Associate Director of Advancement Communications

About the Role The Associate Director of Advancement Communications at Illinois Institute of Technology supports the Office of Advancement by driving communications across digital platforms, alumni and donor engagement channels, and other Advancement initiatives. This role develops impact-driven content, manages routine communications operations, and collaborates with campus partners to deliver compelling stories that strengthen alumni and donor engagement. The ideal candidate is a strong writer who can manage multiple projects and deadlines.

What You'll Do

• Assist with writing, editing, and producing impact-driven content for donors, alumni, and key stakeholders, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and alignment with Advancement messaging.
• Develop donor stewardship materials and short-form stories, along with alumni, board, and event communications that highlight institutional priorities and philanthropic impact.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director on campaign projects and high-priority initiatives, providing research, drafting, editing, and project management support as needed.
• Support project intake, scheduling, and coordination to ensure timely delivery of communications assets.
• Manage day-to-day email communications for Advancement, including proofing content, building emails, scheduling, and ensuring brand consistency.
• Build and maintain a social media strategy to enhance Advancement’s presence, including content planning, copywriting, basic graphic creation, posting, and analytics.
• Maintain Advancement’s editorial calendar and contribute ideas to enhance audience engagement and storytelling through Advancement initiatives, including Giving Day, direct mail appeals, newsletters, and stewardship materials.
• Act as project lead for Advancement Communications contributions to the annual Illinois Tech Magazine, working closely with the Office of Marketing and Communications on story development, logistics, and editorial needs.
• Collaborate with campus partners on the creation of departmental newsletters, event promotions, and constituent engagement materials.
• Assist in developing shared communications resources—messaging guides, templates, boilerplate narratives, and image banks—to support Advancement team members in producing consistent, branded materials.
• Create small-scale, in-house design assets such as social graphics, event materials, and basic stewardship collateral.
• Prepare print and digital content for cultivation tools, alumni engagement initiatives, Advancement events, board materials, and other priorities, ensuring accessibility, accuracy, and alignment with brand guidelines.
• Maintain digital assets, including photography and videography, for use across ongoing donor, alumni, and event communications.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree required; degree in communications, journalism, marketing, public relations, English, or related field preferred.
• Approximately 3-5 years of experience in communications, marketing, nonprofit/higher education advancement, or a related field.
• Demonstrated writing experience, preferably including impact stories, donor or alumni communications, or audience-centered narratives.
• Experience with social media management and email marketing tools.
• Familiarity with ThankView or other video messaging platforms preferred but not required.
• Basic design skills and experience with Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent tools.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong writing, storytelling, and editing skills with an ability to deliver clear, compelling content on tight deadlines.
• Comfortable balancing multiple priorities and managing projects from start to finish.
• Familiarity with communications best practices across digital, print, and social platforms.
• Collaborative working style with strong interpersonal communication skills.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and committed to producing high-quality work.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; familiarity with CRM platforms is a plus.

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with ThankView or other video messaging platforms (preferred but not required).
• Raiser's Edge or other CRM familiarity (a plus).

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $66,000-$72,000 per year.
• Benefits: Our commitment to employee well-being is reflected in our competitive benefits package.