Position Focus:

Reporting to the Deputy Director, Stewardship, the Staff Writer supports and enhances Yale University’s stewardship activities by efficiently composing a wide range of gift acknowledgements and annual stewardship narrative/financial reports for donors with endowed and current-use funds, with emphasis on Yale College-managed funds. This work requires a comprehensive understanding of the specifics of the gifts associated with these managed funds. The Staff Writer will be responsible for selecting information for inclusion in the reports that best aligns with a fund’s purpose and/or the report recipient’s interests. If information is not available, the Staff Writer will be expected to contact students or other university members to obtain the necessary information to complete the report. In addition to composing the narrative portion of the annual reports, the Staff Writer will be tasked with reviewing fund financial information to ensure its accuracy. The Staff Writer collaborates with colleagues and the Dean of Yale College to draft appropriate and meaningful acknowledgements for gifts from donors supporting Yale College and actively manages all phases of dean’s acknowledgement letter cycle from production, approval, and rewriting to final distribution. In addition, the Staff Writer will draft presidential acknowledgement letters as assigned. The Staff Writer will ensure that acknowledgements and reports meet all associated deadlines.

The Staff Writer also has the following responsibilities: conduct frequent and sometimes complex research on donors, report recipients, and students for stewardship report drafting in order to tailor reports to the individual and circumstances; identify and select relevant information for stewardship reports that best aligns with donor preferences, basing those decisions on a broad understanding of stewardship goals and detailed knowledge of the gift and donor history; engage with donors, faculty, students, and staff as needed to support stewardship efforts; research and respond to questions from internal/external parties about stewardship-related issues.

Dept/Section URL

https://giving.yale.edu/jobs/dev-coord2-stewardship-writer-staff-writer-stewardship

Essential Duties

1. Creates, drafts, formats, proofreads, and edits personalized annual stewardship reports in a variety of formats.
2. Conducts accurate and thorough background researches on donors, reports recipients, and students featured in the annual reports. Gains a full understanding of the University’s relationship with the donors of the endowed funds and of the purposes of their funds.
3. Contacts students, professors and internal gift, stewardship and other University staff to gather information necessary for drafting reports. Organizes and maintains such information.
4. Selects the most appropriate information relative to a particular fund and donors/reports recipients; customizes and personalizes each report according to the circumstances and the donors/recipients’ relationship to the University.
5. Works directly with gift officers and other development staff in resolving fund and reporting issues and special handling requirements.
6. Maintains accurate and complete information in relevant stewardship reporting databases and tracking reports.
7. Proactively suggests process and procedure improvements and ideas for enhanced stewardship.
8. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Eight years of related experience, six of them in the same job family at the next lower level and a high school level education; or six years of related experience and an Associate's Degree; or two years of related work experience and a Bachelor's Degree; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.

Required Skill/Ability 1:

Ability to write clearly and elegantly, concisely, quickly and effectively. Requires the ability to adapt writing style to a wide variety of situations and audiences. Writing samples required. Excellent verbal communications and interpersonal skills. Extreme attention to detail and accuracy.

Required Skill/Ability 2:

Strong research, analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills. Experience conducting research using Internet resources. Proficiency in Word. Ability to quickly learn new processes, software, and systems.

Required Skill/Ability 3:

Flexibility to adapt to changing and conflicting priorities. Ability to work in a deadline-oriented, production environment. Ability to handle multiple tasks and meet production metrics and goals.

Required Skill/Ability 4:

Ability to work effectively with colleagues, administrators, development officers and students. Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, and to handle multiple projects simultaneously. Ability to maintain strict confidentiality.

Required Skill/Ability 5:

Appreciation and respect for principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ability to engage with diverse audiences (age, gender, nationality, race/ethnicity, profession, sexual orientation, etc.). Ability to demonstrate and promote a positive, “can do” attitude via helpfulness, teamwork and support for others.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:

Professional experience writing, copy-editing, and proofreading.

Weekend Hours Required?

Occasional

Evening Hours Required?

Occasional

Drug Screen

No

Health Screening

No

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. Please visit www.yale.edu/hronline/careers/screening/faqs.html for additional information on the background check requirements and process.

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.

Affirmative Action Statement:

Yale University considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, at TitleIX@yale.edu, or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 8th Floor, Five Post Office Square, Boston MA 02109-3921. Telephone: 617.289.0111, Fax: 617.289.0150, TDD: 800.877.8339, or Email: ocr.boston@ed.gov.

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus