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Assistant Director, Donor Relations
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Position Number: 4858892
Location: San Diego, CA
Position Type: Development and Fund Raising

Assistant Director, Donor Relations

Position Title & Department: Assistant Director, Donor Relations; University Advancement

Posting #: 4808

Department Description:
The Advancement Operations department operates within the University Advancement division and includes the departments of Advancement Services, Annual Giving and Donor Relations.

University Description:
The University of San Diego, a contemporary and engaged Contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanitys urgent challenges.

Detailed Description:
The assistant director of Donor Relations is responsible for supporting and implementing a successful university-wide comprehensive donor relations and stewardship program and fostering positive and strong relationships between the university and its donors. This position actively promotes consistent and meaningful interactions with donors at all giving levels through a variety of channels including print and digital communications, recognition, events, and social media. This position closely collaborates with University Advancement departments and campus-wide directors of development to ensure effective stewardship of donors, maintain connections with internal and external partners, and assist with the facilitation of recognition events and various activities for donor societies. The assistant director is an effective writer and strategic communicator, responsible for stewardship planning, creating donor impact reports, and assisting with President's Club renewals and annual giving campaign efforts. The assistant director must bring an entrepreneurial and creative approach, leveraging technologies and various storytelling modalities to effectively steward constituents across a wide spectrum - from Golden Toreros to mid-career alumni professionals to current parents. This role is instrumental in ensuring that all donors feel valued and appreciated for their support.
Duties and Responsibilities:

Donor Relations and Stewardship:

Work under direction of the director of Donor Relations to execute donor relations strategy and processes at all donor levels. Responsible for tracking donor timelines, nurturing relationships and supporting gift renewal solicitations through standardized activities.
Proactively support the stewardship responsibilities of the division (development, strategic partnerships, and constituent relations) and directors of development from respective schools and athletics by assisting them in coordinating individualized stewardship plans for donors; composing letters, compiling invitation lists, and obtaining donor awards and recognitions.
Develop collaborative working relationships with a wide variety of university personnel to execute assigned projects and enlist their involvement in donor relations activities.
Effectively track, manage, and analyze stewardship activities and metrics, including processes regarding acknowledgments, recognition, ongoing communication, and continued cultivation of past and current President's Club level donors to enhance their relationship with the university and increase the likelihood of continued philanthropic support.
Create and distribute targeted impactful written content including stewardship reports for unrestricted funds (Alcala Alumni Fund, Parents Fund, etc.) and other key funds (Founders Endowed Scholarship, Veterans Center, specific capital projects, etc.) on a regular basis, utilizing print, digital, and social media tools.
Create and distribute impact reports for individual donors to help demonstrate the impact of philanthropic investments and how gifts are being used to help our students and the institution.
Coordinate annual Thanksgiving Card project ensuring completion in a timely manner.
Participate in other donor stewardship and university-wide activities as required.
Responsible for keeping up to date with donor relations trends through research and professional development opportunities.
Other duties may be assigned by the director.

President's Club:

Work with the director, associate vice president for Advancement and Campaign Operations (AVP) and the director of Annual Giving on ongoing engagement with President's Club donors throughout the revolving annual giving cycle, from initial gift acceptance and stewardship through a renewal strategy nine months after gift receipt.
Provide support for established President's Club donor events, including event follow up.
Work with directors of development to identify events of interest for members and invite appropriate members to attend based upon giving history.
Manage a portfolio of Young President's Club leadership gift prospects including cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

Donor Recognition:

Maintain records and coordinate donor-related recognition activities.
Facilitate on- and off-campus publicity of major gifts and donors with Media Relations.
Coordinate the recognition of donors in both print and web-based publications to showcase specific donor and philanthropic contributions to the university at-large.

Special Conditions of Employment:

Effective June 1, 2023, based on CDC guidance, the University strongly encourages all campus members to stay up to date with Influenza and COVID-19 vaccination recommendations. For more regarding information USD's COVID-19 protocols, please visit sandiego.edu/onward.

Background check: Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.

Job Requirements:
Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelors degree required.
Three years experience in development, personal solicitation, donor relations and/or related professions.
Skilled in content creation, copywriting and project management with an ability to adapt to various audiences.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, including public speaking; ability to communicate positively and effectively with a diverse audience; possess exceptional critical listening and thinking skills.
Must exhibit attention to detail with excellent organizational and time management skills; remain professional under pressure.
Ability to work with various internal and external publics and to represent the university in a positive, informed, and persuasive manner.
Willingness and ability to work evenings and weekends.
Willingness and ability to travel.
Friendly and personable; mature, positive attitude, learning mindset; a team player.

Preferred Qualifications:

Prior experience in stewardship, annual giving or major gifts.
Knowledge of digital marketing and social media strategies and/or website content management systems and video production processes experience helpful.

Performance Expectations - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Commitment to working as a member of a team and collaborating with colleagues.
Strong sense of integrity and ethical conduct.
Cultural competency and sensitivity are a must; ability to understand different cultural contexts and viewpoints, demonstrate respect for others, adapt to different cultural settings; and accept cultural differences.
Ability to work with donors one-on-one in various capacities.
Knowledge of annual fundraising and donor relations and stewardship.
Understanding of the role of technology in fundraising and exhibiting the ability to effectively utilize sophisticated constituent relations software and digital communications tools.
Ability to produce and utilize statistical data for evaluation.
Demonstrated excellence in managing multiple complex projects, setting priorities and working independently with minimal supervision under heavy workload, frequent interruptions, distractions, and deadlines.
Skill in investigating, analyzing, and solving problems.
Ability to recruit, train, manage, and motivate volunteers to achieve donor relations goals.
Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with tact and discretion.
Knowledge of USDs policies and procedures.

Posting Salary:
$5,546.67 - $5,833.34 per month; Excellent Benefits

The University of San Diego offers a very competitive benefits package including; medical, dental, vision, a retirement contribution given to you by the University, and access to on-campus Fitness Centers. Please visit the benefits section of our website to view all of the perks and benefits that USD has to offer. USD: Human Resources: Benefits

The salary range provided in this posting reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this position. Actual compensation offered or earned is dependent on experience, education and other factors including departmental budget.

Special Application Instructions:
Resume and Cover Letter Required

Click the 'Apply Now' button to complete our online application. In addition, please upload a cover letter and resume to your application profile for the hiring managers review. If you have any questions or difficulties please contact the Employment Services Team at jobs@sandiego.edu

Additional Details:
Hours: 40 hours per week

Closing date: Open until filled

Note: External job postings will be up for at least five days. After that time, applications will be reviewed by the hiring manager/committee throughout the posting period. A candidate may be selected at any time which could then close this posting on a date earlier than listed.

The University of San Diego is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion and is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the campus community.

The University of San Diego is a smoking and tobacco-free campus. For more information, visit www.sandiego.edu/smokefree.

Advertised: December 11, 2023
Applications close: Open until filled

To apply, visit https://jobs.sandiego.edu/cw/en-us/job/496581/assistant-director-donor-relations