Donor Engagement and Stewardship Manager

Bowie State University; Bowie (MD); On-site; USD 72,000 - 82,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision coverage

Long-term disability

Life insurance

Sick leave

Annual leave

Personal leave

Holidays

Tuition remission

Employer-funded pension

Retirement accounts

Job summary

Bowie State University seeks a Donor Engagement and Stewardship Manager to implement a customer-service oriented donor relations program, developing stewardship, recognition, and retention activities for alumni, donors and prospects.

Reporting to the Director of Alumni Engagement and Donor Stewardship, this role collaborates with fundraisers and campus partners to manage donor interactions, events, and data-driven reporting across the philanthropic engagement portfolio.

Qualifications

• Experience engaging with internal and external customers.
• Experience in donor or alumni relations, fundraising, event planning, or comparable customer-service setting.
• Ability to write and speak persuasively with professional acumen.
• Proficiency in compiling, entering and using data to direct activities.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate donor stewardship strategies and activities.
• Staff donor boards and coordinating with philanthropy colleagues to ensure timely endowment reporting.
• Arrange logistics for donor/prospect visits and ensure donor recognition in collateral and events.
• Produce timely letters, postcards, and fiscal reporting for donor funds.
• Monitor giving societies and coordinate recognition across activities.

Skills

Customer service

Donor relations

Event planning

Persuasive writing

Data management

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Job description

JR101980 Donor Engagement and Stewardship Manager (Open)

Department:

Alumni Engagement, PM

Position Type:

Regular

Open Date:

09-03-2026

Close Date:

$72,000 - $82,000

Job Description:

As a key member of the Division of Philanthropic Engagement, theDonor Engagement and Stewardship Manager is responsible forimplementing a customer service-oriented and comprehensive donorrelation program. The incumbent will create and implementstewardship, recognition, and retention activities to ensureperpetual high-quality cultivation with alumni, future alumni, keyconstituents, donors and prospective donors of Bowie StateUniversity.

SUMMARY OF POSITION:

As a key member of the Division ofPhilanthropic Engagement, the Donor Engagement and Stewardship Manager is responsible for implementing a customer service-orientedand comprehensive donor relation program. The incumbent will createand implement stewardship, recognition, and retention activities toensure perpetual high-quality cultivation with alumni, futurealumni, key constituents, donors and prospective donors of BowieState University.

This position collaborates with fundraisers, faculty, and othercampus administrators to manage, co-manage or directly execute anmatrixed combination of frontline donor interactions andback-office systems activities to support the fundraisingobjectives of the University.

Duties include primary ownership of donor stewardship strategiesand activities, coordination of giving societies, staffing multiplevolunteer boards, coordinating with Philanthropic Engagementcolleagues to ensure the timely disbursement of endowment reports. This position is also responsible for arranging and coordinatinglogistics for donors and prospects visiting campus, and forensuring appropriate donor recognition in University collateral,media and during events.

This position reports to the Director of Alumni Engagement andDonor Stewardship, and works closely with Advancement Services, theVice President and Associate Vice President for PhilanthropicEngagement, the Office of the President, and other alumni-facing ordonor-facing University stakeholders. This position also supervisesa Philanthropic Engagement Specialist.

