Assistant Director, Donor Relations, Schools and Units

University of Chicago • Chicago, IL

71d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Advancement Office engages alumni (~220k), current students, parents, and friends of the University through intellectual, professional and social activities on campus, around the world and online. Advancement raises $600 Million annually to support faculty and researchers, practitioners and patients, and students and programs across the University. Our work supports priorities in every division, school, department, and institute. The Advancement Donor Relations team manages and promotes best practices in donor stewardship to enhance relationships with and increase the engagement of the University's alumni, donors, and friends. This role performs a range of professional activities related to the donor relations program to enrich the relationship between donors and the University, with a moderate level of guidance. Coordinates communication strategies for publications related to donors and volunteers, acquiring higher-level knowledge and skills. This position coordinates internal- and external-facing projects and initiatives that will strengthen the donor experience across the University of Chicago.

Requirements

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.
• Demonstrates customer (donor/fundraiser) focus with mastery of customer service skills.
• Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.
• Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting.
• Self-motivated and take initiative.
• Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.
• Passionate about development work and a genuine interest in the ongoing affairs of the University and higher education.
• Strong organizational and strategic thinking skills.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree.
• Minimum two years of professional work experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales, or similar field.
• Familiarity with higher education advancement.
• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's Donor Relationship Management System.
• Proficient in a Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.
• Working knowledge of fundraising, relationship management, and database software.

Responsibilities

• Contributes to the overall success of the comprehensive stewardship program to recognize, steward, and develop meaningful experiences for donors across the University.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with colleagues within Advancement and across the University. Closely partners on stewardship projects to convey donor impact.
• Maintains thorough and timely records and tracks stewardship activity through proficient use of the University's relationship database, Salesforce.
• Represents the donor voice, participating in the planning and execution of stewardship events and experiences that are donor-centric, advance overall fundraising goals, and are consistent and coordinated across the University, including annual Giving Day campaigns.
• Supports stewardship efforts across campus by compiling and updating relevant resources and assisting with management of Stewardship Cohort.
• Manages Donor Relations token inventory, including monitoring usage and organizing distribution.
• Coordinates outreach and welcoming initiatives for donor loyalty society and partners with Donor Relations colleagues across the University to improve donor retention and engagement.
• Assists in guiding the creation of University-wide standards on appropriate ways to recognize and steward University donors. Uses expertise in donor relations to develop policies and quality control guidelines.
• Has an understanding within the areas of recognition, stewardship, and acknowledgement.
• Attends and participates in team, departmental, and all-staff meetings.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance including attending webinars, seminars, building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.
• Collaborates with others to create, plan, and implement annual leadership recognition, opportunities, vehicles, and events while building knowledge of the University and processes.
• Assess current giving levels to qualify for various societies and programs and make recommendations to assess programs using standard procedures.
• Performs other related duties as needed or requested.

Benefits

• The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Educational Services
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees