Assistant Director, Stewardship and Donor Relations

Job Description:

The Assistant Director, Stewardship & Donor Relations must collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders throughout the Berklee community, including: the President and the Office of the President; Institutional Advancement; Finance; Student Financial Services; Student Enrollment and Engagement (SEE); Facilities; Academic Affairs; faculty, and others This position will also serve as the lead content creator for stewardship pieces about select high-profile funds and programs, and for select high-level donors.

The Assistant Director has three primary responsibilities: deepening engagement with current donors, creating and managing the stewardship materials for select donor funds, and supporting the Institutional Advancement donor-facing activities as directed by the leader of the Stewardship & Donor Relations team.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Collaboration

• Partner closely with Stewardship and Donor Relations team members to implement workflows that ensure donors are thanked, informed, and engaged in a highly effective and efficient manner regarding their support.

• Collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders throughout the Berklee community, including: colleagues in Institutional Advancement; the President and the Office of the President; the Conservatory’s Executive Director and Deans; Finance; Student Financial Services; Student Enrollment and Engagement (SEE); Facilities; Academic Affairs; faculty, and others in order to (a) help connect donors and prospects with key partners across campus, (b) obtain and repackage content and experiences that are of interest to donors, and (c) oversee the execution of donor-funded scholarships, programs, and initiatives and obtain narrative about their progress.

Donor Communications

• Manage robust communications efforts geared at demonstrating gratitude and gift impact to donors. Develop a plan to strategically and methodically deploy these efforts.

• Research and develop compelling and creative narratives in collaboration with campus partners that communicate the impact of donor philanthropy for stewardship reports, recognition and other written and digital materials

• Collect and share student thank you notes, ThankView videos, invitations to recitals/performances, notifications of student/faculty accomplishments, and more.

Planning and Strategy

• Partner with relationship managers to create and implement custom stewardship plans for select major gift donors. Determine short- and long-term strategies for keeping donors engaged and informed. Record these plans and Actions in Raiser’s Edge and generate regular reports to demonstrate progress.

• Creatively and authentically seek ways to welcome and engage all donors, especially those whose participation in philanthropy has not historically been centered.

• Develop metrics and systems to monitor outcomes across all areas of donor relations programming with a particular focus on donor retention, satisfaction and engagement.

 

Customer Service

• Field inquiries from donors, relationship managers, and campus partners and provide timely and excellent customer service.

 

Donor Recognition

• Partner with colleagues to deliver several donor-centric events per year, including the College’s Celebration of Scholarships Luncheon and the Conservatory’s Named Scholarship Tea.

• Steward the institution's donor recognition efforts including naming opportunities, honor rolls, and other efforts.

• Partner with IA colleagues and other campus leaders to manage and implement Berklee giving societies as directed by the leader of the Engagement team.

 

Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED: 

KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:

• Bachelor's degree required. 

• Proven background that is indicative of superior donor-centric programming. 

• A minimum of two (2) years of experience in donor relations and stewardship at an educational institution, arts organization, non-profit, or equivalent. 

• Demonstrated success developing strategic stewardship plans based on institutional and senior management priorities. 

• Understanding of the fundamentals of philanthropy and the donor lifecycle.

• Proficiency in the use and understanding of relational databases (Raiser’s Edge experience a plus)

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, Google Suite, scheduling and email/texting applications;

• Willingness to learn new programs and web-applications a must.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Exceptional writing