it.
Duties and Responsibilities
Alumni Engagement & Programming (40% FTE):
- Event Planning & Execution: Plan, coordinate, and execute alumni engagement events including reunions, regional and affinity-based events, virtual programming, and campus traditions that deepen alumni connection and build affinity for MSUM.
- Volunteer & Ambassador Programs: Develop and manage alumni volunteer opportunities, ambassador programs, advisory councils, and alumni boards that increase participation and give alumni meaningful ways to invest in the university.
- Campus Partnerships: Serve as the Foundation’s primary liaison to campus departments seeking alumni participation, connecting alumni to admissions, academic programs, mentoring initiatives, and student success efforts.
- Pipeline Support: Identify alumni who demonstrate high engagement signals — multi-year event attendance, volunteer leadership, mentorship participation — and surface them to development officers as discovery prospects. Track engagement activity in RE NXT using established action codes.
Alumni Communications & Digital Engagement (20% FTE):
- Alumni Communications: Collaborate with the Marketing & Communications team to develop and deliver alumni-facing communications including e-newsletters, event promotions, social media content, and impact stories that keep alumni connected to MSUM.
- Digital Engagement: Support digital alumni engagement strategies including online communities, social media alumni groups, and virtual event programming that extend the Foundation’s reach beyond the Fargo-Moorhead area.
- Storytelling: Source and share alumni stories that celebrate Dragons, reinforce MSUM’s impact, and inspire giving — in partnership with Marketing & Communications and the development team.
Barry Auditorium Venue Sales & Revenue Generation (30% FTE):
- Active Venue Marketing: Proactively market the Barry Auditorium as a premier event venue to corporate clients, community organizations, nonprofit partners, and event planners through outreach, networking events, and community presence. Represent the Foundation and the venue at community events, expos, and professional gatherings to generate awareness and leads.
- Sales Outreach & Pipeline: Manage an active pipeline of venue prospects; conduct outreach to warm and cold leads, follow up on inquiries, schedule and lead site tours, and move prospects through to a confirmed booking. Maintain a consistent cadence of outreach activity to grow rental revenue year over year.
- Site Tours: Conduct on-site tours of the Barry Auditorium for prospective renters, presenting the space professionally and tailoring the pitch to the client’s event needs.
- Inquiry Management: Serve as the first point of contact for all venue rental inquiries received via the website, phone, or referral. Respond promptly, qualify the opportunity, and move qualified leads to the tour and booking stage. Track website inquiry volume and conversion rate as ongoing performance metrics.
- Booking Coordination: Coordinate confirmed bookings in partnership with Advancement Services and Finance, ensuring proper scheduling, alignment with usage guidelines, and smooth handoff to event logistics. This role does not manage contracts, billing, or financial reconciliation.
- Revenue Reporting: Track and report venue rental activity including inquiry volume, tours conducted, bookings confirmed, and revenue generated. Provide regular updates to the VP of Operations.
Data, Reporting & Systems (10% FTE):
- CRM Records: Maintain accurate alumni engagement records and event participation data in Blackbaud RE NXT, ensuring constituent records reflect the full relationship history.
- Performance Metrics: Track and report alumni engagement metrics including event attendance, volunteer involvement, and engagement rates by segment. Track venue sales KPIs including monthly inquiry volume, tours conducted, and bookings. Report regularly to the VP of Operations.
Qualifications
- Education: GED Required, Bachelor’s degree Preferred; advanced degree preferred.
- Experience: 2–4 years of experience in alumni relations, advancement, event management, sales, venue marketing, nonprofit programming, or a closely related field.
- Sales & Outreach: Demonstrated comfort with outbound outreach, relationship-building, and pipeline management. Experience in venue sales, event marketing, sponsorship, or a client-facing sales role is a strong plus.
- Skills: Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to represent the Foundation professionally to alumni, community partners, corporate clients, and campus stakeholders.
- Work Style: Self-directed and energetic with the ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, and thrive in both a relationship-building and administrative capacity.
- Systems: Proficiency with Microsoft Office; experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge or similar CRM preferred.
- Flexibility: Willingness to work evenings and weekends as required for events, tours, and community engagements.
- Values: Commitment to MSUM’s mission and values of grit, heart, and curiosity.
Reporting Structure
This position reports directly to the Vice President of Operations.
Compensation
This is a full-time, exempt position offering competitive pay commensurate with experience. The position includes a comprehensive benefits package, including:
- 401(k) Plan: 6% match
- Health Care: Employer Health Care Reimbursement Account
- Education Benefits: Tuition Waiver
- Flexible Spending: FLEX and Dependent Care Spending Accounts
- Work Environment: A collaborative, mission-driven culture where relationships, integrity, and impact matter.
