Become a part of the WashU philanthropic team!
A Student Advancement Ambassador (SAA) engages and forms relationships with alumni, parents, and friends of Washington University in St. Louis. As a cohort of current undergraduate and graduate students, SAAs play a critical role in fostering connection and building rapport with all members of our community. Through personalized outreach and one-on-one conversations, SAAs help WashU alumni and donors stay connected, invested, and appreciated. SAAs work in close collaboration with SAA Program managers and university staff to execute engagement and communication strategies throughout the year which includes developing professional skills, and networking with alumni and university leaders.
This position requires excellent communications skills, a problem-solving mentality, the ability to think on your feet in a fast-paced environment, and a genuine affinity for WashU. Working on the team is a great opportunity to improve your communication, fundraising, networking, and public relations skills for life after WashU.
Qualifications
We welcome enthusiastic students who have a strong desire to represent WashU and meet the following criteria:
- Enrolled as a current, part-time or full-time undergraduate or graduate student at WashU.
- Must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to be considered
- Strong communication skills and comfortable speaking on the phone.
- Superior oral and written communication skills with fluent command of the English language.
- Comfortable interacting with people of all backgrounds, ages, perspectives, and affinities.
- Willingness to learn, receive feedback, provide feedback, and be a team player.
- Well-developed time management, organization, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.
- Prior work or volunteer experience in fundraising, customer service, marketing, project management, sales, or office/administrative roles desired (but not required).
Responsibilities
Primary duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Engaging, fundraising, and building relationships with alumni and other constituents of the WashU community through phone calls, texts, emails, videos, and more!
- Gain an understanding of the university, its organizational structure, and its annual needs for financial support.
- Supporting complex projects by overseeing administrative, clerical, logistical, and strategic planning tasks.
- Interacting and engaging with individuals in-person at events and campus functions.
- Communicating directly with alumni, parents, and friends to engage, answer questions, solicit donations, process gifts, update database information, identify volunteer opportunities, or connect them to a university staff member.
- Meet/exceed goals as outlined by the manager including, but not limited to, efficiency and statistical performance.
- Fulfill scheduled or required shifts set forth by the Engagement Center manager.
- Cultivating and actively contributing to a fun and collaborative environment that encourages professional development, networking, and teambuilding.
Expectations
- Receive competitive pay, with a starting wage at $15/hour.
- Commit to at least 8 hours per week, with evening schedules Sunday – Thursday, and some occasional daytime and additional weekend opportunities.
- Paid training, professional development sessions, and attendance at special events.
- Attend a monthly all-staff meeting in person and virtually.
- Specific mandatory workdays on fundraising events, such as Giving Tuesday and WashU Giving Day.
- Work in a collaborative, supportive, and joyful environment within the WashU Engagement Center, located at the Women’s Building on Danforth Campus.
- Serve on one internal working group, helping to drive the mission and impact of the SAA Program.
- Participate in team building activities and challenges, with the potential to earn prizes and other perks.
- Applications are now open for the Summer and Fall Semester 2026! Please click below to apply!
- Please note we are focusing on summer candidates for now, but if you are a fall candidate only please still apply and we will email you with information and instructions.
- For any questions, please email us at engage@wustl.edu