Director, Stewardship and Donor Relations

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Benefits of Being a Lindenwood Employee:

• Upon hire, employer-paid tuition benefits for bachelor’s (employee, spouse, and dependent) and master’s degree programs (employee and spouse only).
• Tuition discounts for doctoral programs (employee only).
• Comprehensive benefits plan: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, and retirement options.
• Paid holidays: MLK Jr. day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving break (Wednesday – Friday), and winter break (Dec. 23 – Jan. 1).
• Free lunch Fridays: LU employees are eligible for a free meal on Fridays at the Evans Commons Dining Hall or Spellman Dining Hall; Chick-fil-A and Qdoba included.
• Professional development opportunities through the Lindenwood Learning Academy.

Job Title: Director, Stewardship and Donor Relations

Division: University Advancement

Evaluation Group: Staff

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports To: Associate Vice President, Advancement Operations

Positions Supervised: N/A

The director, stewardship and donor relations at Lindenwood University, this role is an important partner in the strategic management of the university's relationships with its donors. The director leads the development and execution of a short-term and long-range stewardship and donor relations program, inclusive of acknowledgment processes, stewardship plans, a centralized stewardship program, impact and fund reporting, donor engagement opportunities, and donor recognition programs. By creating and improving standards, procedures, and tools, this position ensures a comprehensive, strategic, data-driven, and donor-centered stewardship program that fosters and sustains long-term, meaningful relationships with the university.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representation of the types of duties and level of responsibility that will be required of positions given this title. This job description shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Job Responsibilities and Execution

• Oversees all aspects of donor recognition, acknowledgment, and stewardship of philanthropic gifts designed to strengthen retention and long-term investment
• Develops and executes strategic comprehensive stewardship plans to engage current and prospective donors and cultivate future gifts
• Meets regularly with advancement colleagues to discuss gift mechanics, confirm donor intent, and foster long-term philanthropic relationships
• Identifies target populations for mass communications while partnering with major gift officers to generate personalized, creative stewardship solutions for key pipeline and principal donors
• Facilitates meaningful, direct connections between donors and fund beneficiaries, such as scholarship recipients and faculty appointees, through specialized communications and in-person engagements
• Directs donor-centric events, including scholarship receptions, exclusive donor engagement events, and donor appreciation celebrations
• Collaborates with communications to center our donors in University storytelling, highlighting donor impact in print, video, social media, online, and at events
• Audits and manages gift funds to ensure strict alignment with both donor intent and institutional priorities, facilitating in-person meetings as needed with donors, major gift officers, and academic leaders to negotiate, formalize, and document fund amendments as necessary
• Establishes efficient workflows, performance metrics, data tracking, and reporting utilizing Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT to continuously track stewardship productivity, support campaign targets, and evaluate donor engagement
• Collaborates continuously with central advancement teams, department heads, and front-line fundraisers to determine and implement industry best practices across the division
• Travels to regional events, conferences, and donor meetings as necessary, which may include occasional evening and weekend engagements
• Performs other relevant duties assigned to advance the strategic goals of the division

Service Excellence

• Champions a culture of donor-centered service excellence by delivering timely, accurate, and personalized responses to all donor inquiries and internal stakeholder requests
• Maintains the highest standard of discretion, integrity, and professionalism when handling sensitive donor profiles, financial data, and confidential materials
• Anticipates the needs of university leadership, major gift officers, and external constituents to ensure a seamless and exceptional donor experience across all touchpoints
• Supports the mission of the University and serves as an ambassador of the Q2 culture of service excellence
• Models, supports, and holds others accountable to the University’s values

Communication, Teamwork, and Collaboration

• Advises division leaders on donor relations and stewardship
• Collaborates with advancement colleagues to ensure excellent stewardship and donor relations that results in a growth of philanthropic investments in the institution
• Provides leadership to campus constituents on current, effective stewardship and donor relations best practices

Job may require other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications – An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered. Additional requirements may be designated by position.

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of three years of stewardship, donor relationship, advancement, or similar experience
• Demonstrated marketing or communications experience
• Experience in a higher education or not-for-profit environment
• Proficiency with project management preferred
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge or similar CRM preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities – May be representative, but not all inclusive, of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform this job competently.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures
• Demonstrated ability to effectively build relationships and alliances with internal and external audiences
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
• Knowledge of the field’s best and current concepts, practices, and procedures
• Skilled in providing attention to detail
• Empathetic listener with corresponding excellence in verbal and written communication
• Ability to maintain accuracy under time pressure with multiple priorities and deadlines
• Ability to provide discretion with confidential information

Work Environment – Environmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of this job’s functions. Please click here to view Lindenwood University’s flexible work designation descriptions

• Flexible work environment consisting of regular in-office and remote workdays as assigned by supervisor
• Occasional night and weekend work
• Occasional travel to other regions for advancement work may be required
• Standard Flex

Physical Abilities – The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform this job’s essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Ability to work effectively at a computer for extended time daily
• Ability to sit/stand for extended periods of time
• Ability to lift/carry items commonly found in an office setting including, but not limited to, documents, laptops, keyboards, etc.
• Ability to use repetitive wrist, hand, and finger movements to type regularly
• Regular attendance is a necessary and essential function

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lindenwood University is an Equal Opportunity employer. The University complies with appropriate federal, state, and local laws and provides equal employment opportunities and access to educational programs without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected status to all qualified applicants and employees. Lindenwood University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and dedicated to providing a positive discrimination-free educational work environment.