Associate Director of Donor Engagement& Stewardship

UMass Boston•Boston, MA

About The Position

The Associate Director of Donor Engagement and Stewardship reports to and works with the Director of Donor Engagement and Stewardship to design and implement an institution-wide donor stewardship program. The program acknowledges donors at all levels, demonstrates the impact of their investments across the university, and supports deeper engagement with UMass Boston. The Associate Director leads acknowledgment and impact-reporting systems and assists with recognition and engagement programs. The role partners with University Advancement colleagues to develop personalized donor communications that convey the impact of philanthropy and the university’s mission. It also works with administration and academic units to support timely use and reporting of named funds, scholarships, commemorative gifts, and other commitments. In collaboration with the Director, the Associate Director proposes and implements communications and engagement opportunities that showcase the impact of gifts to UMass Boston. The position supports donor correspondence, cohort-based outreach, stewardship communications, fund tracking, scholarship and endowment reporting, gift agreement documentation, and donor events. It is responsible for hiring, training, and managing two student employees.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree.
Three to five years of advancement experience or experience in higher education administration.
Fluency in the methodologies and trends of a contemporary donor relations office.
Demonstrated experience working with Constituent Record Management (CRM) systems.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
Ability to manage multiple projects, analyze data, adapt to change, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality when handling sensitive donor, student, financial, and personnel information.
Strong written and oral communication skills.
Curiosity and ability to identify connections between the interests and priorities of donors, alumni, Advancement, and university partners and use those insights to facilitate engagement.
Strong multimedia communication skills and willingness to learn new skills and programs.
Analytical and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to retain information.
Ownership, follow-through, results orientation, and commitment to customer service.
Passion for donor relations and communicating the impact of philanthropy.

Responsibilities

Research and draft donor communications, including acknowledgment letters for review and approval by the Director; maintain departmental email correspondence with donors and students; prepare tribute correspondence and pledge reminders; and maintain donor-database records tracking correspondence.
Work with the Director to develop communications and engagement activities for four recognition societies and donor cohorts, including customized reports, mailings, emails, and events.
Communicate the impact of philanthropic support through mail, email, websites, and video platforms; maintain a stewardship communications calendar aligned with university-wide communications; and collaborate with advancement staff and university partners to refresh content.
Provide administrative support for current-use and endowed funds in consultation with the Director and Senior Director of Finance and Operations; work with Merit Scholarship, Financial Aid, and academic units; field fund inquiries; and communicate fund purposes, restrictions, balances, spending eligibility, and stewardship requirements to campus partners as needed.
Track and upload student award reports; collect, review, and maintain scholarship gratitude materials; coordinate donor notifications about scholarship awards; maintain CRM processes for tracking scholarship recipients and awards; create endowment and donor-impact report templates with the Director; and distribute finalized reports.
Collaborate with the Director, Leadership Gift Officers, and Finance/Advancement Services to review gift agreements, ensure fund purposes are appropriate and clearly articulated, and maintain accurate donor and fund documentation in the CRM and related systems.
Ensure gift agreement records are retained and accessible for stewardship, reporting, and compliance.
Partner with the Director to implement donor events, including coordinating space and catering, preparing invitations and registration pages, and managing pre- and post-event communications and other materials.
Hire, train, and manage two student employees.
Perform other duties as assigned.