The Associate Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship is responsible for building a broader stewardship program. They will also work with others in Advancement to develop and implement personalized stewardship programs for Leadership Annual and Major and Planned Gift donors. The focus of the role is to ensure that donors experience high-quality interactions with the university that foster long term engagement and investment. They will manage a portfolio of donors and focus on fundraising and stewardship of the portfolio.
This individual will work across the University to provide a myriad of resource tools to assist development team members and related campus partners in strategically managing key donors and volunteer leaders.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Manage a portfolio of alumni donors to engage, steward, and solicit on an annual basis.
Responsible for creative and timely stewardship, which includes but is not limited to designing, drafting, writing, editing, coordinating, and executing an institution-wide comprehensive donor relations and stewardship program that appropriately and consistently promotes interaction with and recognition of donors at all levels.
Manage the program for consistent implementation of personalized, written correspondence for donors.
Create opportunities and mechanisms for meaningful donor recognition and engagement, taking into consideration such factors as donors preferences (for example, anonymity and the format in which their names are presented) and institutional culture and values. Help everyone understand that recognition is the public form of donor acknowledgement, and ranges from activities that are automatic organizational responses to giving, such as giving societies, to those that are undertaken with the involvement of the donors, such as special events and named space signage.
Manage donor recognition and celebration events that engage donors, alumni, and key university constituents.
Execute donor stewardship that is qualitative, celebratory, and inspirational for continued investment in the mission of the organization.
Coordinate special projects that impact the donor experience such as endowment reports, pledge reminders, acknowledgement letters, and others as needed.
Serve as an ambassador for Oglethorpe in the community.
Frequently staffs Advancement and Alumni Relations events, both on campus and off campus.
Contribute to the overall success of the division by performing all other essential duties and responsibilities as assigned.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Bachelors degree
A minimum of five years of professional and/or fundraising experience required. Equivalent combinations of education/experience may be considered.
Demonstrated ability to work in a team-oriented environment.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Desire to represent Oglethorpe out in the community, attending events and other social gatherings, building personal relationships on behalf of Oglethorpe and with the objective of raising awareness and funds for the institution.
Appreciation of, a sensitivity to, and respect for a diverse academic environment, inclusive of students, faculty, and staff of many social, economic, cultural, ideological, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information in a professional manner.
Demonstrated ability to successfully balance, prioritize, and manage multiple tasks in an active, fast-paced environment, while providing superior constituent service.
Strong writing and editing skills.
Excellent oral and interpersonal skills, including diplomacy required to function effectively among campus fundraisers, high level campus administrators, volunteers and other constituencies to bring large scale projects to completion.
Ability to work in a team environment.
Technologically skilled and familiarity using Microsoft products and Raisers Edge/fundraising databases, and other software applications.
Ability to manage events and projects from start to finish, managing time and tasks effectively.
Need to be a strategic thinker with excellent organizational and interpersonal skills, and a philosophy of teamwork and hands on implementation.
Ability to persuade and negotiate with internal and external audiences required.
Must exhibit a willingness to provide outstanding customer service, and an outgoing receptive personality.
Must have an excellent command of the English language, both oral and written, superior telephone skills, and experience in using all Microsoft Office Applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
Founded in 1835, Oglethorpe is a small, private university located on a historic 100 acre campus in metro Atlanta. Our liberal arts mission serves a diverse student body of 1,495 undergraduates, representing more than 30 states and 30 countries. Renowned for its ground-breaking Core program, Oglethorpe is a member of the Annapolis Group, comprised of the nations most selective liberal arts institutions, and is among Fiske Guide to College's 20 'Best Buy' universities in the nation, U.S. News & World Reports Best Liberal Arts Colleges, and Princeton Reviews Best Southeastern Colleges.
