The Associate Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship is a newly created role and an essential member of the advancement team. They shape the Law School (LAW) stewardship strategy and develop, implement, and support policies and processes for stewarding donors for life. They oversee and administer stewardship activities, bringing vision and creativity to LAW’s acknowledgment, recognition, and reporting functions. They implement strategies and systems to ensure high-quality and meaningful recognition of LAW’s top donors and appropriate stewardship of donated funds. They work effectively and collaboratively with senior management of LAW, fellow LAW advancement staff, and the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF). They function independently and exercise discretion in determining sophisticated and varied activities designed to celebrate the impact of philanthropy while motivating donors to continue and increase giving. 

This position reports to the Chief Advancement Officer.  Some limited regional travel may be required as well as occasional evening and weekend activities.  Salary is dependent on education and experience.  The majority of the work is in-person with some flexibility.

Job Responsibilities

Engagement and Communication (40%) 

• Creates meaningful, industry-leading experiences that bring together donors with faculty, staff, and students at the law school. This includes program design, timelines, project deliverables, and outcomes to ensure a positive experience for donors. 
• Envisions and plans all stewardship engagement activities on campus and in the communities where donors live. Examples include the annual Lockhart Club Dinner, top tier donor events, campaign recognition events, etc. 
• Represents LAW and Office of Advancement at stewardship and development events. 
• Ensures donors hear about scholarship recipients through one or more methods (e.g.: written communication, custom videos, and in-person meetings.) Manages the collection of student bios. Because direct contact between recipients and donors is a key component of stewardship, this is a vital part of the Associate Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship’s role. 
• Proactively identifies opportunities to communicate with donors and alumni. Writes personalized/customized correspondence to donors from the dean, chief advancement officer, major gift officers, and others as needed. 
• Produces videos and other collateral materials to demonstrate the impact of philanthropy, bringing to life the difference donors make in the lives of our students, faculty, and communities. 
• Writes gift announcements, donor stories, insider communications, and student stories to demonstrate impact and share campaign progress. Collaborates with communications staff in LAW and UMF. 
• Develops and manages stewardship-related content for LAW website.

Reporting and Recognition (35%) 

• Executes LAW’s fund reporting program for our highest-level donors. Creates and distributes custom stewardship reports and impact reports for high-value donors.
• Collaborates with the UMF Office of Donor Relations in the creation of stewardship reports for major donors. 
• In collaboration with UMF, manages the Report on Endowments process for LAW. 
• Writes special reports and produces video content for fund anniversaries and other milestones. 
• Conducts research necessary to create donor reports for endowed and specified demand funds including faculty chairs and professorships, fellowships, scholarships, awards, research funds, etc.
• Develops new approaches to reporting that go beyond printed statements, to include video and web updates and other experiences designed to showcase the impact of philanthropy. 
• Provides progress reports on stewardship goals. Evaluate stewardship success and identify efficiencies and improvements, as needed.
• Oversees recognition of major donors and annual donors, including donor walls.
• Partners with UMF on the enrollment of LAW donors in the Presidents Club. 
• Partners with the Annual Giving Team on leadership giving recognition, such as the Lockhart Club, a recognition society for donors who donate $2,000 or more to LAW annually.  

Project Management (25%) 

• Creates and participates in new and innovative ways to build meaningful relationships with donors. Develops and implements stewardship strategies for existing donors in permanent stewardship and to complement cultivation and solicitation efforts of development colleagues towards additional gifts.
• Directs the Impact of Giving Report project, while partnering closely with Law Communications staff on design and layout.
• Partners with LAW Communications staff to create stewardship content for Minnesota Law Magazine, Planned Giving Newsletter, and other print and online periodicals.
• Works with senior leaders to establish long and short-term plans for stewardship initiatives.
• Partners with Annual Giving Team to manage gift acknowledgments — including the dean’s acknowledgment correspondence — ensuring donors are thanked in timely, creative, and meaningful ways. Also serves as an expert resource for LAW’s Centers and Institutes who wish to create their own gift acknowledgments. 
• Ensures fellowship data is gathered from departments and creates strategy to steward fellowship gifts.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: 

• BA or BS with at least four years of relevant/related experience.
• Strong writing and proofreading skills.
• Strong project management skills. 
• Experience developing plans and programs.
• Ability to work independently, with strong problem-solving and decision-making skills. 
• Ability to interact effectively with a broad group of individuals, including dignitaries.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Proven experience in executing comprehensive and strategic donor relations and stewardship plans for both individual and corporate donors. 
• Experience using a donor or customer database and demonstrated database management skills.
• Understanding of the legal community and its history