Stewardship and Recognition Director

Mayo Clinic•Rochester, MN

1d•$107,452 - $150,425

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

Strategic leadership for benefactor relations strategies.
Oversight of stewardship and recognition lifecycle for large and transformational gifts.
Cultivation mindset in stewardship and recognition strategies.
Development of benefactor-specific pre-gift and post-gift stewardship and recognition strategies.
Operationalization of new large and/or complex gifts.
Accountability, allocation oversight, and timely impact reporting.
Partnership with Development staff for benefactor relationship management.
Knowledge of Mayo Clinic’s business strategy, fundraising strategy, and top fundraising priorities.
Contribution to solicitation strategies for complex gifts.
Review of gift agreements.
Leadership through influence and convening interdisciplinary teams.
Problem-solving and decision-making activities.
Development of documentation for stewardship and recognition best practices, processes, and procedures.
Training delivery to colleagues.
Strategy and execution of technology-enabled benefactor stewardship and recognition strategies.
Personalized, digitally driven strategies for benefactor stewardship and recognition.
Leveraging digital communications, engagement analytics, automation platforms, and emerging technologies.
Development of scalable digital stewardship programs.
Development of digital impact reporting, personalized recognition programs, automated stewardship journeys, and multi-channel experiences.
Exploration of innovative approaches such as AI-assisted personalization, interactive storytelling, virtual engagement experiences, and digital benefactor communities.
Maintenance of a portfolio of benefactors and/or institutional priority areas requiring high-touch stewardship and engagement.

Responsibilities

Provides strategic leadership for benefactor relations strategies.
Leads and oversees the stewardship and recognition lifecycle for large and transformational gifts.
Ensures all stewardship and recognition strategies are grounded in a cultivation mindset.
Develops benefactor-specific pre-gift and post-gift stewardship and recognition strategies.
Operationalizes new large and/or complex gifts in partnership with funding area stakeholders.
Ensures accountability, allocation oversight and timely impact reporting.
Partners closely with Development staff to proactively plan and manage benefactor relationships.
Acquires and maintains knowledge of Mayo Clinic’s business strategy, fundraising strategy and top fundraising priorities.
Contributes to solicitation strategies for complex gifts and reviews gift agreements.
Leads through influence and convenes interdisciplinary teams to implement creative and innovative ideas.
Leads problem solving and decision-making activities.
Develops documentation for stewardship and recognition best practices, processes and procedures.
Delivers training to colleagues.
Leads the strategy and execution of technology-enabled benefactor stewardship and recognition strategies.
Focuses on stewarding and recognizing benefactors at scale through personalized, digitally driven strategies.
Creates coordinated stewardship programs that connect benefactors to mission outcomes and institutional priorities.
Designs scalable digital stewardship programs.
Develops digital impact reporting, personalized recognition programs, automated stewardship journeys, and multi-channel experiences.
Explores innovative approaches such as AI-assisted personalization, interactive storytelling, virtual engagement experiences, and digital benefactor communities.
Maintains a portfolio of benefactors and/or institutional priority areas requiring high-touch stewardship and engagement.