Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship
Deadline: 07-29-2021
Job No.: 716180
Department: University Advancement
Type: Administrative Professional
Salary Range: Negotiable
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Description
The Office of Individual Giving at MSU is seeking an independent-working and motivated individual to assist in development, organization, and implementation of comprehensive and strategic donor relations and stewardship activities on behalf of the gift officers in Individual Giving. The Office of Individual Giving includes the regional major gift officers, gift planning, special constituencies, and talent development teams. The Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship will conceptualize and execute a cohesive and comprehensive communications, stewardship and donor relations program for all regional donors and prospects, with significant focus on special outreach to our gift planning donors.
The successful candidate will have experience developing donor strategies, coordinating comprehensive plans, and executing programs. In addition, they will possess the ability to work independently while obtaining input and buy in from key stakeholders. The Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship will play an integral role in donor strategy, engagement, communications, and stewardship activities that will elevate the donor experience throughout the giving cycle.
CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Donor Relations and Communications
• Develop and execute a regional stewardship program that will elevate the donor experience throughout the giving cycle.
• Develop a system to steward regional and planned giving donors appropriately and annually based on their membership in lifetime giving societies, regional committees, and other volunteer roles.
• Assist in managing campaign volunteer committees including setting up meetings, agendas and managing follow up activities.
• Assist regional and gift planning officers by collecting information from various colleges/units to support in the development of proposals and other outreach communications. Support may include research, writing, design, or production assistance.
• Support regional and gift planning officers in providing personalized cultivation and stewardship for high-level prospects and donors including writing donor updates, coordinating in-person and virtual meetings, and personally communicating directly with donors when appropriate.
• Assist in conceiving and executing meaningful engagement and stewardship opportunities for regional and gift planning prospects and donors to increase their personal philanthropy. Work in partnership with Alumni Donor Relations and Communications and Marketing teams to maximize expertise on execution of all strategies.
• Assist in coordinating itineraries for regional and gift planning prospects and donors returning to campus to leverage all potential engagement opportunities (events, tours, meetings, etc.) to best cultivate and steward prospect and donor relationships and gift potential.
• Create a well-planned out and strategic plan of touch points for highly rated regional and gift planning donors including thank you letters and collaboration with development officers to determine memento delivery, presentation, and distribution.
• Work with Individual Giving administrative support team members and development officers to request tickets and submit for suite consideration for all athletic events (including pre-game events or receptions), maintain participation records and deadlines of donor name submission.
Regional and Gift Planning Donor Stewardship
• Create a strategic stewardship plan of touch points for highly rated regional and gift planning prospects and donors to include:
o Develop and oversee stewardship processes to ensure appropriate and accurate recording, acknowledgement, and recognition of donor giving, as well coordination and tracking of memento, medallion, and similar award/recognition distribution to maximize the opportunity to steward the donor.
o Coordinate with the gift planning advisors to manage the annual stewardship/expectancy letter process and track responses to ensure appropriate follow up occurs.
o Create and execute a comprehensive plan for sending holiday, sympathy, birthday, and anniversary cards to major donors and prospects, when appropriate.
o Assist regional and gift planning staff members in establishing and coordinating individualized stewardship plans for highly rated prospects and donors.
o Coordinate endowment performance report mailings, when appropriate, ensuring all strategies and mailings complement MSU, college/unit and University Advancement communications.
o Assist in planning and executing all gift planning and regional donor events, such as the bi-annual Landon Society event, gift planning seminars, Women & Philanthropy events, regional and parent events, and ensure proper collaboration with other UA partners (college/unit colleagues, Alumni Office, Alumni Donor Relations, Communications and Marketing) to best leverage all event activities.
o Develop and maintain any personalized records and files of stewardship plans and appropriate documentation, as appropriate.
• Collaborate with communications, marketing, event, stewardship, and alumni office teams to develop a coordinated matrix of strategies to communicate, cultivate, and steward regional and gift planning donors.
• Work with University Advancement Stewardship Office and the relevant college and unit gift officers to draft, review and approve Presidential and university leadership letters and emails in collaboration with the appropriate regional or gift planning officers.
• Assist in identifying and conducting donor interviews, when appropriate, and draft stories for relevant University Advancement or college/unit publications.
• Draft specialty cultivation or stewardship letters for university administration in consultation with regional and gift planning staff members that are primary donor relationship managers.
Qualifications
Unit Specific Qualifications
- Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Business or a Bachelor's degree in other fields.
- One to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in the planning and production of institutional and/or fundraising events; professional fundraising, donor relations; contractor and vendor contract negotiations, and developing event budget reports; experience in a customer-service environment; and experience in database, spreadsheet, word processing and presentation softwar
Desired Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree, master’s degree preferred.
- Working knowledge of graphic design software and tools.
- Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Suite of tools.
- Fundraising experience or experience in donor related work at an institution of higher learning.
- Ability to speak in public and small group environment.
- Collaborative and team-oriented working style and excellent interpersonal skills.
- Strong work ethic.
- Experience with “Moves Management” or related strategic relationship development techniques and practices. Understanding of database/audience segmentation and donor continuum.
- Creativity, curiosity, sense of humor, high energy level, and enthusiasm for meeting and working with a wide range of individuals.
- Understanding the importance of building life-long relationships between the university and its alumni and friends.
- Experience working with diverse individuals.
- Professional appearance and demeanor.
- Self-starter, with demonstrated ability to take initiative.
- Good decision-making skills, tactful, strong listening skills, willingness to search out answers, ability to recognize when others need to be involved in activities or decisions.
- Proven skills and ability in managing multi-phase projects from inception to completion, including building consensus among team members and balancing multiple concurrent priorities.
- Limited travel involving automobile, airlines and rail; must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.
How to apply
If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Pat Karam, Director of Recruitment at karampat@msu.edu.
Candidates must submit an application and resume through the Michigan State University Human Resources web-based system, the URL for this website is careers.msu.edu. Please indicate the position number 716180 when submitting your application.