Assistant Director, Donor Relations

Stanford University; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanford University invites applications for the Assistant Director of Donor Relations within Medical Center Development. This role manages donor engagement strategies and stewardship reporting across major gifts and donor portfolios.

The position requires detail-oriented project management, collaboration with gift officers, and the ability to craft timely acknowledgments and impact storytelling for donors and university leadership.

Qualifications

• Superior organizational skills.
• Excellent writing, research and editorial skills; ability to synthesize information and compose clear and effective materials.
• Ability to listen and respond with diplomacy and tact.
• Demonstrated experience managing and coordinating multiple complex projects with competing deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to quickly understand and remember details about donors and projects to which they are assigned.
• Strong customer service focus; excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrated sound judgment in situations requiring independent decision-making and handling confidential and sensitive material.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite and database applications.
• Demonstrated project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of annual reporting and donor engagement activities on behalf of the university by establishing and executing project plans, timelines, tasks, and objectives.
• Develop and provide recommendations on best methodologies to engage individual donors by analyzing past trends, researching donor profiles, and collaborating with colleagues to identify and produce key donor relations deliverables, including donor correspondence, videos or events.
• Responsible for a timely gift acknowledgment process including identifying gifts that qualify for acknowledgement. May write original copy of acknowledgments on behalf of university leaders (e.g., the president, board chair, dean).
• Work with non-development colleagues in the process of executing stewardship activities and to ensure funds are spent in alignment with donors' wishes. Escalate discrepancies when needed.
• Manage the process of requesting gift usage information from beneficiaries, (such as students, faculty). May draft, edit, rewrite, and exercise judgement to determine appropriateness of content. Create reports and ensure timely delivery to donors using appropriate messaging.
• Independently project manage donor recognition projects, including creating communications with donors, colleagues, and vendors which may include: donor walls, signage and websites.
• May initiate the gift entry process. Perform an annual audit of assigned portfolios against the development database to ensure that all related documents, fund, steward, and beneficiary information are accurate and complete. Identify and resolve any inaccuracies.
• May assist with creating and executing events; coordinate with the donor relations community on cross functional events.

Skills

Organizational skills

Writing and editing

Diplomacy and tact

Project management

Attention to detail

Interpersonal communication

Judgment and discretion

MS Office and databases

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience

Tools

MS Office Suite

Database applications

Job description

Stanford Medicine is a world-class academic medical institution comprised of Stanford University School of Medicine, a research-intensive medical school, and Stanford Health Care, a regional hospital system that is nationally recognized for quality patient care and leading-edge technology. Stanford’s top-ranking Medical Center Development (MCD) team supports the goals and purposes of Stanford Medicine including a significant focus on securing resources to realize the aspirations of the medical enterprise in alignment with the Stanford University-wide strategic vision. Medical Center Development is seeking an Assistant Director of Donor Relations. If you are a mission-driven team member with a passion for philanthropy, strong project management skills, and have an interest in science and medicine, this might be the job for you.

Position Summary:

The Assistant Director, Donor Relations, is a position that will take an active role in managing and implementing donor relations engagement strategies for donors who support Stanford Medicine.The mission of the MCD donor relations team is to connect donors to the joy of their giving and to the impact of their gift with the purpose of maximizing philanthropy and long‑term engagement with Stanford Medicine. Donor relations officers act as active, involved partners with gift officers in setting donor relations strategies and carrying them out. This is a highly collaborative team looking for a colleague who is motivated, positive, and passionate about medical advancement.This position requires a detail-oriented project manager who can manage competing priorities with organization, efficiency, and professionalism, while also being able to communicate clearly with collaborators across Stanford Medicine. Some of the projects this person will be managing include, School of Medicine financial aid reporting, holiday communications, and large complex stewardship reports. Additionally, this position requires someone who is comfortable using multiple databases to track the lifecycle of a gift and synthesize information to assess stewardship needs. Success in this position depends on the ability to work in concert with others, while focusing resources to move complex stewardship deliverables to completion on schedule.

Responsibilities

Core Duties:

• Manage a portfolio of annual reporting and donor engagementactivities on behalf of the university by establishing and executingproject plans, timelines, tasks, and objectives.

• Develop and provide recommendations on best methodologies toengage individual donors by analyzing past trends, researching donorprofiles, and collaborating with colleagues to identify and produce keydonor relations deliverables, including donor correspondence, videos orevents.

• Responsible for a timely gift acknowledgment process includingidentifying gifts that qualify for acknowledgement. May write originalcopy of acknowledgements on behalf of university leaders (e.g., thepresident, board chair, dean).

• Work with non-development colleagues in the process of executingstewardship activities and to ensure funds are spent in alignment withdonors' wishes. Escalate discrepancies when needed.

• Manage the process of requesting gift usage information frombeneficiaries, (such as students, faculty). May draft, edit, rewrite,and exercise judgement to determine appropriateness of content. Createreports and ensure timely delivery to donors using appropriatemessaging.

• Independently project manage donor recognition projects,including creating communications with donors, colleagues, and vendorswhich may include: donor walls, signage and websites.

• May initiate the gift entry process. Perform an annual audit ofassigned portfolios against the development database to ensure that allrelated documents, fund, steward, and beneficiary information areaccurate and complete. Identify and resolve any inaccuracies.

• May assist with creating and executing events; coordinate withthe donor relations community on cross functional events.

Minimum Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience orcombination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Superior organizational skills.

• Excellent writing, research and editorial skills; ability tosynthesize information and compose clear and effectivematerials.

• Ability to listen and respond with diplomacy and tact.

• Demonstrated experience managing and coordinating multiplecomplex projects with competing deadlines.

• Strong attention to detail and ability to quickly understand andremember details about donors and projects to which they areassigned.

• Strong customer service focus; excellent interpersonal andcommunication skills.

• Demonstrated sound judgment in situations requiring independentdecision-making and in handling confidential and sensitivematerial.

• Proficient in MS Office Suite and database applications.

• Demonstrated project management skills.