Director, Donor Relations & Stewardship

Florida Gulf Coast University; Fort Myers (FL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Florida Gulf Coast University is seeking a Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship to lead the strategic development and implementation of a comprehensive donor relations program that fosters meaningful engagement, ensures accountability, and strengthens long-term philanthropic support for the university.

This role oversees donor recognition, stewardship reporting, endowment compliance, and impact communications to demonstrate the value and outcomes of donor investments, partnering with

Qualifications

• Ten years of related full-time fundraising experience, or a Bachelor's degree with six years of related experience.
• Experience in higher education, university foundation, or similar organizations.
• Experience managing or supervising staff.
• Experience with Donor CRM systems (Raiser’s Edge or similar).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Any combination of relevant education, experience, and/or certifications may be considered.

Responsibilities

• Leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive donor relations, stewardship, and cultivation strategy aligned with institutional fundraising goals and advancement best practices.
• Oversees donor engagement strategy and portfolio activity across all assigned prospects in coordination with the major gift and planned giving team.
• Develops donor relations and stewardship strategies, goals, and department priorities in partnership with advancement leadership.
• Serves as a key advisor to advancement leadership on donor engagement and recognition strategies.
• Supports cultivation and solicitation efforts through preparation and review of donor-facing materials.
• Oversees coordination of donor cultivation and engagement strategies for campaigns in collaboration with leadership and campus partners.

Skills

Raiser’s Edge

Fundraising analytics

Donor stewardship

Strategic planning

Staff leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Summary

The Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship leads the strategic development and implementation of a comprehensive donor relations program that fosters meaningful engagement, ensures accountability, and strengthens long-term philanthropic support for the university. This role is responsible for overseeing donor recognition, stewardship reporting, endowment compliance, and impact communications to demonstrate the value and outcomes of donor investments. The Director partners closely with advancement leadership, development officers, academic units, and the university foundation to enhance donor experiences and ensure alignment with institutional priorities.

Job Summary

The Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship leads the strategic development and implementation of a comprehensive donor relations program that fosters meaningful engagement, ensures accountability, and strengthens long-term philanthropic support for the university. This role is responsible for overseeing donor recognition, stewardship reporting, endowment compliance, and impact communications to demonstrate the value and outcomes of donor investments. The Director partners closely with advancement leadership, development officers, academic units, and the university foundation to enhance donor experiences and ensure alignment with institutional priorities.

FGCU is building a culture of curiosity, commitment and collaboration. We value employees who successfully work with others and drive positive change through critical thinking and decisive action. If you thrive in an environment of innovation, accountability and mutual respect, you will find a good home here.

Job Description

Typical duties may include but are not limited to:

• Leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive donor relations, stewardship, and cultivation strategy aligned with institutional fundraising goals and advancement best practices.
• Oversees donor engagement strategy and portfolio activity across all assigned prospects in coordination with the major gift and planned giving team, with the ability to directly engage donors and prospects in cultivation as needed.
• Develops donor relations and stewardship strategies, goals, and department priorities in partnership with advancement leadership, including individual prospect strategy, pipeline development, and opportunity alignment.
• Serves as a key advisor to advancement leadership on donor engagement, naming opportunities and recognition strategies.
• Supports cultivation and solicitation efforts through preparation and review of donor-facing materials including proposals, solicitation letters, gift agreements, and customized engagement content.
• Oversees coordination of donor cultivation and engagement strategies for university fundraising campaigns in collaboration with advancement leadership and campus partners.
• Support all fundraising events and recognition events in development in coordination with university events and advancement leadership.
• Directs stewardship strategy and execution for gifts at all levels, annual, leadership, major, principal, and endowed gifts, including stewardship planning, donor reporting, and implementation of the Stewardship Matrix.
• Oversees development of high-quality donor impact reports, annual reports, and storytelling content demonstrating philanthropic outcomes and institutional impact.
• Ensures compliance and accountability for endowed and restricted funds, including donor intent adherence, audit readiness, and accurate fund tracking in collaboration with foundation finance and advancement services.
• Develops and maintains donor engagement and stewardship policies, procedures, and recognition standards across advancement, ensuring a consistency and alignment across colleges and administrative units.
• Directs donor recognition programs, including naming opportunities, recognition societies, and campus recognition displays, and evaluates effectiveness against best practices.
• Leads stewardship communications strategy in partnership with marketing and communications, ensuring alignment with institutional branding and philanthropic storytelling.
• Utilizes CRM systems and analytics to track donor engagement, stewardship activities, and reporting requirements; develops dashboards to assess effectiveness, compliance, and donor retention outcomes.
• Oversees and supervises donor relations staff, providing leadership and professional development.
• Provides training and guidance to advancement and campus partners to ensure consistent stewardship and fundraising support practices.

Other Duties

• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
• Participates as a team member in support of special events and programs for donors and prospects.

Required Qualifications

• This position requires either ten years of directly related full-time experience or, as an alternative, a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in an appropriate area of specialization and six years of full-time experience directly related to the job functions.
• Experience in higher education, university foundation, or similar organizations.
• Experience managing or supervising staff.
• Experience and proficiency with Raiser’s Edge or similar fundraising applications.
• Experience operating a personal computer and proficient with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher and Outlook).
• Any appropriate combination of relevant education, experience, and/or certifications may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree from an accredited university.
• Experience in campaign environments, including planning and executing comprehensive fundraising campaigns.
• Experience with donor analytics, segmentation, and stewardship metrics.
• Experience in writing, communications or storytelling, tailored for donor audience

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of state and foundation compliance requirements, including audit and reporting standards.
• Proven ability to think strategically, engaging donors and aligning stewardship strategies with institutional priorities.
• Knowledge of the principles, best practices, trends, and legal constraints of fundraising and gift solicitation within higher education.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Skilled in public speaking and storytelling that convey donor impact and inspire philanthropic support.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, meet deadlines, and ensure high quality results.
• Ability to be a self-starter with documented results in building new programs and initiatives.
• Ability to think critically and creatively, have a high standard of integrity, and be motivated to incorporate best practices into the organizational structure.
• Ability to collect, organize, analyze, and present donor analytics, stewardship metrics, and endowment reports, presenting information in a meaningful manner.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and build positive and strategic relationships with colleagues, donors, and volunteers.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion at all times.
• Ability to travel locally and throughout the state and work evenings, nights, and weekends as necessary.
• Proven ability to think strategically and approach challenges with creativity.
• Demonstrated track record of reliability, meeting goals, and holding oneself accountable.
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience working effectively across teams.

Institutional Values & Behavioral Expectation

• Seek out new approaches to improve outcomes; remain open for feedback and new ideas.
• Lead with integrity; consistently produce high-quality work; persevere to overcome obstacles to meet deadlines and achieve deliverables.
• Share information and insights thoughtfully; build partnerships across departments; communicate respectfully; support colleagues to achieve common goals.

Pay Grade 20

FGCU is a State University System of Florida member and an Equal Opportunity and Equal Access employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.