The incumbent will seek out opportunities to integrate student andalumni ambassador participation into departmentalinitiatives.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serves as a primary coordinator of University cultivating andstewarding efforts.
• Ensures consistent and accurate communication with donors,prospective donors, and alumni, as well as timely follow up.
• Contributes to the planning and organization of events andactivities presented by the Division of Philanthropic Engagement tomaximize philanthropic and stewardship outcomes.
• Collaborates with the Office of the President and theUniversity’s Conference Services and Events department to organizeactivities involving high-level donors, prospects, alumni and otherkey University stakeholders.
• Serves as the administrative liaison to the President’s Board ofVisitors.
• Ensures the timely production of letters, postcards, and fiscalreporting of donor-initiated funds and other written collateral asneeded.
• Works within the Division of Philanthropic Engagement structureto monitor and steward giving societies with commensuraterecognition for qualifying donors.
• Executes the public recognition of the personal or professionalmilestones of constituents, donors and University friends.
• Participates in the University’s activities to honor donors, asappropriate, including, but not limited to, naming opportunities,awards, permanent signage and plaques.
• Liaises with the Bowie State University Foundation, the Office ofPrivate Scholarships and the Director of Advancement Services toensure the accurate allocation, awarding and reporting ofdonor-initiated scholarships. Formulate and implement interactionand engagement between student awardees and theirbenefactors.
• Documents tasks performed in the University’s donor database andother platforms as appropriate.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher
• Work experience directly engaging with internal and externalcustomers is required.
• Experience in donor or alumni relations, fundraising, eventplanning, or comparable experience in a corporate customer-serviceor fulfillment setting.
• Ability to represent the University, the Division and the Officeof Alumni Engagement and Stewardship to externalstakeholders.
• Proven ability to write and speak persuasively with a high degreeof professional acumen and situational awareness.
• Proficiency in compiling, entering and using data to directactivities.
• As a member of the Philanthropic Engagement team, must be willingto work extended or nontraditional hours (nights and weekends) asneeded, specifically related to events sponsored by the Office ofAlumni Engagement and Stewardship and/or the Division ofPhilanthropic Engagement.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:

• Commitment to the highest standards of customer service andprofessionalism.
• Self-starting, conscientious, student centered andcustomer-oriented problem solver.
• Excellent organizational skills; able to manage multiple projectsand competing deadlines. Demonstrated ability to manage overlappingplanning timelines with high attention to details.
• Superlative communication and personal interaction skills
• Ability to engage and activate a diverse alumni and donor base,with the ability to develop and sustain processes designed to cultivate lasting relationships forthe University.
• Ability to work in a close and collaborative way with otherPhilanthropic Engagement staff or members of the Universitycommunity including alumni, donors, faculty and students.

Additional Job Information:

Benefits include medical, dental, prescription, long-termdisability, accidental death and dismemberment insurance and lifeinsurance; paid time for paid sick leave, annual leave, andpersonal leave; 12 paid holidays per year, tuition remission;employer-funded pension and supplemental retirementaccounts.

Bowie State University shall not discriminate against anyindividual on the basis of race, color, religion, age, ancestry ornational origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, maritalstatus or veteran status. All policies, programs, and activities ofBowie State University are and shall be in conformity with allpertinent Federal and state laws of nondiscrimination including,but not limited to: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, asamended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the EqualPay Act of 1963, the Age Discrimination Act, Sections 503 and 504of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with DisabilitiesAct of 1990, Federal Executive Order No. 11375, and Article 49B ofthe Annotated Code of Maryland. This commitment applies in allareas and embraces faculty, staff, and students.

Equal opportunity of access to academic and related programs shallbe extended to all persons. Bowie State University shall have asits firm objective equal opportunity in recruitment and hiring,rate of pay, all other promotions, training, retention anddismissals, for all employees and applicants for employment. TheUniversity will stress equal access for employees and applicantsfor employment to all programs and services provided by theUniversity both on and off campus. The University will also provideequal opportunity and an atmosphere of nondiscrimination withrespect to women and members of minority groups in all itsoperations. In addition, the University shall promote equalopportunity and equal treatment through a positive and continuingAffirmative Action Program.

The University makes, and will continue to make, reasonableaccommodations to promote the employment of qualified individualswith disabilities and disabled veterans, unless such accommodationswould impose an undue hardship on the University's business.

In addition, employees and applicants will not be subjected toharassment, intimidation, threats, coercion, or discriminationbecause they have engaged in, or may have engaged in, activitiessuch as filing a complaint, assisting or participating in aninvestigation, compliance review or hearing, or opposing any act orpractice made unlawful, or exercising any other right protected bySection 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended or theVietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, asamended.