ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - DONOR RELATIONS AND STEWARDSHIP at Ithaca College in ithaca, New York

Job Description:

Job Summary: The Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship contributes to the Donor Relations team's overall goal of building a culture of gratitude and impact for and with donors, campus partners, and students. This individual will play a key role in managing the donor-funded scholarship process, coordinating donor communications including donor impact stories, acknowledgments, and appropriate stewardship with the intent to acquire, retain, upgrade, and engage the donor base. The Assistant Director is someone who excels at project management, attention to detail, creative inquiry and writing, and collaborative partnerships.
Job Responsibilities:

1. Contribute to the Donor Relations team's efforts to increase donor retention each year through execution of a comprehensive donor relations and stewardship plan.


2. Develop and maintain a systemized gift acknowledgment process for various segments of donors. Coordinate letters from students, staff and/or faculty to be distributed appropriately on a defined schedule. Ensure all acknowledgements are documented in the CRM database.


3. Build and oversee the stewardship process whereby students are utilized to write thank-you letters or record ThankView videos


4. Provide family members or appropriate contacts gift reports for in honor or in memory of donations.


5. Assist with stewardship, engagement, branding and messaging for giving society programs such as the Founder's Circle, Blue & Gold Society and the Friends of Ithaca College in cooperation with the associated staff members assigned to those programs.


6. In collaboration with the Office of Student Financial Services and the Office of Business and Finance, monitor use of donor-established funds to ensure proper awarding per the establishing criteria of the funds. Maintain data within the CRM database to include recording correspondences, fund relationships and stewards.


7. In collaboration with the Office of Business and Finance, Student Financial Services, and Marketing & Communications, provide annual endowment and restricted fund reports to donors who have established funds.


8. Serve as the primary contact for communications with donors including notification of scholarship recipients, thank you letters from students, and facilitating donor and scholar meetings when requested. In addition, prepare student scholars for any meetings with donors. Ensure proper documentation of interactions with donors in CRM database.


9. Draft new fund and gift agreements, working with the Director and with gift officer prospect managers. Track the progress of agreements, from request to completion. Ensure allocations are updated with proper coding and information to ensure stewardship of the funds.


10. Utilizes internal database and reporting platforms to run and analyze donor and gift reports.


11. Serve as a liaison with Marketing & Communications to identify powerful stories and collaborate with internal colleagues and campus partners to produce high-quality deliverables (videos, print and digital communications, etc.), external mailings, impact reports, proposals, etc.


12. Stay educated on current and evolving trends in donor relations, stewardship and recognition. Connect with peers at other institutions, and proactively participate in webinars and conferences that provide professional growth opportunities.


13. Participate in and support other events sponsored by the Division of Advancement such as Alumni Weekend, Commencement, dedication ceremonies, and individual donor visits.


14. Participate in budget proposal preparation in conjunction with the AVP of Development.


15. Develop and demonstrate multicultural awareness while contributing to an inclusive and respectful College community. Show civility and inclusivity in interactions with staff, faculty, students, and visitors. Promote a collaborative work environment while engaging in educational opportunities to enhance diversity and inclusion awareness.


16. Perform other duties as assigned.

• A bachelor's degree and/or its equivalent and a minimum of two years of related work experience in
• higher education development, alumni relations, nonprofit fundraising, or related field. Knowledge of Blackbaud (Raisers Edge) or similar CRM database.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
• Ability to confidently manage multiple tasks simultaneously, keeping essential priorities in focus with excellent attention to detail.
• Self-motivated, strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Ability to effectively work and interact respectfully within a diverse and inclusive environment. Ability to plan, develop and implement activities, programs and special events.
• Experience maintaining and reconciling office and events budgets.
• Flexibility to occasionally work outside regular business hours for special events such as Alumni or Homecoming Weekend.
• Strong working knowledge of various word processing, spreadsheet, and database software applications are required.

This position is 37.5 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.

Application Instructions:

Interested applicants must apply online and attach a resume, cover letter, and list of three professional references. Questions about online applications should be directed to the Office of Human Resources at (607) 274-8000 or humanresources@ithaca.edu.  

Ithaca College is committed to building a diverse academic community and encourages members of underrepresented groups to apply. Experience that contributes to the diversity of the college is appreciated.

Visa sponsorship is not provided for this position.

Hiring Rate:

$58,500.00 commensurate with qualifications and experience.  

We pride ourselves on providing our benefit-eligible employees with comprehensive benefits, including:
             * Healthcare including vision and dental
             * Generous Paid Time Off Policies
             * 403B Retirement Savings Plan with Matching Employer Contribution 
             * EAP
             * Flexible Work Plans
             * Educational Benefits
             * Career-Enhancing Trainings
             * For an overview of our benefit offerings, please visit https://www.ithaca.edu/human-resources/employee-benefits-wellness

In an effort to promote campus safety and the security of College resources, Ithaca College will, consistent with the requirements of the law and prudent practices, conduct criminal background investigations per College policy.   This position is subject to a criminal background check. All offers of employment are contingent upon review of the criminal background check.