Donor Relations Specialist

Suna Solutions; La Verne (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Suna Solutions is seeking a meticulous Donor Relations Specialist to support donor stewardship across programs. You will collaborate with Advancement Strategy, Development Officers, Deans, and campus partners to craft timely, meaningful acknowledgments and engagement touchpoints.

In this role, you will manage the Named Scholarship Program, coordinate communications with financial aid, admissions, and academic departments, and ensure accurate reporting and donor engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education/experience.
• 2+ years in advancement, fundraising, or donor relations in higher education.
• Strong written communication and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate donor acknowledgment and stewardship activities with campus stakeholders.
• Prepare timely, personalized donor correspondence and stewardship communications.
• Ensure communications comply with IRS regulations and donor standards.
• Collaborate with Deans, faculty, and officers to create donor touchpoints.
• Maintain accuracy and confidentiality of donor information.
• Support continuous improvement of stewardship practices.

Skills

Excellent written communication

Proofreading

Attention to detail

Interpersonal skills

Project management

MS Office (Word, Excel)

PowerPoint

Collaboration

Donor relations

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

We are seeking a detail-oriented and highly organized Donor Relations Specialist to support the Client’s ongoing donor stewardship program. This role will work closely with Advancement Strategy and Services, Development Officers, Deans, faculty, and other campus stakeholders to ensure donors receive timely, meaningful, and appropriate acknowledgment and engagement.

The Donor Relations Specialist will also play a key role in managing the Client’s Named Scholarship Program, collaborating with Financial Aid, Finance, Admissions, and academic departments to coordinate scholarship recipients, donor communications, reporting, and stewardship activities.

Key Responsibilities

Donor Stewardship & Acknowledgment – 60%

• Coordinate and execute the Client’s donor acknowledgment and stewardship activities in collaboration with Development Officers, Advancement Strategy and Services, and campus stakeholders.
• Prepare and coordinate timely, accurate, and personalized donor correspondence, including gift acknowledgment letters, thank-you cards, birthday cards, student thank-you notes, and other stewardship communications.
• Ensure donor communications are consistent with IRS regulations, the Donor Bill of Rights, Client policies, and current donor stewardship best practices.
• Work with Deans, faculty, Development Officers, and other stakeholders to gather appropriate information and create meaningful donor touchpoints.
• Maintain a high level of accuracy, professionalism, confidentiality, and attention to detail when handling donor information and correspondence.
• Support continuous improvement of donor stewardship practices and processes.

Named Scholarship Program – 40%

• Coordinate and support the administration of the Client’s Named Scholarship Program.
• Collaborate with Financial Aid, Finance, Admissions, and academic departments to oversee the selection and communication of named scholarship recipients.
• Assist with the administration and reporting of endowed scholarship funds.
• Facilitate communication between scholarship donors and recipients while ensuring a positive experience for both parties.
• Develop and coordinate meaningful touchpoints and engagement opportunities between scholarship recipients and donors.
• Assist with scholarship stewardship events, meetings, and related donor engagement activities.
• Track scholarship-related information and ensure required communications and reporting are completed accurately and on time.
• Work cross-functionally with campus partners to resolve issues and ensure smooth administration of scholarship programs.

Qualifications

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Required Experience

• Minimum 2 years of experience in advancement, fundraising, donor relations, or a related function within higher education.
• At least 2 years of demonstrated experience with professional writing, correspondence, or content development.
• Experience working in a professional environment requiring strong organization, attention to detail, and confidentiality.

Required Knowledge & Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong proofreading, editing, and professional correspondence skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational abilities.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Development Officers, faculty, administrators, students, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and projects independently.
• Strong judgment and discretion when handling sensitive donor and student information.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Excel.
• Working knowledge of PowerPoint and familiarity with design or graphic-design tools is preferred.
• Ability to understand and follow University policies, donor stewardship standards, and applicable regulations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with donor relations or stewardship programs in a higher education environment.
• Experience working with scholarship programs, endowed funds, or student financial aid.
• Familiarity with fundraising/advancement operations and donor databases.
• Experience coordinating donor events, meetings, or engagement programs.
• Experience creating visually engaging donor communications or materials.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT:

Suna Solutions provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Applicants, with criminal histories, are considered in a manner that is consistent with local, state, and federal laws.

REQUESTING AN ACCOMODATION

Suna Solutions is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities or religious observances, including reasonable accommodation when needed. If you are hired by Suna Solutions and require accommodation to perform the essential functions of your role, you will be asked to participate in our reasonable accommodation process. Accommodations made to facilitate the recruiting process are not a guarantee of future or continued accommodations once hired.

If you would like to be considered for employment opportunities with Suna Solutions and have accommodation needs for a disability or religious observance, please call us at 1 [phone], send us an email or speak with your recruiter.

PAY TRANSPARENCY POLICY STATEMENT

Compensation for roles at Suna Solutions varies depending on a wide array of factors including but not limited to the specific client, office or remote location, role, skill set and level of experience. As required by local law, Suna Solutions provides a reasonable pay scale to include the hourly or salary range that Suna Solutions reasonably expects to pay for roles that may be hired in California, Colorado, New York City or Washington as set forth below.