Stewardship and Recognition Director

Mayo Clinic•Rochester, MN

23h

About The Position

The Stewardship and Recognition Director provides strategic leadership for benefactor relations strategies to advance Mayo Clinic’s fundraising priorities, administer complex gifts and deepen key relationships. This role leads and oversees the stewardship and recognition lifecycle for large and transformational gifts within their portfolios, ensuring an exceptional, innovative, high-touch customized benefactor experience while honoring benefactor intent and advancing institutional priorities. Ensures all stewardship and recognition strategies are grounded in a cultivation mindset, intentionally designed to strengthen relationships, deepen engagement, and support long-term philanthropic partnerships. This may include developing benefactor-specific pre-gift and post-gift stewardship and recognition strategies; operationalizing new large and/or complex gifts in partnership with funding area stakeholders; and ensuring accountability, allocation oversight and timely impact reporting in alignment with benefactor intent. Partners closely with Development staff, including gift officers, to proactively plan and manage benefactor relationships, align expectations, and support solicitation and stewardship strategies throughout the gift lifecycle. Acquires and maintains knowledge and fluency of Mayo Clinic’s business strategy, fundraising strategy and top fundraising priorities, and translates this knowledge into informed stewardship and recognition recommendations for department and executive leadership. Contributes to solicitation strategies for complex gifts and reviews gift agreements. Leads through influence and convenes interdisciplinary teams, including campaign administration, events, communications, creative, digital, data and technology services, finance and facilities to implement creative and innovative ideas that advance excellence, improve operational practices, and enhance the benefactor experience. Leads problem solving and decision-making activities; develops documentation for stewardship and recognition best practices, processes and procedures; and delivers training to colleagues. Maintains and promotes an enterprise perspective in all activities. This Stewardship and Recognition Director will have a focus on Digital Stewardship, leading the strategy and execution of technology-enabled benefactor stewardship and recognition strategies designed to strengthen relationships, demonstrate impact, and deepen cultivation efforts across the giving pyramid. This role focuses on stewarding and recognizing benefactors at scale through personalized, digitally driven strategies that complement frontline fundraising and elevate the benefactor journey. By leveraging digital communications, engagement analytics, automation platforms, and emerging technologies, the director creates coordinated stewardship programs that connect benefactors to mission outcomes and institutional priorities in meaningful, timely, and relevant ways. This position partners closely with Development Communications and Annual and Midlevel Giving teams to deliver cohesive, benefactor-centered engagement. The Director is responsible for designing scalable digital stewardship programs that move beyond transactional acknowledgment toward dynamic, relationship-centered engagement. Responsibilities include developing digital impact reporting, personalized recognition programs, automated stewardship journeys, and multi-channel experiences tailored to benefactor interests and giving areas. The role also explores innovative approaches such as AI-assisted personalization, interactive storytelling, virtual engagement experiences, and digital benefactor communities to expand reach while maintaining authenticity and meaningful connection. The Director will also maintain a portfolio of benefactors and/or institutional priority areas requiring high-touch stewardship and engagement.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business, communications, marketing or related field required.
Five to seven years of experience in donor relations, communications, marketing, events, healthcare administration or finance.
At least one to three years of Development experience.
Demonstrated knowledge of fundraising required.
Excellent oral and written communications skills.
Financial analysis and reporting skills.
Ability to work in a complex environment with multi-dimensional points of view.
Demonstrated competencies in leadership and project management.
Demonstrated competencies in legal agreement development and interpretation.
Demonstrated a strong digital mindset, including the ability to leverage technology, data, and emerging tools to improve processes, inform decision-making and drive innovation within the benefactor experience.
Ability to function effectively in a consensus-style operation that expects and promotes teamwork.
Must be comfortable with ambiguity.
Required creativity in innovative messaging.
Must possess the ability to inspire trust and confidence and communicate effectively with internal and external audiences, including Mayo benefactors at the highest levels.
Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism and confidentiality is essential.
Must be proficient in the use of information technology and management of database systems.
Manages time effectively and maintains flexibility to work around tight timelines, which may require work outside of standard business hours.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership for benefactor relations strategies.
Administer complex gifts and deepen key relationships.
Lead and oversee the stewardship and recognition lifecycle for large and transformational gifts.
Develop benefactor-specific pre-gift and post-gift stewardship and recognition strategies.
Operationalize new large and/or complex gifts in partnership with funding area stakeholders.
Ensure accountability, allocation oversight and timely impact reporting.
Partner closely with Development staff to proactively plan and manage benefactor relationships.
Acquire and maintain knowledge of Mayo Clinic’s business strategy, fundraising strategy and top fundraising priorities.
Contribute to solicitation strategies for complex gifts and review gift agreements.
Convene interdisciplinary teams to implement creative and innovative ideas.
Lead problem solving and decision-making activities.
Develop documentation for stewardship and recognition best practices, processes and procedures.
Deliver training to colleagues.
Lead the strategy and execution of technology-enabled benefactor stewardship and recognition strategies.
Design scalable digital stewardship programs.
Develop digital impact reporting, personalized recognition programs, automated stewardship journeys, and multi-channel experiences.
Explore innovative approaches such as AI-assisted personalization, interactive storytelling, virtual engagement experiences, and digital benefactor communities.
Maintain a portfolio of benefactors and/or institutional priority areas requiring high-touch stewardship and engagement.