Careers

ACTA means effective ACTION and
positive campus changes!

The staff of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is dedicated to academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability at America’s colleges and universities. We work with alumni, donors, trustees, policymakers, and education leaders across the United States to safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus and ensure for students an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price. 

The impact of our work is evident in the actions of state legislatures, university boardrooms, classrooms and campuses across the nation. Our staff is enthusiastic, energetic, and collegial, and we model the free exchange of ideas in the way we do our work and in the social events of the office.


Program Associate for Development

The Program Associate for Development is primarily responsible for providing critical support concerning donor relations and database management of sensitive information about donors. Specifically, the incumbent is responsible for processing donations and working closely with ACTA’s President in writing highly personalized thank you correspondence. Also, the incumbent is responsible for maintaining an up-to-date data base for recording donations and providing donor reports to the Vice President. The Program Associate must approach these tasks with high levels of accuracy, professionalism and discretion. An ability to prioritize tasks, respond to requests expeditiously, pay strict attention to detail, and keep track of multiple projects is essential. The Program Associate for Development reports to the Vice President of Development.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Take primary responsibility for the prompt processing and database recording of donations.

•  Assist the President with 100 percent accurate written acknowledgment of donor contributions.

• Work with the Vice President of Development to send email blasts to donors and other supporters keeping them informed about ACTA’s efforts to reform higher education.

• Use Salesforce to conduct research on donors and to produce reports on a variety of fundraising issues and metrics.

• Assist with preparations for donor events and meetings, including ACTA’s annual conference and gala.

Qualifications

This is an entry level position. Candidates must have a Bachelor of Science degree preferably in the Liberal Arts. The Program Associate is expected to exhibit the highest degree of personal responsibility, accountability, and honesty. A high level of attention to detail is a requisite. He/she will be expected to be a strong team player good at maintaining positive productive relationships with other members of the ACTA team. Candidates should possess effective verbal and written communication skills and have a basic understanding of Salesforce.

Program Associate for Trustee & Government Affairs

The Program Associate for Trustee & Government Affairs advances ACTA’s core values of academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability by assisting the Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President of Strategy in maintaining ACTA’s national network of trustees and elected officials and improving ACTA’s communications with those audiences.

Specifically, the Program Associate performs the following tasks:

• Assisting the Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President of Strategy with communications and outreach to trustees, governors, policymakers, and related constituent groups, including responding to research questions and coordinating with other departmental staff on outreach projects.

• Organizing ACTA’s trustee events and webinar programs, including seeing through selection of participants, event marketing, logistical management, and constituent communications.

• Ensuring quality control of ACTA’s database of college and university trustees, assisting with database administration on an as-needed basis; overseeing database work of interns and outside contractors.

• Managing the department’s direct mail and e-mail campaigns, including serving as the department’s primary point of contact with ACTA’s mailhouse vendor, facilitating department mass mailings, and responding to resource requests from constituents.

• Drafting correspondence and/or policy statements directed to higher education stakeholders including boards of trustees and government bodies.

• Providing research, logistical, and operational support to departmental initiatives including targeted mailings, trustee publications, events, and ACTA’s board services.

The Program Associate must approach these tasks as an entrepreneurial enterprise, requiring an understanding of and proactive approach to ACTA’s program activities. The Program Associate is expected to be personable, dynamic, well organized, highly motivated, and principled, and to act with the highest degree of personal responsibility, accountability, and honesty.

Program Officer for Donor Communications

The program officer for donor communications provides support for ACTA’s development program, with a particular emphasis on grant writing and direct mail. The program officer for donor communications reports to the vice president of development and philanthropy.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist the vice president of development and philanthropy with a variety of written communications projects—grant proposals, reports to donors, reports to board of directors, letters of inquiry, and donor email blasts.  

• Manage the direct mail program, both prospecting letters and house-file letters, and track campaigns using Salesforce.

• Manage the sponsorship program for ACTA’s annual conference, the ATHENA Roundtable and Merrill Award Gala.  

• Collaborate with department leaders to identify funding opportunities for projects.

• Assist the program associate for development in keeping our donor database fully up to date.

Qualifications 

The program officer for donor communications should assume these responsibilities with a sense of ownership. He or she must be highly motivated, exhibit the highest degree of integrity, accountability, and honesty, and be a strong team player who maintains productive relationships with other members of the ACTA team. He or she must be committed to ACTA’s mission as a leader in higher education reform. 

A Bachelor of Science degree in the liberal arts is preferred as well as two to three years of experience in fundraising. Candidates should possess exemplary writing, editing, and verbal communication skills. To apply, please send a cover letter to Hanna Hotes at info@GoACTA.org with the subject line “Application: Program Officer for Donor Communications”.

WHO WE ARE

Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.

Discover More