General Summary: 

The Director of Donor Engagement and Stewardship within University Advancement will support and advance a comprehensive, institution-wide donor relations and stewardship program that fosters meaningful engagement and recognition of donors at all levels. Reporting to the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Alumni Engagement, this role contributes to the strategic direction of donor engagement initiatives while leading the day-to-day execution of stewardship programs. The Director oversees core stewardship functions, including gift acknowledgement, donor recognition and naming opportunities, and manages a select portfolio of prospects as a gift officer. Working collaboratively across the organization, the Director plans and executes programs and elements for both high-level donor recognition events and special stewardship touchpoints. The Director supervises and mentors the Assistant Director, providing leadership and guidance across key program areas.

Examples of Duties: 

Correspondence: Implement the production of donor communications including acknowledgement letters from the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor to ensure messaging is personal and poignant for each recipient; draft messaging from Deans and Vice Chancellors for endowed fund and impact reports; ensure tribute letters and pledge reminders are appropriate and timely;

Segmented Donor Recognition: Develop creative and impact-driven communications and engagements for our four recognition societies (Founders’ Circle, Chancellor’s Council, Lampas Society, and Loyal Beacons), 400+ endowed fund households, and 70+ named current-use fund households annually; participate in the creation of strategic communications to cohorts of donors or individual donors including but not limited to customized reports, mailings, emails, or events;

Strategic Communications: Oversee the creation of content conveying the impact of private philanthropic support on our students, faculty, and campus; recommend and facilitate donor recognition in print, web, and external publicity channels; co-produce endowment and impact reports; and maintain welcome materials and informational kits for recognition societies and endowed fund donors; serve as department point person for students receiving privately supported funds for event and story profiles; convey to recipients the importance of participation in gratitude surveys and events;

Event Conception and Management: Develop and launch new engagement initiatives to provide donors with unique opportunities and insider perspectives on university priorities and the broader impact of giving; partner with the Senior Director to develop and execute meaningful donor events throughout the year for recognition society members, principal gift donors, and named scholarship fund donors; help oversee all aspects of concept design, programming and delivery; lead the planning and execution of signature donor events including Celebration of Philanthropy and Scholarship Celebration;

Donor Recognition and Engagement: Recognize donor contributions through appropriate societies, events, mementos, and campus markers. Work with the Senior Director to develop and execute an annual stewardship matrix to ensure consistent, segmented communication and engagement; support additional engagement efforts such as ad hoc campus visits and other recognition society events that incorporate special stewardship touches; oversee the ongoing maintenance and management of the Founders’ Circle recognition mural in the Campus Center; create mementos and opportunities to recognize new Founders’ Circle members publicly;

Donor Portfolio Management: Serve as primary campus contact for approximately 35 donors in sustained stewardship, maintaining close relationships to address inquiries and resolve issues; identify renewal opportunities for donors based on gift timing and trends; collaborate with leadership gift officers to develop stewardship plans and opportunities that align with donor interests;

Strategic Planning and Operations: Create and implement streamlined systems and automated processes that increase internal capacity; establish systems to identify new Founders’ Circle members as giving thresholds are reached; lead the adoption of new project management tools and workflows improving transparency, accountability, and cross-team collaboration; cultivate and grow the culture of gratitude among advancement staff and student workers;

Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

Bachelor’s Degree required, master’s preferred, and a minimum of seven years of advancement experience is required. Experience in a higher education setting preferred. Fluency in methodologies and trends in a contemporary donor relations office as well as demonstrated experience working with constituent record management systems is strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience fundraising in higher education or not for profit organizations preferred;
• Knowledge of how endowments are managed, invested, reported, credited and income allocated;
• Demonstrated ability to build, develop, and sustain resilient, dynamic relationships with donors, colleagues, and senior leadership;
• Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively, effectively engaging others to achieve project goals;
• Strong judgment and diplomatic skills, with a demonstrated commitment to maintaining confidentiality;
• Experience thriving in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Familiarity with Advancement and CRM systems, including Salesforce, Anthology, and Mythos;
• Familiarity with University policies and procedures concerning purchase of goods and services;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, as well as other administrative software applications;
• Knowledge of and demonstrated ability to develop business process models;
• Ability to identify long-term strategic goals and design action plans to reach such goals;
• Strong analytical, problem-solving skills, and attention to detail;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Self-starter with strong sense of ownership, follow-through and orientation towards results;
• Strong commitment to customer service.

Supervision Received:

The Director of Donor Engagement and Stewardship reports to the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Alumni Engagement.

Supervision Exercised:

The Director of Donor Engagement is responsible for managing the Assistant Director, as well as hiring, training, and managing two student employees. The Director indirectly supervises the Alumni Engagement administrative assistant.

     Number of non-student employees directly supervised: 1

     Number of non-student employees indirectly supervised: 1

     Average number of student employees supervised at any given time: 2

Application Instructions: 

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date. 

Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting.  All other candidates will be considered after that period. 

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link: 

Grade: 34             

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position.

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.