Donor Relations Officer, Annual Giving

Wheaton College of Massachusetts; Norton (MA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Wheaton College in Norton, MA seeks a Donor Relations Officer, Annual Giving to develop impact communications and donor experiences that demonstrate philanthropy’s impact and strengthen engagement.

Under the Manager of Donor Communications and Stewardship, you will design and manage a stewardship program for annual donors and collaborate with Advancement Marketing to produce newsletters, videos, and web features.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and 1-3 years related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• General understanding of the donor lifecycle, annual giving societies, loyalty programs, and higher education campaign priorities.
• Proficiency in advancement databases (e.g., Raiser’s Edge) to track donor activity, query data, and monitor retention metrics.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and manage a stewardship program that acknowledges, recognizes and celebrates annual donors, including first-time and loyal donors.
• Create and distribute impact reports highlighting financial aid/scholarships, Life and Career Design, Athletics, and other priorities.
• Coordinate with Advancement Marketing and Communications to draft stewardship content (newsletters, videos, web features, social media).
• Coordinate student scholarship testimonials and monitor donor retention and engagement trends to improve stewardship.
• Plan and execute donor appreciation events and produce financial activity reports in collaboration with related officers.

Skills

Donor relations

Storytelling

Event planning

Adobe Creative Suite

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Raiser’s Edge

InDesign

Illustrator

Photoshop

MyEmma

Job description

Wheaton is a leading private, coeducational, liberal arts collegeof 1800 students located in Norton, MA and within easy commutingdistance of Boston and Providence.

Posting Details

Posting Number: 0601339

Position Title: Donor Relations Officer, Annual Giving

FLSA: Exempt

Job Type: Full-Time

Staff Term: 12 Months

Staff Work Schedule (hours/dates): 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday to Friday

Academic Year Schedule (dates): 12 months

Faculty Term: 

Position Type: Staff

Department: College Advancement

Job Summary/Basic Function:

The Donor Relations Officer, Annual Giving develops impactcommunications and donor experiences that demonstrate the impact ofphilanthropy, strengthen donor engagement, and support retention.The office plays a vital role in nurturing the relationship betweenthe College and its annual donors. The position is responsible fordesigning, implementing, and managing a stewardship program thatacknowledges, recognizes and celebrates annual donors, includingfirst-time donors and loyal consecutive-year donors.

With support from the Manager of Donor Communications andStewardship, create and distribute compelling impact reportshighlighting financial aid/scholarships, Life and Career Design(Experiential Learning Opportunities), Athletics, and other keyannual college priorities.

Manage logistics, communications and benefits for the College’sannual giving societies and loyalty programs, including the 1834Society and Mary Lyon Leadership Society. Collaborate withAdvancement Marketing and Communications to draft inspiringstewardship content, including newsletters, impact videos, webfeatures, and social media spotlight pieces

Coordinate student scholarship recipient testimonials inconjunction with the Donor Relations Officer, Leadership Giving.Monitor donor retention and engagement trends to evaluatestewardship effectiveness and identify opportunities to strengthendonor loyalty

Plan and execute small to mid-sized donor appreciation events forkey donors as part of the College’s broader campaign priorities.Produce financial activity reports in conjuction with the DonorRelations Officer, Leadership Giving

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree and 1-3 years related experience experience orequivalent combination of education and experience isrequired.
• General understanding of the donor lifecycle, annual givingsocieties, loyalty programs, and higher education campaignpriorities.
• Proficiency in advancement databases (e.g., Raiser’sEdge) to track donor activity, query data, and monitor retentionmetrics.
• Knowledge of endowment fund structures, restricted vs.unrestricted funds, financial activity statements, and scholarshipadministration.
• End-to-end knowledge of event planning, catering logistics, vendorcontracts, and VIP donor protocol for small to mid-sizedevents.
• Exceptional written and visual storytelling skills across variousmediums, including impact reports, newsletters, video scripts, webcopy, and social media.
• Ability to evaluate stewardship program effectiveness, calculatedonor retention rates, interpret financial activity, and presentactionable quarterly reports to leadership.
• Strong organizational ability to handle multiple overlappingpublication schedules, student testimonial collections, and donorevents simultaneously.
• Skill in interviewing student scholarship recipients to draw outcompelling testimonials, and collaborating effectively across teams(Advancement Marketing, Leadership Giving, Annual Giving).
• Ability to work seamlessly with cross-departmental partners (e.g.,Student Support Services/Financial Aid, Athletics, the Life andCareer Design Institute) to gather impact data.
• High degree of tact when handling sensitive financial data, donorrecords, and student information.
• Meticulous accuracy in donor recognition lists, society benefitsfulfillment, and individual financial reporting.
• Ability to work with limited supervision to improve stewardshipworkflows and anticipate leadership reporting needs.
• Expected Travel: 1 – 3 times per year
• Performs all other duties and responsibilities as assigned ordirected by the supervisor. This may include attendance of andparticipation in required training for role.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Intermediate level of proficiency with Adobe Creative Suiteincluding InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop and also with thefollowing Communications Platforms – MyEmma and Advancement Systems(e.g. Raiser’s Edge NXT ).

Compensation and Benefits

To attract and retain the most talented individuals, WheatonCollege maintains a flexible and competitive staff compensation and benefits program.

When determining and establishing hiring rates or recruitmentranges for a position, the College considers a number of factorsincluding the budget for the position, the range of the grade, theexternal market for the position or similar positions, level andscope of responsibilities, required education, skills and relevantexperience as well as internal equity. All salary offers must havethe prior approval of the Office of Human Resources.

The anticipated hiring or recruitment range for thisposition is $60-$65K. The actual salary offered will becommensurate with the qualifications, education and experience ofthe candidate hired.

Physical Demands

Sitting, repetitive hand motion (such as typing), hearing,listening, talking and standing.Office environment/no specific orunusual physical or environmental demands.

ADA Statement

Individuals must possess these knowledges, skills and abilities orbe able to explain and demonstrate that the individual can performthe essential functions of the job, with or without reasonableaccommodation, using some other combination of skills andabilities.

Eeo Statement

Wheaton College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employerand does not discriminate against any individual or group on thebasis of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,age, race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status,genetic information, or disability. In a continuing effort tomaintain and enrich an intellectually diverse learning environment,the Department and the College actively encourages applicationsfrom women and members of underrepresented groups.

Posting Date:

10/09/2026

Open Until Filled

Yes

Contact(s):

508-286-8206

[e-mail]