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Associate Director, Donor Relations

Employer
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Location
California, United States
Closing date
18 Feb 2020

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Note: Not all unique aspects of the job are covered by this job description

The School of Humanities and Sciences External Relations team is seeking an Associate Director of Donor Relations to manage, design, develop and implement highly individualized donor relations strategies designed to communicate with the university’s donors. Reporting to the Director of Donor Relations, you will work to implement creative, consistent, and donor-centric donor relations in support of Stanford’s largest school. As part of the External Relations team, the H&S Donor Relations team is responsible for planning and executing a broad range of donor relations and development communications activities designed to strengthen ties to the School of Humanities and Sciences donors and inspire philanthropic support.

If you are a motivated, positive individual, who thrives in a collaborative environment with excellent writing and editing skills and demonstrated strong project management, this role may be a great fit for you.

About the School of Humanities and Sciences

The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the center of a world-class liberal arts education at Stanford University. H&S encompasses 23 departments—from art and art history, English, and history to economics, mathematics, and biology—as well as 23 interdisciplinary programs. As the university’s largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major. All undergraduates take a range of courses in H&S that challenge them to think critically about the world and their roles in it. Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.

The Associate Director of Donor Relations main responsibilities include:

  • Working with the school’s departments, interdisciplinary programs (IDPs), centers, and institutes to communicate donor relations plans, educate them about the importance of donor relations, and partner with them to make sure they are adhering to the university’s donor relations guidelines and standards.
  • Ensuring donor relations messaging aligns with school/unit communications plans and strategic priorities.
  • Establishing and maintaining strong partnerships with gift officers in order to maximize engagement for their portfolios of donors. Gain a complete understanding of each donor’s involvement and giving activity.
  • Managing an annual reporting cycle for over 200 expendable funds across the school’s departments and IDPs.
  • Coordinate with staff and development officers to develop and produce key donor relations deliverables, including written (hard copy, email or online content), video, or events.
  • Maintain open channels of communications with donor relations colleagues across the university.
  • Develop tracking methods for reporting on school-wide donor relations activities and adherence to guidelines.
  • Assess donor relations opportunities and track donor relations trends. Recommend donor relations improvements based on findings.

To be successful in this position, you will bring the following:

  • Strong customer service approach and attention to detail.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and professionalism to interact with a wide range of people at different levels of the organization.
  • Ability to clearly and credibly communicate a diverse array of topics
  • Ability to articulate progress and impact in a way that is understandable and meaningful to various constituencies
  • Demonstrated understanding of a wide variety of donor audiences.
  • Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to edit high-level correspondence.
  • Proven ability to effectively and efficiently manage multiple priorities, with competing deadlines.
  • Must be able to conduct research and ability to interpret information available in a variety of databases.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
  • Tact, discretion, and experience handling confidential information.
  • Proficient in MS Office Suite, Google docs and a variety of database applications. 

Minimum Education and Experience Required:

  • Bachelor’s degree and five years of relevant experience or combination of education and relevant experience.

Additional preferred skills include:

  • Experience in development communications or donor relations roles.
  • Experience in higher education, particularly complex research institutions.
  • Experience with relationship or prospect management systems.
  • Experience with project management software.

Why Stanford for you:

Imagine a world without search engines or social platforms. Consider lives saved through first-ever organ transplants and research to cure illnesses. Stanford University has revolutionized the way we live and enrich the world. Supporting this mission is our diverse and dedicated 17,000 staff. We seek talent driven to impact the future of our legacy. Our culture and unique perks empower you with:

  • Freedom to grow. We offer career development programs, tuition reimbursement, or audit a course. Join a film screening, listen to a renowned author, or global leader speak.
  • A caring culture. We provide excellent retirement plans, generous time-off, and family care resources.
  • A healthier you. Climb our rock wall, swim in our Olympic-sized pool, or choose from hundreds of health and fitness classes at our world-class exercise facilities. We also provide highly competitive health care benefits.
  • Discovery and fun. Stroll through historic sculptures, trails and museums.
  • Enviable resources. Enjoy free commute programs, ridesharing incentives, discounts and more! 

Stanford is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job.

How to apply:

We invite you to apply for the position by clicking on the “Apply for Job” button. To be considered, please submit a cover letter and a resume with your online application. The cover letter should briefly describe why you believe you are a good fit for this position.

Additional Information

  • Schedule: Full-time
  • Job Code: 4322
  • Employee Status: Regular
  • Grade: H

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