Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship

Ball State University; Muncie (IN); On-site; USD 46,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick days

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Health and dental insurance

Retirement benefits

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Ball State University is seeking an Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship to advance a culture of gratitude and impact for major donors, campus partners, and students. You will manage personalized stewardship, craft compelling reports, and coordinate donor experiences across departments.

Ideal candidates bring strong project management and communication skills, plus experience in donor relations, event planning, and collaborating with campus stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in event management, public relations, marketing, communications, or related field.
• Minimum of two years in donor relations, annual giving, marketing, event planning, alumni engagement, or related field.
• Ability to work with campus partners, colleagues, volunteers, and/or clients both digitally and in person.
• Experience planning and executing university and/or non-profit events.
• Demonstrated independence, confidentiality, time management and multi-project handling.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement personalized donor stewardship plans for major donors.
• Create comprehensive reports for donors with narratives and visuals.
• Coordinate exclusive donor experiences and events.
• Document donor engagement in Raiser's Edge NXT.
• Support leadership annual giving society and recognition efforts.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and campus partners.
• Stay current on trends; participate in webinars and conferences.
• Support Tier 1 donor experience initiatives and events.

Skills

Donor relations

Project management

Communication

Event planning

Relationship-building

Education

Bachelor's degree in event management, public relations, marketing, communications, or related field

Tools

Raiser's Edge NXT

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Position Title:

Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship

Compensation: $46,000 - $55,000

Department: BSU Foundation_O

About this opportunity:

Join Our Team: Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship

Are you ready to be part of an energetic and unified team dedicated to transforming higher education? Our foundation is breaking down barriers between advancement, alumni relations, and stewardship to create a cohesive environment where philanthropy and innovative partnerships thrive. This is your chance to make a significant impact as we fulfill Our Call to Beneficence: The Campaign for Ball State University, aimed at elevating student support both financially and academically.

Why Join Us?

• Dynamic Team Environment: Collaborate with passionate professionals who are committed to our mission.
• Cutting-Edge Initiatives: Be at the forefront of redefining philanthropy in education.
• Unified Structure: Work within a seamless organization with no barriers between key departments.
• Supportive Culture: A high-achieving work environment that values camaraderie and collaboration.
• Impactful Work: A mission that changes lives through education and philanthropy.

We invite you to join our team and make a difference. Join us in our mission to support students in realizing their purpose, achieving their dreams, and leading meaningful lives.

What you'll do and what you'll bring:

Position Function:

The Assistant Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship contributes to the team's overall goal of building a culture of gratitude and impact for and with donors, campus partners, and students. This individual will play a key role in managing and executing individualized stewardship for major and principal donors. This position provides comprehensive, high impact experiences to significant donors, proactively monitors and manages their stewardship needs, and maintains an accurate account of each donor's involvement and ongoing activity. Stewardship projects may be complex and include multiple deliverables, including written communications, videos, or personalized interactions with University leadership, faculty, and staff.

The assistant director is someone who excels at project management, attention to detail, creative inquiry, and collaborative partnerships.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Contribute to the Donor Relations and Stewardship team's efforts to increase donor retention year over year overall and within key constituencies and gift bands through execution of a comprehensive donor relations and stewardship plan.

Work closely with the Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship, as well as development staff, to develop and implement personalized stewardship plans for assigned donors, based on their interests, giving history, and communication preferences plans. Plan and execute exclusive experiences that foster deeper connections between donors and the university.

Collaborate with donor relations staff to develop and deliver robust personalized fund and beneficiary reports for assigned donors. Ensure personalized reports contain compelling narratives and visuals and are accurate and error-free.

Use Raiser's Edge NXT to document and track donor stewardship and engagement efforts.

Assist with managing the Foundation's leadership annual giving society, including recognition efforts, stewardship communications, and events as needed.

Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, such as development officers, faculty, and staff.

Stay current on evolving trends in donor relations, stewardship, and recognition overall. Connect with peers at other institutions and proactively participate in webinars and conferences that provide professional growth opportunities.

Assist with the execution of Tier 1 initiatives and events related to donor experiences, including initiatives such as One Ball State Day, Homecoming, Power of Beneficence, and athletics VIP events, as needed.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

Must be able to work occasional evenings and weekends as may be required of the role.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in event management, public relations, marketing, communications, or a related field.
• A minimum of two years of experience in donor relations, annual giving, marketing, event planning, alumni engagement, project management or related field, or a combination of education and related experience.
• Demonstrated ability in working with campus partners, colleagues, volunteers, and/or clients both digitally and in person.
• Demonstrated experience in planning and executing university and/or non-profit events.
• Proven ability to work with a high level of independence, maintain confidentiality, prioritize assignments, and manage time effectively.
• Experience managing multiple projects and tasks simultaneously from the planning stages to execution and analysis.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in major gift fundraising and/or with high-end constituent relationship management.
• Database management experience; familiarity with Raiser's Edge preferred.

What we offer:

At Ball State University, we understand the importance of balancing professional responsibilities with personal well-being. That's why we offer paid 24 vacation days, 12 sick days and 10 holidays a year. Plus, our paid parental leave (6 weeks) is there for life's most significant moments. We offer affordable health and dental insurance, robust long-term disability and life insurance plans, as well a range of retirement benefits to provide financial security to you and your family. These benefits ensure that you can focus on your work and personal growth without worrying about the unexpected.

When you work for us, you are family. And to show our support of your family, we will cover 90 percent of your child's (or children's) undergraduate college tuition at Ball State. We do the same for you. In fact, we'll cover 100 percent of the tuition costs for you to earn your undergraduate degree and 80 percent of your graduate tuition. This offer is good from the very first day you start. It's just one way we do our part to uplift you.

Let's fly together toward a secure and prosperous tomorrow.

Curious about our excellent benefits package?

We have developed a calculator that shows you the value of our core benefits. Select the Total Compensation Calculator - Professional and download the spreadsheet. If you are applying for a 10-month position or one with Burris or Indiana Academy, please select the corresponding calculator.