Associate Director, Donor Relations Experience

Jobtailor

Nashville (TN)

On-site

USD 65,000 - 90,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Vanderbilt University is seeking a seasoned Donor Engagement professional to support data-driven fundraising initiatives and manage multifaceted campaigns that recognize and engage donors across the university.

The role spans development activities, alumni relations, and communications, requiring strong writing, coordination, and cross-team collaboration to drive leadership annual giving and impactful storytelling.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent is required.
4+ years of experience managing complex programs, campaigns or development activities.
Experience in stewardship, marketing, communications, annual giving, alumni relations, and/or events is preferred.
Strong understanding of development strategies and practices.
Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills with ability to demonstrate impact.
Interpersonal and presentation skills with updates to leadership and donor interactions.
Strong organizational skills and track record of meeting deadlines while managing multiple projects.
Ability to work independently, take initiative, and adapt to changing priorities.
Demonstrated cross-team collaboration and ability to drive priorities.
Creative curiosity with ability to distill information into actionable plans.
Good judgment handling confidential information.
Familiarity with Vanderbilt or large research university environment is preferred.
Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Some evening and weekend work may be required.

Responsibilities

Support and collaborate with the Senior Director by requesting and developing reports providing data-driven insights for business decisions.
Execute tactical plan of the One Vanderbilt Society including communications (web and print), recognition opportunities, and engagement opportunities locally and across the country.
Execute tactical plan of the Sarratt Society including communications (web and print), recognition opportunities, and engagement opportunities locally and across the country.
Work across the team to develop projects from pulling data to building creative briefs and executing multifaceted donor campaigns.
Identify and execute creative outreach strategies and plans engaging donors through communications, content, and gifts.
Create and maintain materials and tools deployable among frontline fundraising teams to inform, solicit, and steward donors.
Partner with other teams to integrate donor recognition and giving society messaging and branding into fundraising campaigns, Reunions, and virtual programming.
Pull regular reports, maintain CRM updates and leverage dashboards to track impact around leadership annual giving across the university.
Work across school and unit lines to create compelling impact stories that enrich donor recognition and giving society content.

Skills

Donor Engagement

Project Management

Data-Driven Insights

Communication Skills

Stewardship & Marketing

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Dashboards

CRM Systems

Reporting Tools

Fundraising Tools

Job description

Support and collaborate with the Senior Director, Donor Experience by requesting and developing reports that provide data-driven insights to assist with business decisions.
Execute tactical plan of the One Vanderbilt Society including communications (web and print), recognition opportunities, and engagement opportunities (locally and across the country).
Execute tactical plan of the Sarratt Society including communications (web and print), recognition opportunities, and engagement opportunities (locally and across the country).
Work flexibly across the team and department to develop projects from pulling data to building creative briefs and executing multifaceted campaigns to engage donors.
Identify and execute creative outreach strategies and plans that engage donors through communications, content, and unexpected gifts.
Create and maintain materials and tools that are easily deployed among frontline fundraising teams to inform, solicit, and steward donors.
Partner with other teams to integrate donor recognition and giving society messaging and branding into existing efforts around fundraising campaigns, Reunions, and virtual programming.
Pull regular reports, maintain CRM updates and leverage dashboards to track and articulate the impact around leadership annual giving across the university.
Work across school and unit lines to facilitate the creation of compelling impact stories that enrich donor recognition and giving society content.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, or the equivalent, is necessary.
Four or more years of experience, or the equivalent, in a related field with a proven track record of managing complex programs, campaigns, or development activities is required.
Relevant experience in stewardship, marketing, communications, annual giving, alumni relations, and/or events is highly preferred.
Strong understanding of development strategies and practices.
Excellent communication skills: strong writing, editing, and an interest in expressing and demonstrating impact.
Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills with the ability to provide updates to university leadership, interact with donors/prospects as needed, and comfort in leading meetings and facilitating conversation internally and externally.
Top-notch organizational skills, experience managing complex projects simultaneously, and a consistent record meeting deadlines.
Ability to work independently, take initiative, manage multiple projects simultaneously, meet deadlines, and adapt to ever-changing priorities.
Demonstrated success in working across teams and disciplines – facilitating solutions and driving forward priorities.
Creative curiosity; interest in brainstorming and problem-solving, but also gathering information and distilling it to actionable recommendations to build out detailed plans.
Good judgment in the handling of confidential information.
Familiarity with Vanderbilt and/or solid understanding of a major research university environment is preferred.
The capacity to perform in an intellectually rigorous and complex academic environment.
Values the importance of equity as an organizational operating principle and is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Some evening and weekend work, as needed.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in donor engagement strategies, effective communication, and project management within a complex academic environment. Proficient in developing data-driven insights and executing multifaceted campaigns to enhance donor recognition and support.

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