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  • 1.  Campaign Manager Title

    Posted 10-24-2024 10:11 AM

    Hi all,

    Can anyone share examples from your organization of adding the title "campaign manager" to an existing Adv Services role? Can you give me some examples? Or, why would this not be a great idea?  Thanks,

    Susan



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    Susan Quinn
    Lenoir-Rhyne University
    emmersonquinn@gmail.com
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  • 2.  RE: Campaign Manager Title

    Posted 10-24-2024 10:41 AM
    This additional title was added to my position description at NC State. It made good sense at the time, as I was one of the few administrators with campaign experience of the size we were contemplating.

    However, this position's responsibility adds a significant workload to anyone's job. Therefore, we were thoughtful about offloading some of my day-to-day duties to my direct reports.

    My salary was enhanced during the period I held this role to reflect the additional responsibilities. To support that, we changed my formal job description to reflect this new role and the roughly 40/60 split between it and my regular responsibilities. Then, each year, we came up with ten goals for me, four of which were campaign-related and six relating to Advancement Services more broadly.

    I think adding this component to an existing role is appropriate, provided that some current duties are removed and compensation levels are addressed.

    John

    John H. Taylor, Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier Street
    Durham, NC     27705

    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987




    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Campaign Manager Title

    Posted 10-24-2024 11:53 AM
    Thanks very much. This is so helpful. The delegation of existing duties is key in my mind as well- and might be challenging in a small shop like ours. As you mention, the advantage for the org is to lean into existing strengths already on staff.
    Also, thanks for mentioning the short-lived nature of the role.   Let's say your org didn't have the bandwidth to meaningfully delegate enough work from the advancement services lead to make room for the additional duties. What would your thoughts have been if they asked you to trade your role for campaign manager?--  asking for a friend. My concerns might center on the implied temporary nature of the "campaign manager" role, and what kind of story such a move might tell in the context of a resume, and whether it communicated growth or not.   Thoughts?
    sq




    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Campaign Manager Title

    Posted 10-25-2024 04:05 PM

    Thanks again for the help on this topic. AdvServ is my community, and I'm grateful to have you all as a sounding board.

    I think when John Taylor weighs in, it feels like a pretty definitive answer--  but if anyone else has additional thoughts they would be willing to share with me,  and perhaps you would rather not post here, please email me directly-- emmersonquinn@gmail.com

    Thank you all!

    Susan



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    Susan Quinn
    Lenoir-Rhyne University
    emmersonquinn@gmail.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Campaign Manager Title

    Posted 10-28-2024 08:19 AM

    Hi Susan,

    In the past, I held the Campaign Director role in addition to overseeing Advancement Services. I found it manageable since I had a reliable team in place, and my Advancement Services role had evolved to include tasks like organizational change and system implementations.

    One thing that was crucial for me, which you may find helpful, was engaging third-party campaign counsel. While I could anticipate reporting needs, I relied on campaign counsel to provide insight into industry trends and effective strategies. While I love to research and explore things like industry trends, I needed to recognize that I just wouldn't have time and probably couldn't do it as well as outside counsel.

    Additionally, although budget constraints might prevent backfilling your duties with additional staff, campaign budgets are often treated differently than annual departmental budgets. This can create opportunities to strategically tap into additional resources. If there isn't a campaign budget yet, counsel can advocate for support where needed.

    As far as resumes are concerned, the Campaign Manager title can only be beneficial. However, it's fair to ask how this will impact your role post-campaign. Leadership would probably be surprised if you didn't ask.

    Best and congrats on being in demand!

    John Smilde

    Director of Gifts and Records Administration

    Advancement and Alumni Relations

    George Mason University

    4400 University Drive, MSN 1A3

    Fairfax, VA 22030

    703.993.8680

    jsmilde@gmu.edu

     

    This electronic message contains confidential information which is, in whole or in part,

    subject to exclusion from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act pursuant to

    §2.2-3705.4.7. of the Code of Virginia.

     

     

     




    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Campaign Manager Title

    Posted 10-28-2024 08:29 AM

    Thanks very much, this is really helpful stuff. We are mid-campaign, and have campaign counsel. Have just lost our mg officer who was the lead with counsel-- so much of the campaign framework is baked. I've already got the reporting in place, and branding decisions have been made. So, why not? Thanks again,

    Susan



    ------------------------------
    Susan Quinn
    Lenoir-Rhyne University
    emmersonquinn@gmail.com
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    Original Message


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