Senior Donor Communications Lead

Nashville Public Radio; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 77,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Pennsylvania's Wharton External Affairs seeks an Associate Director of Donor Communications, an executive-level writer who leads complex, high-impact donor communications projects. This role reports to the Development Communications Director and is a core member of the Donor Relations team within Wharton External Affairs, collaborating with alumni, partners, and university offices.

The role emphasizes persuasive writing, donor storytelling, and strategic collaboration to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 3–5 years of experience in development and principal giving communications, fundraising writing, or equivalent.
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience interacting effectively with administrative, faculty, and other organizational leadership.
• Exceptional writing, research, and editing skills with ability to adapt style and voice to varied audiences.
• High level of discretion for maintaining donor data confidentiality.
• Excellent project management with ability to meet multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience shaping communications strategy and collaborating with program executives.

Responsibilities

• Establish strong relationships to create compelling cases for support, proposals, and impact reports, guiding conversations with leadership to yield giving outcomes.
• Be a trusted partner to Development and Principal Gift colleagues on funding opportunities, gift structures, and storytelling strategies for six-figure gifts and above.
• Lead donor relations writing for impact reports on high-priority initiatives, applying editorial standards and donor intent.
• Coordinate with University-wide communications offices to announce principal gifts and promote donor stories across platforms.
• Create bespoke, personalized material for individual donors while advising on scalable content production for large donor audiences.
• Manage multiple high-profile projects in a high-volume environment while delivering exceptional content.
• Apply understanding of principal, major, corporate, and foundation giving to support fundraising goals.
• Function autonomously while mentoring writers and contributing to Donor Relations team.

Skills

Executive writing

Fundraising communications

Storytelling

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in development or related field

Job description

University of Pennsylvania's Wharton External Affairs seeks an Associate Director of Donor Communications, an executive-level writer who leads complex, high-impact donor communications projects. This role reports to the Development Communications Director and is a core member of the Donor Relations team within Wharton External Affairs, collaborating with alumni, partners, and university offices.

The role emphasizes persuasive writing, donor storytelling, and strategic collaboration to