Boston University

Associate Director, Marketing & Participation, Tufts Fund for Arts, Sciences & Engineering at Tufts University

Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering

Communications Manager

Grant-writing: 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Massachusetts)

Fundraising communications (strategy, writing, project management): donor impact communications; day of giving email marketing

Freelance

Freelance Writer and Editor

Key areas of responsibility: communications strategy; writing and editing; fundraising direct marketing; donor stewardship; project management

Highlights:
- Writing and editing appeal letters and emails from administrators and leadership volunteers
- Writing and editing student and faculty profiles
- Clarifying messaging priorities and identifying supporting stories that will be most meaningful to each audience
- Managing email strategy for day of giving across ten schools and units
- Creating multi-channel stewardship strategies for first-time donors and consecutive donors, including print, email, phone (calls and texts), and video
- Leading a cross-team policy working group to set strategy for the introduction of text messaging as a communication channel

Tufts University

Sr. Associate Director, Marketing & Participation, Tufts Fund for Arts, Sciences & Engineering

Key areas of responsibility: project management; writing and editing; data analysis; managing student employees

Highlights:
- Created new mailing to welcome first-time Tufts Fund donors. Retention of these donors increased by 4% in each of the first two years following implementation.
- Managed monthly gift renewal emails with average open rates of 46%. Dollars and donors tripled from the first to the second year of this program.
- Developed and managed communication strategy for annual March to the Top young alumni participation challenge, which resulted in an 18% increase in challenge donors from the first to the second year.
- Revitalized stewardship for Tufts Loyalty Circle consecutive giving society, including end-of-fiscal-year stewardship mailing, Thanksgiving postcard, and handwritten thank you notes from current students. 
- Conceptualized end-of-fiscal-year stewardship video for Tufts Fund donors; interviewed students; prepared edit decision list for videographer.

Assistant Director, Communications & Donor Retention, Tufts Fund for Arts, Sciences & Engineering

Key areas of responsibility: event planning; volunteer management; supervising student intern

Highlights:
- Increased Shared Interest Groups and special constituency events 67% from FY12 to FY13, engaging over 3,300 total alumni attendees. 
- Supported the Beelzebubs Alumni Association in planning their 50th anniversary year of celebrations in 2013.
- Created a comprehensive social media handbook for Shared Interest Group volunteers and complementary webinar training.
- Managed the budget line for Shared Interest Groups, encompassing over 15 chartered Shared Interest Groups and a variety of anniversaries and events for special constituencies.

Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, Shared Interest Groups

Key areas of responsibility: event planning; volunteer management; strategic planning

Highlights:
- Developed and implemented a five-year strategic plan for increasing student-alumni engagement in the College of Arts & Sciences. 
- Managed and advised alumni volunteer groups, including a Student Alumni Association, women's group, and academic affinity group. 
- Planned and managed events, including student-alumni networking receptions, the Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture, and the Arts & Sciences Distinguished Alumni Awards. 
- Assisted in organization and staffing of all-University alumni events, including Alumni Weekend, Winterfest, and Global Day of Service.

Assistant Director of Alumni Relations

Highlights:
- Managed and advised alumni volunteer groups, including Young Alumni Club and Student Alumni Association. 
- Planned and managed events, including the marquee Discoveries lecture and learning series, the Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture, and the Arts & Sciences Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony. 
- Built collaboration between central Alumni Relations team, Development colleagues, and Arts & Sciences Dean and faculty. 
- Assisted in organization and staffing of all-University alumni events, including Alumni Weekend.

Alumni Relations Coordinator

Highlights:
- Supervised 10 student employees. 
- Assisted in training new Admissions Coordinators. 
- Represented the university to inquiring students and parents by answering phone calls and emails. 
- Verified applications for freshmen and transfer students.  
- Notified students of acceptance from waiting list through phone calls.

Senior Admissions Coordinator

Highlights:
- Researched, wrote, and edited text for chamber of commerce membership directory. 
- Compiled and proofed language for client websites.  
- Aided in event planning for business promotion and community events.

Christopher A. Lorence Public Relations  and Marketing Services

Marketing Intern

Highlights:
- Oversaw the preparation of sites for the Senator’s visits.  
- Researched and summarized pending regional issues.

Lauren (Hall) Smith