Associate Director, Donor Communications

Growth For Impact; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 days PTO and 14 holidays

Job summary

Growth For Impact is seeking a seasoned leader to oversee donor communications, translating complex organizational content into funder-ready materials. You will build messaging frameworks, manage intake and workflow, and partner with program teams to maintain narrative consistency.

You will lead stewardship plans, engage top funders, and drive moves management through strategic donor engagement. This role demands strong writing, project management, and collaborative leadership.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in fundraising communications, donor relations, development communications, or a closely related field.
• 2–3 years of supervisory experience.
• Deep understanding of how communications supports fundraising and donor stewardship.

Responsibilities

• Oversee development of donor-facing materials and tailored two-pagers.
• Translate organizational content into funder-ready products with impact-focused language.
• Build messaging frameworks for donor communications to ensure consistency.
• Manage intake, scoping, and workflow for donor communications requests.

Skills

Fundraising communications

Donor relations

Development communications

Strong writing

Project management

Team supervision

Stakeholder collaboration

Job description

ROLE

• Oversee development of donor-facing materials such as decks, memos, talking points, stewardship materials, narrative briefs, and tailored two-pagers.
• Translate organizational and program content into funder-ready products using impact‑focused language.
• Build and maintain messaging frameworks for donor communications to ensure consistency and strategic alignment.
• Manage intake, scoping, and workflow for donor communications requests, setting support levels and aligning work with audience and relationship goals.
• Recommend readiness, review pathways, and approval processes, involving Philanthropic Partnerships as needed.
• Manage strategic cadence of communications to keep the funder community informed, using segmentation, audience mapping, and appropriate channels.
• Partner with program communications and Partnerships to ensure narrative consistency across funder touchpoints.
• Oversee list hygiene, audience mapping, and lead triage for clear visibility of funder interactions.
• Develop and execute individualized stewardship plans and cultivation strategies for top‑tier funders and high‑priority prospects.
• Deliver key donor moments and high‑impact engagement experiences in coordination with Events and other MarComm teams.
• Provide leadership and program staff with tailored narratives, talking points, and meeting preparation for funder principals and CEOs.
• Ensure stewardship and cultivation touchpoints work together to build trust and support moves management.
• Own development and execution of prospect engagement strategies to expand the philanthropic pipeline.
• Identify and develop engagement pathways for new‑to‑climate funders and prioritize outreach with Partnerships.
• Track and report on prospect engagement activity and pipeline development.
• Assign work and manage capacity across the team, ensuring clear priorities and sustainable workload.
• Maintain coordinated view of all active donor communications work for visibility to Director and Partnerships.
• Manage donor communications workflows, intake processes, and project timelines for consistent, high‑quality execution.
• Serve as primary operational liaison to the Philanthropic Partnerships team, aligning communications strategies with fundraising priorities.
• Work closely with the Director to align donor communications priorities with broader audience strategy and organizational context.
• Collaborate with program communications to integrate foundational messaging and funder intelligence.
• Partner with Institutional Communications & Public Affairs and Creative Studio, Channels & Operations on shared deliverables, events, and campaigns involving funder audiences.
• Coordinate with Partnerships on dotted‑line relationships with donor relations staff to ensure smooth operational collaboration.

REQUIREMENTS

• 7+ years of experience in fundraising communications, donor relations, development communications, or a closely related field.
• At least 2–3 years of supervisory experience.
• Deep understanding of how communications supports fundraising, including donor stewardship, cultivation, prospect engagement, and funder‑facing product development.
• Proven ability to translate complex organizational strategies into clear, compelling funder‑ready materials across multiple formats.
• Strong writing and editorial skills, adaptable to multiple audiences and relationship contexts.
• Experience managing team workflow, capacity, intake processes, and project timelines, and prioritization.
• Experience with audience segmentation, funder journey mapping, or CRM‑informed communications strategies.
• Advanced analytical and critical thinking skills for synthesizing complex information and making judgment calls.
• Strong project management skills with ability to handle multiple priorities and complex tasks.
• Excellent relationship‑building skills for partnering with fundraising teams, program staff, and leadership.
• Commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment.

BENEFITS

• 20 days paid time off for first‑year employees, with incremental PTO in subsequent years; 14 paid holidays annually