Occupational Summary
The Assistant Director for Multicultural Advancement is a full-time position reporting directly to the Director of Affinity Boards– Multicultural Advancement. The Assistant Director will provide board management to their assigned national affinity boards, it’s members, and assist with volunteer management training and support. Candidates for this position must have an exceptional understanding of board management, volunteer engagement and a deep knowledge of diverse constituents.
The ideal candidate enjoys learning and engaging with extraordinary alumni and university partners. The person in this position will work directly with assigned affinity boards, ensuring their success, and providing support as their Duke liaison. This candidate would champion affinity-identity board engagement and philanthropic activities, works well in a team-based environment, strives for excellence, and is successful in developing and maintaining positive relationships with alumni, campus-partners, and the community.
Duke has 12 affinity/identity-based alumni groups with over 100 affinity board members. Our current affinity groups are Duke Alumni with Disabilities, Duke Arab Alumni, Duke Asian Alumni Alliance, Duke Black Alumni, Duke First, Duke Hispanic/Latino Alumni, Duke International Network, Duke Jewish Alumni Network, Duke LGBTQ+ Network, Duke Muslim Alumni, Duke Native Indigenous Alumni, and Duke Pacific Islander Alumni.
Work To Be Performed
Affinity Board Management
- Manage National Affinity Board and its related committees and subcommittees.
- Operate as the Duke liaison for assigned affinity boards. Interpret University policy, identify and coordinate Duke resources for programming, strategic planning, recruitment, communications, marketing, and board evaluations. Regularly communicate affinity board concerns, new initiatives, and needs to Director.
- Serve as a thought leader, actively incorporate alumni volunteer & board management best practices, and be a creative solution-focused partner. Proactively seek and utilize university/alumni resources, colleagues, and campus partners to collaborate with affinity boards.
- Strengthen boards by establishing cooperative relationships with all board members, identify and recruit new board members, promote board activities, and ensure the successful execution of board initiatives. Work closely with Alumni Engagement and Development (AED) Special Events team, regional team, and campus partners
- Maintain and accurately store board records as well as lead board members through the event planning process ensuring that university deadlines are met and proper alumni resources are utilized.
- Stay current on related alumni and campus activities.
- Maintain member rosters and biographies, coordinate mailings, and facilitate development officers’ and university’s ongoing communications with board members.
- Determine fiscal requirements for events; monitor, verify and reconcile expenditure of budgeted funds.
- Create and implement strategic plans for each affinity board. Evaluate the progress of each strategic plan. Identify opportunities and connections between affinity group interests and campus/student initiatives.
- Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with affinity board, the alumni community, campus partners, and departments.
- Prospect, cultivate, and steward affinity board members towards identifying and supporting initiatives that are most meaningful to them.
- Conduct virtual small group meetings for board training purposes.
- Meet with diverse constituents during campus visits as appropriate.
Event Programming and Committee
- Serve on appropriate committees in AED. Participate in major AED special events (i.e., homecoming, graduation, reunions).
- Creating and coordinating invitation lists, making necessary booking reservations at event locations, developing agendas, recruiting, and briefing speakers, and coordinating all logistical tasks.
- Independently manage multiple work assignments with close attention to details and deadlines.
Communications
- Collaborate with marketing team to help identify content for the Power of Us newsletter highlighting the voices and accomplishments of our diverse alumni. Manage and keep alumni network websites current.
- Maintain Duke Alumni Network pages for each affinity board.
Administrative Responsibility & Other Duties
- Maintain up-to-date volunteer management and procedural manuals, directives, and related records
- Prepare interdepartmental memoranda explaining new or revised policies and procedures, as necessary.
Responsible for preparing, monitoring and accurately reporting on budgets. Responsibilities include but are not limited to reconciliation of all corporate card purchases through Duke’s proper systems, reconciling monthly statements, preparing yearly budget for submission, tracking expenditures throughout year, maintaining accurate inventories, processing all accounting needs for department in line with Duke Accounting procedures to include travel expenditures, invoices, and miscellaneous reimbursements.
Other Duties
- Serves on AED task forces and committees as appropriate.
- Drives Multicultural Advancement special projects as they emerge and are directed by the Assistant Vice President of Multicultural Advancement and/or Director of M&LG.
- Support regional Campaign volunteer programs as assigned as they may emerge.
- Occasional nights, weekends, and travel required
This job description intends to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.
COMPETENCIES
- Attention to Detail
- Planning, Prioritizing, and Multi-tasking
- Shares Knowledge
- Collaborating with others
- Expressing ideas orally and in writing
- Curiosity & Information Seeking
- Excellent customer service
- Project management
- Event Logistics
- Volunteer management
- Travel logistics and planning
- Telephone protocol
- Writing / Editing / Proofing
- Office Procedures
- Microsoft Office proficiency (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
- Information access tools such as E-mail and Internet
- Supervision of volunteers
Preferred Qualifications
- Four years of alumni relations, fundraising, donor relations/stewardship, prospect research, or communications experience, preferably in higher education, or related experience with a successful record of accomplishment.
- Ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks and projects, working both independently and as a team member.
- Exceptional ability to think strategically and analytically.
- Excellent writing and speaking skills and strong organizational skills required.
- Strong initiative, creativity, and attention to detail.
- Budget management
- Working knowledge of Duke Alumni software systems such as DADD, DAN, Enquire
Minimum Qualifications
Education
Work requires communications, analytical and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.
Experience
Work requires the ability to plan and administer programs and direct OR ANY OTHER EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE. program activities within a specific functional area, generally acquired through four years of related experience.
Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.