Associate Director of Donor Relations

Kansas Athletics; Lawrence (KS); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Kansas Athletics Development in Lawrence, Kansas seeks an Associate Director of Donor Relations to support daily hospitality, donor stewardship, and event operations. You will plan communications, manage inventories, and supervise student staff while coordinating with internal and external partners to provide top-notch donor experiences.

The role requires managing multi-sport hospitality programs, overseeing communications, and contributing to fund-raising initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum 3 years of experience with event management, communications, and fundraising/non-profit work or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ability to work well both independently and in collaboration with staff as a team member.
• Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to detail and time management.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively under multiple, strict deadlines in a fast-paced office environment with the capacity to adapt quickly to major and minor changes in projects and outcomes.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability and willingness to work an irregular schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Experience and knowledge of existing social media platforms (Facebook, X, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Lead MBB and WBB hospitality operations, including VVIP support, donor hospitality areas, and end-of-year basketball banquets.
• Lead stewardship efforts, including donor acknowledgements, thank-you notes, donor bios, staff/donor gear management, and tracking systems.
• Manage all OVG food & beverage operations across sports, including menu planning, pricing, hospitality counts, approvals, and feedback.
• Supervise, train, and schedule student workers and interns, providing game-day oversight and ongoing development.
• Serve as liaison with internal and external partners to ensure seamless, high-quality donor and guest experiences.
• Support Football and Baseball hospitality operations, including planning, execution, and evaluation of premium donor and guest experience initiatives.
• Support Annual Fund and K Club initiatives, including donor engagement, stewardship, communications, and membership fulfillment.
• Plan and execute large-scale specialty and signature events under the direction of the Director of Donor Relations.
• Track and manage inventory for donor gifts, hospitality supplies, and promotional/marketing materials.
• Support marketing and communications efforts for Kansas Athletics Development, including social media, email campaigns, web content, and Rising Jayhawks programming in collaboration with the Assistant Director of Annual Fund.
• Manage digital and physical communication platforms, including event registration systems, web forms, and graphic design assets.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Director of Athletics or designee.

Skills

Event management

Fundraising

Communications

Team collaboration

Social media management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Paciolan software

Salesforce

Advance

Job description

Job DetailsJob Location: Lawrence, KS 66045Unit/Sport: Kansas Athletics Development Reports to: Assistant A.D. of Donor Relations Appointment: Full Time FLSA Status: Exempt Updated: July 2026

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Donor Relations is responsible for assisting Kansas Athletics Development staff, under the direction of the Assistant Athletic Director of Donor Relations, with daily operations in hospitality, special event, and stewardship of donors. The Associate Director will also be primarily responsible for planning and executing communication processes, stewardship efforts, social media management, managing inventory, and supervising part-time student staff members.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Position

• Lead MBB and WBB hospitality operations, including VVIP support, donor hospitality areas, and end-of-year basketball banquets;
• Lead stewardship efforts, including donor acknowledgements, thank-you notes, donor bios, staff/donor gear management, and tracking systems;
• Manage all OVG food & beverage operations across sports, including menu planning, pricing, hospitality counts, approvals, and feedback;
• Supervise, train, and schedule student workers and interns, providing game-day oversight and ongoing development.
• Serve as liaison with internal and external partners to ensure seamless, high-quality donor and guest experiences;
• Support Football and Baseball hospitality operations, including planning, execution, and evaluation of premium donor and guest experience initiatives;
• Support Annual Fund and K Club initiatives, including donor engagement, stewardship, communications, and membership fulfillment;
• Plan and execute large-scale specialty and signature events under the direction of the Director of Donor Relations;
• Track and manage inventory for donor gifts, hospitality supplies, and promotional/marketing materials;
• Support marketing and communications efforts for Kansas Athletics Development, including social media, email campaigns, web content, and Rising Jayhawks programming in collaboration with the Assistant Director of Annual Fund;
• Manage digital and physical communication platforms, including event registration systems, web forms, and graphic design assets;
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Director of Athletics or designee.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers and various digital devices, including, but not limited to cell phone, printer, copy machine, and other related devices. This job requires flexibility and adaptability in schedule and the ability to perform job related duties on short notice.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to speak and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. This position may require frequent bending, moving, lifting, and carrying material weighing up to 25 pounds; standing up to eight hours each day; and working in all weather conditions.

Travel

Occasional travel may occur with this position.

Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work will vary based on the needs of the position. Early morning, evening and weekend work maybe required.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university;
• Minimum 3 years of experience with event management, communications, and fundraising/non-profit work or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Ability to work well both independently and in collaboration with staff as a team member;
• Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to detail and time management;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively under multiple, strict deadlines in a fast-paced office environment with the capacity to adapt quickly to major and minor changes in projects and outcomes;
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills;
• Ability and willingness to work an irregular schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays;
• Experience and knowledge of existing social media platforms (Facebook, X, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as intern, volunteer, or graduate assistant in a college athletics environment;
• Experience with Paciolian software systems or other data management systems;
• Experience with Salesforce and Advance.