Associate Director, Constituent Philanthropy

Suffolk University; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 71,000 - 87,000; Full time

Job summary

Suffolk University in Boston seeks an Associate Director, Constituent Philanthropy to engage alumni and affinity groups, strengthen family connections, and support philanthropy across the Suffolk community.

The role focuses on identifying cohorts, updating contact information, coordinating communications, and managing giving pages. You will work with campus partners to cultivate donors and measure impact while contributing to a culture of belonging.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s preferred.
• 3+ years in a relationship-building role with constituents, clients, or customers.

Responsibilities

• Identify cohorts and coordinate with University partners to update contact information and manage data in Advancement’s Raiser's Edge.
• Prepare communications to constituency groups; develop registration tools; set up cohort meetings; ensure giving pages and GiveCampus components are executed on time.
• Collaborate with Advancement Marketing to produce materials for websites, print, and social media; create multi-step engagement plans; track metrics of cohort activities.
• Foster family and donor connections; re-engage inactive constituents; support stewardship and solicitations; maintain a culture of belonging across groups.

Skills

Relationship-building

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Diversity & inclusion

Donor giving cycle knowledge

Team collaboration

Deadline-oriented

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Excel

Canva

GiveCampus

Raiser’s Edge

Job description

Suffolk seeks to engage our many constituents to enrich their lifelong relationships with the university. Constituents, or affinity groups, may include individuals whose connection with Suffolk has been made particularly meaningful by a shared experience, club, team, major, program, family relationship or identity, or other cohort experience.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Campaign Strategy and Corporate and Foundation Relations, and working in close collaboration with Alumni Relations, the Associate Director, Constituent Philanthropy will support efforts to ensure these key members of the Suffolk community are fully engaged with the University.

The Associate Director will be responsible for providing key support to assist Advancement to:

• a) establish structures for constituents/cohorts to support the University philanthropically
• b) re‑engage constituent groups who are no longer active with Suffolk
• c) establish strong family connections with the University

Specifically, the Associate Director will be responsible for all tasks related to identifying cohorts, including but not limited to collaborating with University partners to obtain lists of alumni and other constituents, supporting efforts to identify additional individuals whose contact information may be out of date, organizing the updating of information in Advancement’s Raiser’s Edge database, and requesting research to ascertain cohort fundraising capacity.

Prepare communications to constituency groups, including writing and designing invitations, updates, stewardship, and other outreach; develop registration tools with and without financial payment processes included; set up meetings of cohort liaisons and committees, as needed; ensure giving pages and GiveCampus components are executed in a timely fashion; work with the Senior Director, Advancement Marketing and Communications, on the execution of select constituent/cohort communications materials, including website, print and social media; establish a spreadsheet or similar tool to manage the multi‑step engagement, solicitation, stewardship and continued solicitation steps associated with each group; devise and maintain metrics to measure the impact of all cohort activities.

Keep abreast of Parent & Family initiatives at other universities to ensure Suffolk is taking every opportunity to cultivate and solicit families.

Partner effectively with Advancement colleagues and others across the University to meet or exceed the expectations of the cohort groups while prioritizing philanthropy.

Perform other duties as assigned.

The Associate Director will work alongside the Associate Vice President to foster a culture of belonging that embraces constituent groups. Many behind‑the‑scenes activities are required to effectively create and manage constituent groups. Once started, the constituencies should continue to be nurtured and managed on an ongoing basis to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones.

The Suffolk Advancement team is on a hybrid schedule—with three days in the office and two remote—per a formal schedule to ensure an office presence at all times. Suffolk University is a residential institution of higher education with students, faculty and staff on campus most of the school year. An in‑office schedule achieves numerous important Advancement goals, among them heightened collaboration and opportunities to meet with colleagues both within Advancement and across campus.

While much can be achieved via email and Zoom, in‑person meetings as well as planned and unplanned informal and formal discussions contribute toward stronger relationships and collaboration that assists Advancement to achieve its goals and objectives. In‑person time also provides access to name tags, labels, a copier, office supplies, the RAM Print Shop and the mail room—all of which contribute toward your job responsibilities, as well as preparation for special events, including confirming appropriate event set‑up and all event materials are brought to the campus location, and then returned to the office afterwards. Due to the scheduling of events, in‑office days may need to change to ensure special event preparation occurs efficiently and effectively.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree preferred.
• Experience (typically 3+ years) in a relationship‑building capacity with constituents, clients, or customers, in a for‑profit or nonprofit setting.
• Understanding of higher education fundraising and its impact in a higher education environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with donors, colleagues, and a diverse constituent base.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.
• Familiarity with the donor giving cycle of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Ability to meet deadlines.
• Experience with Excel, Canva, GiveCampus or Raiser’s Edge desirable but not required.

The salary range for this role is $79,000.

Equal Opportunity Statement Suffolk University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. The University strives to recruit, develop and retain faculty and staff committed to educational excellence, the robust exchange of ideas, and engage in membership in a diverse and inclusive community.

About Suffolk University

Suffolk University is a private, urban university located in the heart of downtown Boston. Our college green is the Boston Common and we are steps from dozens of historic sites including the Old State House, Faneuil Hall, City Hall and the Massachusetts State House. We have no real boundaries to our campus—Boston and Suffolk blend together. Suffolk has been committed to creating an exceptional learning experience since 1906. Our vision is to be recognized as a dynamic institution that fosters engaged learning, rigorous scholarship, innovative thinking, and community collaboration across disciplines. We will ensure that Suffolk graduates are versatile and prepared for modern society and the new world market. We will provide rich curricula, experiential learning opportunities and professional mentoring through increased collaboration with alumni and community partners. We will recruit, mentor, and support a diverse faculty of teacher‑scholars who are passionately committed to preparing our students to be leaders in the global community. We will inspire investment in a Suffolk community that is built on ethical, forward‑thinking leadership, teamwork, and cooperation. Here is a message from Suffolk University's President, Marisa Kelly.