Director of Programs, Donor Relations & Stewardship

Texas Children's Medical Center•Houston, TX

About The Position

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Lead Stewardship Strategy to Build a Best-in-Class Program Develop and execute a comprehensive donor relations and stewardship strategy focused on strengthening donor trust, retention, and future giving to support overall fundraising performance and pipeline sustainability. Serve as a clear voice of the donor in shaping stewardship priorities, communications, and experiences. Ensure stewardship programs are proactive, consistent, and tailored to donor intent and level of engagement to deepen relationships and drive sustained philanthropic investment. Lead the design and execution of a comprehensive donor stewardship communications program, establishing a structured annual cadence of donor touchpoints. Engage volunteers, physicians, and hospital leaders in delivering meaningful, relationship-driven donor experiences that deepen connections and support retention and future giving. Establish clear standards, policies, and protocols that reinforce excellence, compliance, and timeliness in donor reporting. Oversee donor recognition programs, including walls, plaques, and signage, ensuring alignment with donor intent and an exceptional donor experience. Track and evaluate program performance through dashboards and key metrics to continuously improve donor engagement and retention, including ensuring every $1M+ donor receives a high-quality written report. Lead and Develop a High-Performing Team Set clear expectations, goals, and accountability measures aligned with team performance and donor engagement outcomes. Model and reinforce HEART values—Humility, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Trust—through leadership expectations and team performance. Foster a culture of transparent performance management and accountability, using metrics and a regular cadence to assess progress. Empower team members to take ownership, execute with precision, and continuously improve. Ensure the team balances high-quality execution with strong relationship management to deliver a consistent and meaningful donor experience. Partner Across Teams to Align Donor Strategy and Enhance the Donor Experience Collaborate across Finance, clinical leadership, and Philanthropy teams to ensure accurate and timely delivery of donor reports that reinforce trust and transparency. Integrate stewardship into broader communication and fundraising strategies to strengthen donor connection to impact and outcomes. Partner closely with gift officers to align stewardship strategies with donor goals, expectations, and future giving potential. Contribute to donor strategy discussions by identifying opportunities to deepen engagement and increase philanthropic investment. Leverage Data and Systems to Drive Stewardship Performance and Accountability Maintain accurate donor data and ensure stewardship activity is appropriately documented to support strong relationship management and continuity. Identify trends and evolving best practices to continuously strengthen the stewardship program and improve donor retention and satisfaction. Lead the development of unified systems and processes that provide visibility into stewardship activity, progress, and donor engagement outcomes. Implement tools and workflows that enhance operational efficiency and elevate the overall donor experience. The statements listed above are intended to describe the essential responsibilities performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. SHARED ACCOUNTABILITIES Complete timely performance appraisals for direct reports. Conduct appropriate investigations and follow-up on individual and patient complaints. Develop and modify job descriptions as necessary. Ensure new staff attend hospital and department orientation within 30 days of employment. Prepare and submit annual capital and operating budgets. Report performance and outcomes on a monthly basis. Submit performance planning documents, ongoing planning materials, action plans, and department goals.

Requirements

Seven (7) years of fundraising, donor relations, project management, grants, reporting, and/or related experience.
One (1) year of formal supervisory experience.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders and personalities.
Ability to establish goals, execute strategies, and drive results.
Strong and positive communicator with a creative, relationship-focused approach.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
Strategic thinker who can translate organizational and fundraising priorities into actionable donor relations and stewardship strategies.
Thorough understanding of donor relations and stewardship programs, practices, and emerging best practices.
Strong interpersonal and written communication skills.
Ability to develop high-level plans and strategies in collaboration with leadership and key stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships.
Ability to work effectively with donors, organizational leaders, physicians, volunteers, and fundraising professionals.
Poised and professional presence with sound judgment and discretion when working with donors and senior-level stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a comprehensive donor relations and stewardship strategy.
Serve as the donor's voice in shaping stewardship priorities, communications, and experiences.
Ensure stewardship programs are proactive, consistent, and tailored to donor intent and engagement level.
Lead the design and execution of a comprehensive donor stewardship communications program.
Engage volunteers, physicians, and hospital leaders in delivering meaningful donor experiences.
Establish clear standards, policies, and protocols for donor reporting.
Oversee donor recognition programs.
Track and evaluate program performance through dashboards and key metrics.
Ensure every $1M+ donor receives a high-quality written report.
Set clear expectations, goals, and accountability measures for the team.
Model and reinforce HEART values.
Foster a culture of transparent performance management and accountability.
Empower team members to take ownership and execute with precision.
Ensure the team balances high-quality execution with strong relationship management.
Collaborate across Finance, clinical leadership, and Philanthropy teams for accurate and timely donor reports.
Integrate stewardship into broader communication and fundraising strategies.
Partner closely with gift officers to align stewardship strategies with donor goals.
Contribute to donor strategy discussions.
Maintain accurate donor data and document stewardship activity.
Identify trends and evolving best practices to strengthen the stewardship program.
Lead the development of unified systems and processes for stewardship activity visibility.
Implement tools and workflows to enhance operational efficiency and donor experience.
Complete timely performance appraisals for direct reports.
Conduct appropriate investigations and follow-up on individual and patient complaints.
Develop and modify job descriptions as necessary.
Ensure new staff attend hospital and department orientation within 30 days of employment.
Prepare and submit annual capital and operating budgets.
Report performance and outcomes on a monthly basis.
Submit performance planning documents, ongoing planning materials, action plans, and department goals.