Donor Relations Officer, Leadership Giving

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

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits program

Job summary

Wheaton College in Massachusetts seeks a Donor Relations Officer, Leadership Giving, to design and execute a personalized stewardship program for major donors and Board members. You will manage endowed fund reporting and craft bespoke communications that connect giving to tangible impact.

You will partner with frontline fundraisers, draft high-level letters, and coordinate donor recognition events and experiences that deepen engagement and future giving.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred in Communications, Marketing, Graphic Design, Creative Writing or English/Journalism and 1–3 years related experience.
• Knowledge of donor recognition and bespoke stewardship for high-net-worth donors.
• Ability to draft high-stakes correspondence and work with senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute a personalized, high-touch stewardship strategy for major donors and Board members.
• Oversee endowed fund reporting and pair data with impact stories for donor communications.
• Draft acknowledgement letters, milestone notes, and updates from senior leaders.
• Coordinate with frontline fundraisers to tailor stewardship plans for top donors.
• Plan exclusive donor events and manage donor recognition activities across campus.

Skills

Donor relations

Stewardship

Fundraising

Executive writing

Communications

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications/Marketing/English

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

InDesign

Illustrator

Photoshop

Raiser's Edge NXT

Job description

Donor Relations Officer, Leadership Giving

Below you will find the details for the position including any supplementary documentation and questions you should review before applying for the opening.

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

The federal government and the state of Massachusetts have made the decision to end the COVID-19 public health emergency. Effective June 1, 2023, the college will no longer require COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for members of our community. Rather, we strongly recommend that everyone stay up to date on their vaccinations, including boosters, as recommended by their health care provider.
While we will no longer require COVID-19 vaccinations, we strongly encourage members of our campus community to adhere to public health recommendations for vaccination to protect against COVID-19, as well as influenza and other diseases.

Posting Number:

Posting Number: 0601340

Position Title:

Position Title: Donor Relations Officer, Leadership Giving

FLSA:

FLSA: Exempt

Job Type:

Job Type: Full-Time

Staff Term:

Staff Term: 12 Months

Staff Work Schedule (hours/dates):

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

Academic Year Schedule (dates):

Academic Year Schedule (dates): 12 months

Faculty Term:

Position Type:

Position Type: Staff

Department:

Department: College Advancement

Job Summary/Basic Function:

The Donor Relations Officer, Leadership Giving designs and executes a highly personalized, high-touch stewardship strategy for the College’s major, principal, and planned gift donors ensuring the most generous supporters experience the profound impact of their philanthropy. The position is responsible for managing individualized stewardship plans for top-tier donors, overseeing endowed fund reporting processes, and crafting bespoke donor communications that deepen donor engagement and inspire future investments.
Serve as key partner for frontline fundraisers to develop, document, and execute customized stewardship plans for the College’s top donors, principal gift prospects, and members of the Board of Trustees. Draft high-level acknowledgement letters, milestone congratulatory notes, and updates from the College President, Vice President, and Associate Vice President for Individual Giving
Oversee the annual endowed fund reporting process. Coordinate with Finance and Student Financial Services to compile financial performance data, and pair it with narrative student/faculty impact stories for endowed funds (scholarships, professorships, academic programs).
Manage physical recognition on campus (plaques, naming opportunities, signage, memorial trees and benches) and organize intimate, personalized donor-recognition experiences around this type of recognition. Partner with the President’s Office to conceptualize and execute exclusive leadership donor events, such as endowed chair investitures, building dedications, or intimate presidential dinner
Collaborate directly with Advancement leadership to identify strategic stewardship opportunities that strengthen donor engagement and support future giving. Produce annual financial activity reports alongside the Donor Relations Officer, Annual Giving.
Performs all other duties and responsibilities as assigned or directed by the supervisor. This may include attendance of and participation in required training for role.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree preferably in Communications, Marketing, Graphic Design, Creative Writing or English/Journalism and minimum of1-3 years related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
General understanding of high-net-worth donor recognition, custom stewardship matrix design for top-tier philanthropists and Trustees.

In-depth knowledge of financial reporting mechanics, spending rates, payout calculations, and corpus performance, alongside working familiarity with higher education accounting, Financial Aid, and Registrar operations. Ability to master executive voice, institutional tone, and presidential protocol necessary to draft high-stakes correspondence for the President, Vice President, Associate Vice President, Senior Philanthropic Advisor, and Director of Leadership Giving.

Basic knowledge of physical recognition management, facility naming policies, plaque manufacturing/installation logistics, and campus master planning.

Skill in reverse-engineering stewardship into a cultivation tool—aligning updates, milestones, and donor updates directly with ongoing multi-million dollar solicitation strategies.

Capability to design high-touch, intimate donor experiences (e.g., presidential dinners, endowed chair investitures, building dedications) involving high-profile stakeholders.

Ability to manage complex annual reporting workflows for hundreds of distinct funds, blending rigorous quantitative financial data with qualitative impact storytelling.

Skill in negotiating with and managing relationships across senior administration, faculty, the President’s Office, Finance, and facilities personnel.

Ability to interact comfortably with high-net-worth individuals, Trustees, and senior campus leadership with composure, discretion, and polish.

Ability to act as a peer and consultative partner to frontline gift officers and to build and maintain scalable tracking systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

Intermediate proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite including InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop and the following Communications platforms: MyEmma and Advancement Systems (e.g. Raiser’s Edge NXT ).

Compensation and Benefits

To attract and retain the most talented individuals, Wheaton College maintains a flexible and competitive staff compensation and benefits program.
When determining and establishing hiring rates or recruitment ranges for a position, the College considers a number of factors including the budget for the position, the range of the grade, the external market for the position or similar positions, level and scope of responsibilities, required education, skills and relevant experience as well as internal equity. All salary offers must have the prior approval of the Office of Human Resources.
The anticipated hiring or recruitment range for this position is $60-$65K. The actual salary offered will be commensurate with the qualifications, education and experience of the candidate hired.

Physical Demands

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

ADA Statement:

Individuals must possess these knowledges, skills and abilities or be able to explain and demonstrate that the individual can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

Wheaton College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, or disability. In a continuing effort to maintain and enrich an intellectually diverse learning environment, the Department and the College actively encourages applications from women and members of underrepresented groups.
Wheaton’s core belief is that valuing diversity is pivotal to personal development, intellectual expansion, and societal equity. Our community is united by a shared dedication to equity and access that is essential to providing a transformative education in the Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Posting Date:

Posting Date: 10/09/2026

Closing Date:

Open Until Filled Yes

Contact(s):

Office of Human Resources

Contact Phone/Extension:

Contact Phone/Extension: 508-286-8206

Contact Email:

Contact Email: [e-mail]

Supplemental Questions

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