Senior Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship

Opening Information

Posting #:1024620
Post Date:02-26-2025
Department:University Advancement
Deadline:03-27-2025

Type:Administrative Professional Supervisor
Salary Range:Negotiable

Description

Michigan State, University Advancement seeks an experienced and creative leader for the position of Senior Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship. As an integral part of University Advancement, the Senior Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship works to foster lasting relationships between the University and its benefactors, promoting positive attitudes toward giving among current and prospective donors.

This position is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of a high performing, comprehensive, campus-wide donor relations program, in collaboration with Advancement Engagement team leadership and University Advancement Senior Leadership. The position will focus on executing a comprehensive donor relations program designed to increase donor satisfaction and retention to drive fundraising growth; creating and maintaining a positive and professional relationship between the university and its donors, alumni, and constituents; collaborating with various UA units to determine effective gift stewardship strategies; and elevating the overall giving experience.

The Senior Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship manages a staff of professionals with responsibilities in acknowledgments, impact and scholarship reporting, donor recognition, and principal gift donor engagement. This position provides recommendations to Advancement and University leadership on stewardship and donor relations to develop strategic direction, determine priorities, and initiate and monitor the performance of efforts consistent with those priorities. The Senior Director will provide data-informed recommendations to leadership and fundraisers in donor recognition and experiences, develop collaborative reporting approaches with fundraising teams, and work to ensure all donors experience gratitude and understand the impact of their giving. This position has responsibility for conceptualizing and overseeing execution of initiatives that reach principal gift prospects and helps to elevate MSU’s reputation among potential and existing donors.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Drives Donor Relations and Stewardship Strategies for University Advancement:

Develop strategies to improve the donor experience, increase retention, and promote giving to MSU.
Conceptualize and implement a quantitative and qualitative measurement system to evaluate the effectiveness and success of all donor relations programs, utilizing the data to improve standards, increase donor retention, and further the success of fundraising goals.
Collect and utilize qualitative and quantitative inputs from a wide range of collaborators across campus to inform and develop highly customized engagement plans for principal and major gift donors.
Provide leadership to gift stewardship and donor recognition initiatives for all donors, with an emphasis on effective management of existing recognition societies and the implementation of behavior-based donor programs.
Collaborate with UA Marketing and Communications to identify and activate areas of integrated opportunities to tell donor impact stories and emotionally connect donors.
Lead the development and execution of strategic donor recognition and impact events, in collaboration with the UA Events Team and other departments as necessary to ensure success.
Develop annual departmental goals, objectives, key performance metrics, and associated budget which support the progression of the UA mission.
Build and strengthen a network for donor relations and stewardship practitioners throughout central UA, colleges and units at MSU. Communicate a vision for the team that aligns with and affirms the overarching goals of the Advancement Engagement team and University Advancement, and provide resources, education, and support to help achieve it.
Maintain working knowledge of industry best practices and standards to promote departmental longevity and divisional efficacy.

Donor Experience:

Design, implement, and direct a comprehensive, integrated, and donor-centric donor relations and stewardship plan to build trust and fulfillment through strategic and meaningful contact, experiences, and outstanding hospitality and service.
Work closely and collaboratively with the senior fundraisers to provide resources, direction, and operations support for their donor relations and stewardship coordinators to create and implement short-term and long-term strategies in alignment with overarching UA donor relations and stewardship programs, plans, and goals.
In partnership with the principal gift team, develop and execute thoughtful and highly customized strategies for engaging principal gift donors.
Represent University Advancement at functions and work with donors and other constituents to strengthen connections and build trust in MSU.

Personnel Management:

Develop and implement strategies that will support the UA Engagement team vision. Build strategic partnerships and influence with colleagues across UA and the University to help the Donor Relations and Stewardship team achieve its goals.
Set clear direction and priorities for staff of professionals and administrative support personnel. Promote excellence through well-defined and measurable goals; inspire and motivate staff through transparency, placing staff members’ work within the context of donor relations strategic priorities as well as within the mission of Michigan State, consistent with University Advancement goals, policies, and procedures.
Lead by example; foster a work environment that recognizes and rewards cross-functional collaboration and team-based efforts. Celebrate current achievements and set clear expectations for future success.
Actively mentor and train staff, providing frequent opportunities for professional learning and growth; emphasizing retention as a means of increasing capacity and expertise of the team. Fully leverage human and financial resources and promote greater efficiency.
Provide the structure and guidance necessary to promote a high-performance, innovative culture.

COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Interacts with:

Michigan State University alumni, individuals, and community members to acknowledge status as a current donor and engage as potential donors; handle their requests and ensure a hospitable donor experience.
Faculty – with a focus on expressing philanthropic impact to donors.
Staff – to train and oversee their work and to establish priorities.
Michigan State University Executive Management - to consult and coordinate work within university structure to aid in the identification of tools and processes that support impact reporting and the overall donor experience.
Michigan State University Fundraising Colleagues – to provide support and partnership in the cultivation, solicitation and retention of all donors..
Peers/Professional Organizations – to obtain advice and council on options being considered for programs.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Direction is received from the Assistant Vice President of Engagement in University Advancement.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

Supervision over the Advancement Donor Relations and Stewardship team including but not limited to gift stewardship, impact reporting, donor programs, individual engagement plans and acknowledgments.

Minimum Requirements

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing and/or Business; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in professional and higher education fundraising, public relations, marketing, development of budgets, preparation and presentation of case statements and analysis of operations; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Qualifications

Desired Qualifications

Fundraising and donor relations experience, including proven track record of stewarding gifts of $1M or more.
Proven track record of effectively working and leading in a large, complex, dynamic, and sophisticated organization.
Well-developed project management skills, including experience initiating and implementing a new program or project. Wide-ranging knowledge of academic units, current affairs in higher education, and research, as well as genuine interest in the ongoing affairs at the university and intellectual curiosity.
Ability to set a vision and to influence and inspire others to action, as well as a willingness to dig in and understand the work being done at a more granular level.
A working knowledge of the 4 Pillars of Donor Relations and experience applying the principles to initiatives in an annual, major, and principal gift fundraising environment.

How to apply

If you review this job description and have done many of the responsibilities or have transferable skills, we want to hear from you and welcome your application! We are seeking successful, ambitious fundraisers who want to become part of our team and help us in our ambitious campaign!

All candidates must submit an application, resume, and cover letter through the Michigan State University Human Resources web-based system; the URL for this website is careers.msu.edu. Please indicate the position number 1024620 when submitting your application.

Screening of applicants will continue until the position is filled.

MSU is an affirmative action, equal-opportunity employer.

MSU is committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce and inclusive culture that encourages all people to reach their full potential. The University actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans, and persons with disabilities.