Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship

Candidates must have valid U.S. work authorization at the time of application; UNC cannot provide H-1B sponsorship at this time.

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on 04/24/2026.

Position Summary:

The Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship is a member of the university’s centralized development team, responsible for leading the strategy, design, execution, and ongoing evaluation of a comprehensive, university-wide donor relations and stewardship program to express gratitude to donors and demonstrate the impact of their philanthropy at UNC.

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Development, the Director operates in a highly collaborative advancement environment where positional leadership supports divisional and university-wide goals. This role develops and advances integrated stewardship frameworks that foster long-term, meaningful relationships while ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and campaign objectives.

The Director oversees key stewardship initiatives, including fund stewardship and scholarship alignment with donor intent, principal and transformational gift stewardship, donor recognition societies, public namings, and campaign engagement strategy. The role establishes benchmarks and assessment tools to ensure programs are effective, scalable, and reflective of industry best practices, while advancing integrated frameworks that strengthen long-term donor relationships and support the major gift pipeline.

In close partnership with Development colleagues, university leadership, and the UNC Foundation, the Director leads segmented and personalized engagement strategies that showcase philanthropic impact, strengthen donor relationships, and support the major gift pipeline. As a visible representative of Advancement, the Director models high standards of professionalism, communication, inclusivity, and accountability—serving as both an internal strategist and external ambassador who fosters a culture of gratitude and sustained philanthropic support across the university throughout the campaign lifecycle and beyond.

Job Duties:

40%: Develop and implement comprehensive donor stewardship processes
-Design and execute a comprehensive, segmented donor stewardship strategy that strengthens donor retention and deepens engagement through meaningful and timely acknowledgment, recognition, and impact communication.
-Provide institutional oversight of public donor recognition (namings), establishing standards and ensuring brand consistency across campus.
-Lead the strategic evolution of donor recognition societies, designing scalable engagement frameworks and content that systematically deepen donor affinity and demonstrate institutional impact
-Establish performance benchmarks and evaluation metrics to assess program effectiveness, inform data-driven decision-making, and guide continuous improvement.

20%: Fund Stewardship and Scholarship Administration
-Provide strategic leadership, in partnership with the UNC Foundation, campus partners, and Development, to ensure responsible and mission-aligned utilization of donor-gifted funds.
-Partner closely with the Office of Financial Aid and the Donor Relations Coordinator to help ensure donor-funded scholarships are awarded in alignment with donor intent, proactively addressing discrepancies and troubleshooting as needed, and supporting a coordinated, high-impact gratitude strategy.
-Lead the development and execution of the annual Endowment and Stewardship Report, serving as the central liaison among stakeholders to ensure accuracy, alignment, and compelling impact storytelling.

15%: Principal donor stewardship
-Lead bespoke stewardship and engagement efforts for the university’s most transformational philanthropic investments.
-Collaborate with Development and University Leadership to develop and implement personalized engagement and stewardship -plans that clearly demonstrate the unique impact of the generosity of UNC’s most committed supporters.

15% Lead campaign engagement and stewardship strategy
-Serve as the strategic lead for campaign-wide major gift donor engagement and stewardship planning, ensuring alignment with overall campaign objectives and priorities.
-Develop and implement an integrated campaign stewardship framework that advances donor momentum, strengthens relationships, and reinforces campaign case messaging.
-Collaborate with Development team, UNC Events team, Advancement division, University Leadership, and campus partners to coordinate meaningful engagement opportunities throughout the campaign lifecycle.
-Define and monitor campaign stewardship success metrics to evaluate effectiveness and optimize strategy in real time.

10% Mentor and collaborate closely with the Donor Relations Coordinator.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

Experience: Minimum of three years of experience in development, donor relations, member-relations, or related field. Preferred experience in higher education.

Ability:
-Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse internal and external audiences.
-Demonstrated ability to develop, implement, and adapt data-informed, comprehensive strategies with strong execution and measurable outcomes.
-Proven capacity to manage multiple, complex, and concurrent projects with impeccable attention to detail and consistent follow-through.
-Strong strategic thinker who is energized by program development, execution, and data analysis, and open to exploring innovative approaches to stewardship.
-Broad understanding of educational fundraising principles and donor stewardship best practices.
-Ability to navigate complex organizational environments and collaborate effectively across varying leadership and management styles.
-Skilled in building trust-based relationships with a wide range of stakeholders while maintaining diplomacy and professionalism.
-Demonstrated analytical ability to interpret data, identify trends, and translate insights into actionable strategies.
-Solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to anticipate challenges, troubleshoot effectively, and adapt to change.
-High level of discretion and professionalism in handling confidential and sensitive information.
-Experience managing financial and operational resources responsibly and effectively.
-Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and donor/prospect database systems.
-Consistently demonstrates a poised, professional demeanor and a passion for creating meaningful, inspiring donor experiences.
-Ability and willingness to travel and work evenings and weekends as needed.

Benefits:
Benefits available include health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance, as well as a selection of several defined contribution retirement plans for all full-time positions. Employees at UNC receive sick leave, and other leave options may be available based on position. Full-time employees are eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits, as well as dependents and spouses of UNC Employees who are employed at 0.5 FTE or above are eligible for undergraduate dependent tuition grants of up to 50%. These tuition grants will cover in-state tuition charges. Further requirements may exist. Other benefits may be available based on position.

About UNC
The University of Northern Colorado is a public doctoral/research institution located in Greeley, Colorado. UNC’s commitment to education began in 1889 and continues to be a transformational force for our students. Recognized as a top university for social mobility, UNC is proud to be a Hispanic Serving Institution and to serve more than 44%  of our undergraduates who are the first in their family to attend college.  UNC is also committed to providing our faculty and staff with the support they need to succeed as professionals, educators, and in life. Please visit UNC’s Career Hub, to learn more about UNC’s strategic plan, school programs, and employee benefits. Go Bears!

EEO Statement
The University of Northern Colorado offers an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the UNC community. In accordance with federal and state law, UNC prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, and/or veteran status. UNC also prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, and gender expression. Retaliation against persons who oppose a discriminatory practice, file a charge of discrimination, or testify for, assist in, or participate in an investigative proceeding relating to discrimination is prohibited. Constitutionally protected expression will not be considered discrimination or harassment under this policy. It is the responsibility of all departments, employees, and students to ensure UNC’s compliance with this policy.

ADA Accommodations
The University of Northern Colorado is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to 970-351-2718 or human.resources@unco.edu. 

Background Check
Satisfactory completion of a background check, educational check, and authorization to work in the United States is required after a conditional offer of employment has been made. The successful candidate must submit original transcripts within one (1) month of hire.

This position is contingent on funding from the Colorado State Legislature, approval by the Board of Trustees, and subject to the policies and regulations of the University of Northern Colorado.

Clery Act
In compliance with the Clery Act, the most recent University of Northern Colorado Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online. A paper copy can be requested at the UNC Police Department. This report contains crime statistics and policy statements related to safety, conduct processes and Title IX investigations.