With latitude for independent judgment and decision making and working with advancement leadership, the Associate Director of Donor Engagement will develop, implement, and manage a donor engagement program for all levels of donors, from participation through to principal gift level. The Associate Director provides strategic oversight of donor recognition and stewardship and devises, writes and coordinates the distribution of critical stewardship communications. The Associate Director will have frequent contact with Senior Staff including the President’s office, the entire Institutional Advancement team and campus partners including Financial Services, Student Financial Services, Marketing and Communications, faculty and staff across campus.

Job Responsibilities

• Design and coordinate the donor relations program to ensure donors experience high quality interactions with St. John Fisher College that foster long-term engagement and investment.
• Oversee the recognition process through a variety of methods while developing personalized individual stewardship plans for key donors and writing, editing and proofing annual reports and special stewardship pieces.
• Oversee the drafting, review and approval process for gift agreements based upon information provided by gift officers and other colleagues. Maintain a robust knowledge of legal, compliance and College policy issues pertaining to gift language and acceptance in order to provide accurate gift agreements.
• Serve as principal author and facilitator of annual scholarship reports, including scholarship engagement opportunities to maximize student-donor relationships.
• Collaborate with campus partners to ensure gifts are appropriately used. This includes actively gathering the data necessary to prepare and distribute annual reports, demonstrating the impact of philanthropy, to donors and other internal areas.
• Lead a best practice donor recognition program college wide including working with key campus partners to develop acknowledgement awareness and implementing partners in the overall process.
• Collaborate with Advancement colleagues to develop an intimate knowledge of top donors, VIP event attendees, high-profile alumni in the community and other regions to inform recognition and engagement strategies.
• Participate in and take leadership in events sponsored by the Office of Institutional Advancement.
• Serve as an integral part of the Alumni & Constituent Engagement Team through strategic event planning and production that ensure quality donor experiences.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience

Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years experience in donor engagement/relations, stewardship, alumni engagement/relations, development or related field. Ability to plan, lead and work independently.

Competencies/Skills

• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and implement a high quality, donor centric, data informed donor engagement program that deepens the level of understanding of and commitment to St. John Fisher College utilizing excellent communications skills, and strong project management and event planning experience.
• Excellent writing and communication skills that support the effective interpretation, organization, and presentation of information and ideas in writing and other multi-media formats.
• Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to work well with others and a welcoming demeanor. Strong listening and interpretive skills. Ability to work effectively with donors, alumni, faculty, administrators, and students.
• Skills in the research, development, and evaluation of policies and programs, including the ability to collect, evaluate, and interpret data to develop sound conclusions and make appropriate recommendations.
• Ability to anticipate problems and address them proactively and professionally.
• Diplomacy and discretion in dealing with sensitive and confidential information.
• Demonstrated enthusiasm to learn and incorporate best practices in donor relations and new technologies.
• Demonstrated commitment to our college priority of diversity and inclusion.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, including Access.
• CRM experience preferred

Supervison of Employees: Assistant Director of Donor Engagement

Mental Demands: 

• Requires a high degree of mental concentration with a strong attention to detail.
• Maintain professional attitude and demeanor in difficult situations.
• Ability to effectively communication with key on- and off-campus stakeholders
• Ability to balance multiple assignments simultaneously with interruptions.
• Exercise sound judgment.
• Maintain high level of confidentiality.
• Organization skills are essential.

Work Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week. May require nights and weekends for College events.

It is the policy of St. John Fisher College to provide Equal Employment Opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment in accordance with the applicable federal, state, and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in each locality in which the College has employees.

The College does not discriminate against applicants or employees in hiring, promotion, termination or the terms and conditions of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sex, perceived sex, gender identity, gender expression, the status of being transgender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital status, military status, veteran status, predisposing genetic, characteristics or genetic information, arrest or conviction record, status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other characteristic protected by law.