Stewardship and Impact Manager

North Park University•Chicago, IL

23h•Onsite

About The Position

North Park University, founded in 1891 and affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church, is a Christian university with over 3,200 students. Located on land historically belonging to the Miami and Potawatomi tribes, NPU is a designated Hispanic Serving Institution committed to serving diverse populations. The university emphasizes its core distinctives: Christian, city-centered, and intercultural, and values diversity among its faculty, strongly encouraging applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Situated in Chicago's diverse Albany Park neighborhood, NPU aims to prepare students for lives of significance and service through education in the liberal arts, professional studies, and theology. The vision is to create a university of uncommon character and enduring excellence where faith, learning, and service meet. The Stewardship and Impact Manager will work closely with the Senior Director of Engagement and the Events and Communications Manager to design and lead a comprehensive donor stewardship program. This role focuses on enhancing the donor and alumni experience through warmth, gratitude, and genuine connection, with a significant part involving the oversight of endowed scholarships and university giving societies. Success in this role is expected to increase donor retention, elevate recognition, and align stewardship efforts with institutional strategic priorities and campaign goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
1 – 3 years of relevant experience in fundraising, donor relations, or program management.
High computer literacy in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT and Microsoft 365.
Proven ability to develop and execute complex strategies.
Strong interpersonal and project management skills with the ability to meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.
Experience managing budgets and vendor relationships.
A deep personal commitment to North Park’s mission of Christian higher education and its identity as an intercultural, urban institution.
A self-motivated work style with the ability to navigate ambiguity and prioritize effectively.

Nice To Haves

Some experience with Canva helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

Implement a comprehensive stewardship plan that prioritizes customized and transparent donor recognition and giving societies.
Direct the stewardship of scholarship donors by coordinating with student recipients, Admissions, the Business Office, and Financial Aid.
Manage student-donor relations, endowment reports, and Memoranda of Agreement (MOA).
Strengthen and manage Giving Society engagement by defining clear criteria, recognition benefits, and communication pathways.
Develop annual donor impact reports highlighting student outcomes and fund utilization.
Execute personalized acknowledgment strategies, utilizing video software and other digital tools to express timely thanks to alumni and donors.
Assist in the cultivation and stewardship of prospects for campus-partner crowdfunding initiatives.
Support the Annual Giving Manager to lead the donor engagement aspect of the Blue & Gold Day peer-to-peer campaign.
Ensure targeted and customized communications to specific donor groups on a regular cadence.
Support the President’s Club and Heritage Circle through vetting, tiered benefit planning, marketing, and exclusive events.
Develop targeted strategies to recognize and appreciate alumni and donor groups who have been historically underrepresented or less recognized.
Develop an alumni ambassador program to strengthen the community and gather actionable feedback.
Ensure strategic segmentation of invitations for events like Homecoming and Festival of Lessons and Carols to invite specialized constituent groups.
Collaborate with the engagement team to involve student leaders in stewardship goals, helping them develop professional skills while connecting them with the alumni community.
Cultivate a culture of philanthropy among current students as they prepare to move into being alumni.
Manage the stewardship budget in collaboration with the Advancement Operations Manager ensuring strategic resource allocation.
Utilize Raiser’s Edge to track engagement and generate reports.
Use data analytics and surveys to measure the success of engagement initiatives and identify high-potential donor leads.