Director of Advancement Communications & Stewardship

Yale New Haven Health•Hamden, CT

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

To be part of our organization, every employee should understand and share in the YNHHS Vision, support our Mission, and live our Values. These values - integrity, patient-centered, respect, accountability, and compassion - must guide what we do, as individuals and professionals, every day. The Director of Advancement Communications and Stewardship is responsible for leading the department's donor communication and stewardship strategy. The individual provides leadership, supervision, and direction for all professional staff on behalf of the enterprise, Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS), Delivery Networks (DN) and Service Lines (SL). The strategies at the enterprise level include the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and its mutual strategic objectives aligned with YNHHS. Overarching responsibilities include editorial oversight and management of content creation for donor communications to include proposals, gift opportunities, fundraising volunteer materials, magazines, publicity, media relations, stewardship, annual gift appeals, and signature events. This position creates and directs all donor communications and stewardship strategy, in collaboration with Development and System leadership, on matters and activities related to all aspects of philanthropy and future campaign planning. EEO/AA/Disability/Veteran

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required Journalism, Public Relations or related field preferred, advanced degree preferred.
Minimum of 10 years? experience as a writer, editor or content creator for a regularly published periodical, newspaper, website, or social media site, with specific experience applying skills to support and promote philanthropy. Minimum of 5 years' experience leading and or managing teams required.
Proven ability to self-start and manage a communications team toward a set of strategic objectives.
Success in increasing awareness and preference of an organization and the importance of philanthropy.
Fluent in strategy and utilization of social media, website, and digital communication platforms in furtherance of achieving specific objectives.
Successful experience in content creation and production for video, magazine, and collateral material/brochures for philanthropy.
Successful experience in managing oneself and one?s team to implement development communications strategies and tactics.
Ability to understand and align communications strategies and objectives with the strategic priorities of an institution.
Served as trusted partner with colleagues to accomplish institutional strategic goals.
Ability to create an engaging, upbeat work environment with positivity and humor.
Comfortable navigating and solving high-ambiguity problems in collaboration with colleagues.
Availability to work nights and weekends and travel to events as needed. Work is performed in a remote or office-based environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment and lift at least 50lbs.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an academic health system, medical school, Tier One research university, or complex nonprofit environment where philanthropy is a strategic imperative, with campaign experience preferred.
Knowledge of HTML and CSS a plus.
Raisers Edge experience or other relevant CRM?s

Responsibilities

Partner with the appropriate development leadership and System communication colleagues on the definition, organization, design, and implementation of signature events strategy to maximize impact on awareness, fundraising, and stewardship.
Oversee and assign publicity and media support for signature events on behalf of the System, DN, or SL, including signature communications materials, brochures, press releases, media announcements, event coverage, and media liaison. Provide direct support when necessary.
Manage and produce ongoing content for signature events support collateral, including save the dates, invitations, talking points, pride points, donor and honoree correspondence, and publicity.
Coordinate relationships with media sponsors for signature events, including oversight of advertising schedules and media placement.
Oversee creation and production of content for signature events printed programs and materials, ensuring accuracy of honoree bios, impact to the event beneficiary, and information about key underwriters or sponsors.
Support the procurement of branded promotional materials, including donor gifts, plaques, awards, event signage, and branded merchandise.
In partnership with PG and MG leadership, prepare and implement broad communications strategies in support of the qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-level prospects to achieve both fundraising goals and the donor?s philanthropic objectives.
Support frontline development officers and other YNHHS and YSM development team members (e.g., proposal writers, stewardship specialists, marketing specialists) to prepare bespoke communications strategies to intentionally advance individual prospect relationships toward a PG or MG.
Oversee and manage the preparation of gift opportunities, solicitation proposals, and stewardship impact content for PG or MG prospects consistent with System-wide, DN, or SL priorities and in collaboration with clinical leaders and communication/marketing specialists.
Support the engagement of Board members or high-level volunteers through communication strategies or materials in furtherance of relationship building with and gift solicitation of prospective PG or MG gift donors.
Develop resources and toolkits that support frontline fundraisers in delivering aligned, impactful communications for donor solicitation and stewardship
Oversee the collaboration with the annual giving colleagues to support content creation and collateral material for direct response, esolicitation, social media appeals.
Collaborate with YNHHS development colleagues on communication strategies and tactics to support DN or SL fundraising activities in annual giving, special events, third-party organizations, and social media to continuously build a pipeline for baseline and future MG philanthropy.
With System development leadership, determine, track, and report on key performance analytics related to annual giving and engagement activities
Design and execute a digital strategy through social media, the website, and e-communications to support philanthropy and donor stewardship at all giving levels.
Manage, create, and deploy email communications, website/social media postings to promote signature event awareness, participation, and impact.
Co-manage the administration of applications (e.g., WordPress website, Online Express) to support the email platform and social media platforms to optimize engagement, design, and functionality for annual giving, events, and related stewardship activities.
Ensure a meaningful cadence of philanthropic content on all System channels where applicable, collaborate with channel owners if not specifically overseen by Development.
Regularly A/B (split) test audiences and digital placements for improved open rates and conversion rates
Deliver digital experiences built using human-centered design principles and in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. Encourage audience actions across all digital touchpoints such as registration for events, making a gift, or connecting with a member of the Development team
Direct photography and video productions for varied print and digital applications, especially fundraising campaigns
Oversee the design of print collateral that adheres to ADA standards and mail specifications while remaining on-brand and aesthetically pleasing.
Apply content and editorial experience across a wide range of communications projects such as leadership remarks, direct solicitations, gift announcements, proposals, cases for support and internal guides.
Responsible for designing, implementing, and directing an integrated, highly personal, comprehensive stewardship program that promotes engagement, connection and cultivation with donors at all levels.
Develop and orchestrate the implementation of a multi-year plan to advance institutional efforts.
Oversee and manage the communications project workflow process from initial request through to final delivery
Utilize AI and automation technologies to execute work with precision and efficiency
Operationalize high-ambiguity projects as needed
Manage communications projects while protecting confidential health (HIPAA) and donor information
Prioritize competing demands in a complex, matrixed organization with overlapping deadlines
Supervise Development Communications professional staff for content quality, workload, and achievement of project management objectives and deliverables.
Serve as managing editor of Development magazine(s) or periodicals targeted to donor audiences.
Establish management practices and project plans for critical Development Communications projects, deliverables, benchmarks, and timelines.
Support Foundation Board and Development Committees with materials, presentations, and talking points as needed.
Oversee and manage the System?s Development Communications calendar.
Attend regular System and DN communications or public relations staff meetings to further collaboration on strategies, tactics, calendaring, etc. for both external and internal communications activities.
In collaboration with System development leadership and communications colleagues, create strategies and content to promote philanthropy?s purpose and objectives in System or DN periodicals, websites, correspondence, etc.
Achieve a strong working knowledge of the System, DNs, SLs, YSM, and how philanthropy can significantly impact their respective goals.
Build collaborative and collegial relationships across YNHHS, DN, SL, and YSM development functions.
Participate in professional development to achieve both performance goals and career goals in pursuit of YNHHS becoming a workplace of choice among fundraising professionals.
Availability to travel in the region, work nights and weekends, as needed.
Perform other duties as assigned.