Principal Gifts Stewardship Strategist

Davidson College; Davidson (NC); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Davidson College is seeking a Senior Stewardship Advisor to lead personalized engagement with principal-level donors and prospects, translating generosity into impact narratives and forging strategic connections with campus leadership.

Reporting to the Director of Donor Relations, you will manage the top donor portfolio, ensure fund compliance, and craft bespoke stewardship plans. A hybrid work arrangement is offered, with in-office days and remote work as guidelines evolve.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5-7 years of progressive experience in donor relations, stewardship, development, or executive communications, ideally within higher education or complex non-profit environments.
• Exceptional written communication skills, with a proven ability to translate complex financial or programmatic data into warm, compelling narrative reports.
• Demonstrated experience using CRM systems (e.g., Blackbaud Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, etc.) to track donor touchpoints, pull portfolio data, and manage workflows.
• Superior organizational skills with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple high-stakes priorities simultaneously while maintaining meticulous attention to detail.
• Proven track record of diplomacy, discretion, and customer service when engaging with institutional leadership, principal-level donors, and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio and strategy management for a Top 200 priority list of principal-level donors and prospects.
• Monitor spending balances, distribution activities, and compliance for principal gift endowment and current-use funds.
• Collaborate with campus partners to gather stories and produce high-quality impact reports for major benefactors.
• Develop strategies to educate students and campus partners on the college's culture of philanthropy and connect with donors when needed.
• Maintain records for capital projects and facility renovations; build recognition plans for key contributors.
• Plan and execute bespoke donor events and experiences with leadership and campus events staff.
• Serve as the subject matter expert on high-end stewardship strategies for Principal and Major Gifts teams.
• Direct executive-level donor correspondence and campus-wide communications.
• Represent Donor Relations at campus events and build cross-departmental relationships to partner on stewardship.

Skills

Donor relations

Written communication

CRM experience

Project management

Relationship building

Tools

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge

Salesforce

Job description

Davidson College is seeking a Senior Stewardship Advisor to lead personalized engagement with principal-level donors and prospects, translating generosity into impact narratives and forging strategic connections with campus leadership.

Reporting to the Director of Donor Relations, you will manage the top donor portfolio, ensure fund compliance, and craft bespoke stewardship plans. A hybrid work arrangement is offered, with in-office days and remote work as guidelines evolve.