Community Fundraising and Relations Head

About the Role

Manager – Annual Giving and Small Donations would be responsible for leading and scaling BITS Pilani’s broad-base fundraising – the annual giving programme, digital and online appeals, day-of-giving campaigns, and recurring small-ticket donations from the wider alumni and well-wisher community. The role would require a person who can design and run multi-channel donation campaigns end to end (email, social, WhatsApp, and web outreach), convert engagement into giving at scale, and deliver a warm, reliable donor experience to every contributor regardless of gift size. The role carries both a digital-fundraising mandate (campaigns, annual giving, online appeals) and a volume donor-acquisition-and-servicing mandate (growing and retaining a broad base of small-ticket donors), in equal measure.

The position also requires the person to work closely with internal divisions across campuses, BITSAA International chapters, and alumni volunteers, bringing strong programme management, judgement, and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale the annual giving and small-donations programme of BITS Pilani – owning the yearly calendar of appeals, campaigns, giving days, and recurring-donation drives across alumni batches, regions (India and international), and affinity groups
• Design and run multi-channel donation campaigns end to end across email, social media, WhatsApp broadcasts, web, and tele-outreach – from strategy, segmentation, and messaging to send, follow-up, conversion, and reporting
• Brief the Marketing function on creative requirements – provide campaign objectives, audience segments, key messages, and calls-to-action;
  review delivered creative and donation landing pages for accuracy of appeal before deployment
• Own donor data and the CRM (Salesforce / similar) – capture gifts, segment audiences, track pledges and recurring donations, and keep records clean, compliant, and audit-ready
• Deliver world-class small-donor servicing – timely thank-you communications, tax receipts, acknowledgements, and welcome journeys for every contributor, with a focus on first-gift conversion and second-gift retention
• Set up and manage online giving infrastructure – payment gateways, donation forms, recurring-gift options, and giving pages – in coordination with Accounts & Finance and the Web team;
  ensure a frictionless, secure giving experience
• Run structured donor stewardship for the small-gift base – impact updates, named-fund acknowledgements where applicable, and segmented communications that deepen the relationship and move donors up the giving ladder
• Track, analyse, and report on fundraising metrics – number of donors, gift conversion rate, average gift, donor retention, recurring-giving growth, and total funds raised – and bring continuous improvements to campaign strategy and targeting
• Identify and cultivate volunteer fundraising leadership – company ambassadors, batch champions, and chapter volunteers – to drive peer-to-peer and reunion giving at scale;
  train, coach, and recognise volunteers
• Manage a small team of annual-giving and donor-servicing staff, ensuring smooth operations, clear KPIs, and high satisfaction ratings from BITS donors
• Maintain good working relations with all internal divisions – especially Accounts & Finance, Alumni Relations, Student Welfare, and the Directors’ Office – for compliant, efficient, and well-integrated fundraising operations
• Any other tasks assigned by the Head, Alumni Relations or Dean / Associate Dean, Alumni Relations

Qualifications and Experience

• Full time Postgraduate (MBA, MA, MSW, or a similar degree) with 7–8 years of relevant experience in fundraising, annual giving, digital/CRM marketing, membership programmes, donor servicing, or large-scale community/campaign management, with at least 5 years in a higher education institution / non-profit
• Experience of leading and managing teams is essential
• Demonstrated track record of running multi-channel campaigns (email, social, WhatsApp, web, tele-outreach) and converting outreach into measurable action at scale – donations, sign-ups, or registrations – is strongly preferred
• Hands-on familiarity with CRM platforms (Salesforce / similar), email-marketing tools (Mailchimp / similar), and online payment / donation infrastructure

Compensation

Up to 16 Lacs per annum, depending on experience / suitability to role.