Senior Associate Director of Donor Communications
Senior Associate Director of Donor Communications
Position Title:
Senior Associate Director of Donor Communications
Position Type:
Regular
Hiring Range:
$96,600-$115,200.00 commensurate with experience.
Pay Frequency:
Annual
OVERVIEW
University Relations builds Santa Clara University's excellence and character by strengthening relations with alumni, parents, and friends of the University, raising public awareness, and increasing private philanthropy, which supports the University's growth and reputation.
The Office of Donor Relations and Communications within University Relations helps nurture lasting relationships between the University and those who support the institution with private gifts. Donor Relations and Communications develops content for frontline fundraisers that inspires philanthropic investment, and is an active advocate for donor interests. The team fosters the relationship between the University and its donors through proposal writing, gift acceptance and management, acknowledgement, recognition, donor/volunteer engagement, and reporting.
POSITION PURPOSE
Santa Clara University is seeking a talented and experienced Sr. Associate Director of Donor Communications to develop communications that support fundraising and campaign goals. This individual will manage the Assistant Director of Donor Communications. This team will deliver:
• Proposals and cases to support philanthropic investment
• Internal and external communications assistance to the CFR team
• Content for UMC storytelling and Alumni Relations teams
• Appeals and stewardship collateral for the Annual Fund gift acknowledgments and executive communications (for UR VP and president's office as needed)
• Select donor stewardship pieces
Reporting to the Director of Donor Relations and Communications, this position requires a thoughtful, proactive, and motivated professional with a proven track record in storytelling and persuasive writing, employee management and training, as well as project management, preferably in a development setting. The Sr. Associate Director will be responsible for managing and prioritizing a pipeline of writing requests from a team of major, parent, principal, and gift planning officers, and telling the story of SCU to engage philanthropic prospects and donors.
The successful candidate will be a donor-centric writer-editor, with expertise in strategic communications and an ability to leverage print and digital content platforms. He/She will gather the facts needed to create compelling and customized donor content and train/encourage/inspire staff to create sophisticated donor collateral.
This position is eligible for a flexible work schedule: hybrid - work from the office and home.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Functional Area
• Manages the Assistant Director of Donor Communications.
• Responsible for proposals and cases for support for gift prospects of $100k+, Annual Fund appeals and stewardship, donor stories and profiles, CFR internal/external communications support, donor stewardship reports for select major/principal donors, and the timely production of presidential and UR VP gift acknowledgements and general correspondence.
• Works closely with the Director of Donor Relations and Communications to set department goals and strategies to achieve and evaluate them.
• Performs independent research and/or conducts interviews with subject matter experts on campus to inform content under tight deadlines.
• Utilizes basic design skills/technology and outside contractors as needed to present visually compelling formats for proposals and cases for support.
• Mentors and provides resources to cross-train donor communications staff and creates guidelines and instruction manuals as needed.
• Responsible for determining cost-effective outside resources and training to ensure professional development and expand editorial skills (especially donor features and appeal writing) of staff.
• Manages the flow and priority of all writing requests.
• Incorporates feedback and manages reviews by various internal and external clients.
• Delivers drafts and final products on time.
• Ensures tone and style are consistent with SCU brand and style guidelines, and collaborates with University Marketing and Communications as needed.
• Ensures editorial quality, accuracy and consistency of all materials produced.
• Participates as an active member of the Office of Development, sharing information and collaborating with colleagues in a respectful and professional manner; contributing to a healthy and positive work environment.
• Actively engages in Santa Clara's mission and campus community to effectively tell SCU's story by regularly participating in activities on campus including donor and alumni events, Convocation and other annual faculty/staff/student activities, and other academic seminars, lectures, or SCU athletic events.
• Performs other duties as assigned in support of Santa Clara University's mission.
QUALIFICATIONS
The items below are representative of the knowledge, skills, abilities, education, and experience required or preferred.
This position requires the ability to effectively establish and maintain cooperative working relationships within a diverse multicultural environment.
To be considered for this role, please submit three writing samples with your cover letter and resume. Further samples will be requested as needed.
1. Knowledge
• Direct knowledge of persuasive storytelling and advancement communications trends, preferably in a development setting.
• Knowledge of higher education advancement preferred.
• Understanding and appreciation of the mission of Santa Clara University and the vision and values of a Jesuit Catholic educational institution.
• Experience managing staff, performing performance evaluations, and budgeting.
• Impeccable writing, editing, copyediting, and proofreading abilities.
• Experience working with creative teams, including contractors.
2. Skills
• Must possess experience in persuasive writing, including writing highly-customized pieces for high-level donors.
• Experience leading interviews and conducting individual research to tell a dynamic story.
• Must be able to train staff on a variety of writing tasks to ensure workflow continuity, such as interviewing skills, determining an angle, developing a consistent narrative/on-brand voice, working with technical content, writing in a donor-centric style.
• Flexibility in writing style, from personal and emotional communications to rational and fact-driven case statements.
• Ability to manage time and workload to achieve goals in a deadline driven environment.
• Must be a self-motivated individual who can demonstrate accountability, initiative, creativity, and focus in a rapidly changing and intellectually stimulating environment.
• Excellent technological skills: particularly Microsoft Office and Google software tools; database and web resources; and design and editing tools such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, and Canva. Knowledge of Blackbaud CRM database a plus. Willingness to learn new software as needed.
3. Abilities
• A high level of comfort working and communicating with a wide range of University leadership, staff, and faculty.
• Genuine appetite to contribute to a collaborative, ethical, and professional team environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to lead, collaborate, build alliances, and achieve results within a population that may possess competing interests, opinions, and /or expectations.
• Focused on confidentiality and discretion both as relates to donor information and sensitive information in the office.
• Active listening skills and ability to negotiate positive outcomes.
• Positive attitude, sense of humor and flexibility.
4. Education
• Bachelor's degree required.
5. Years of Experience
• Eight to ten years of professional experience as a proposal writer in a development setting, or equivalent years of transferrable writing experience from other settings.
• Valid U.S. driver's license required.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, the California Fair Employment & Housing Act, and all other applicable laws, SCU provides reasonable accommodations for qualified persons with disabilities. A qualified individual is a person who meets skill, experience, education, or other requirements of the position, and who can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Considerable time is spent at a desk using a computer and phone.
• Required to travel to other buildings on the campus.
• May be required to attend conference and training sessions within Bay Area or in-state or out-of-state locations.
G. WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described below are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
• Typical office environment.
• Mostly indoor office environment with windows.
• Offices with equipment noise.
• Offices with frequent interruptions.
EEO Statement
Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity employer. For a complete copy of Santa Clara University's equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies, see http://www.scu.edu/title-ix/policies-reports/
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Santa Clara University does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities on the basis of sex/gender, and prohibits retaliation against any person opposing discrimination or participating in any discrimination investigation or complaint process internally or externally. Information about Title IX can be found at http://www.scu.edu/title-ix. Inquiries can also be made to the Assistant Secretary of Education within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Clery Notice of Availability
Santa Clara University annually collects information about campus crimes and other reportable incidents in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. To view the Santa Clara University report, please go to the Campus Safety Services https://www.scu.edu/campus-safety/clery-act-compliance/ . To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at (408) 554-4441. The report includes the type of crime, venue, and number of occurrences.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Santa Clara University affirms its commitment to employ qualified individuals with disabilities within the workplace and to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. All applicants desiring an accommodation should contact the https://www.scu.edu/phonebook/Department-of-Human-Resources, and 408-554-5750 and request to speak to Indu Ahluwalia by phone at 408-554-5750 or by email at mailto:iahluwalia@scu.edu.
Telecommute
Santa Clara University is registered to do business in the following states: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. Employees approved to telecommute are required to perform their work within one of these states.
To view the full job posting and apply for this position, go to https://apptrkr.com/6002112
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