Associate Director, Donor Relations Experience

Vanderbilt University is seeking a highly motivated and experienced individual for the Associate Director of Donor Experience. This role focuses on Vanderbilt’s university-wide donor recognition programs and giving societies. Its primary responsibilities in this space include project management, strategy development, and collaborative execution of donor engagement efforts that unify brand, messaging, and touchpoints. This key role is part of a dynamic donor relations team that thinks creatively and executes donor centric activities to effectively engage supporters and drive fundraising results. 

About the Work Unit: 

The Department of Development and Alumni Engagement (DAR) assists Vanderbilt University in securing the resources, both human and financial, that are required to achieve its mission and goals. The Department is responsible for the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individuals and organizations whose charitable objectives are consistent with those of Vanderbilt University’s teaching and research programs.  You can find more information at www.vanderbilt.edu/dar/

Key Functions and Expected Performance: 

• Strategy Development: Support and collaborate with the Senior Director, Donor Experience by requesting and developing reports that provide data-driven insights to assist with business decisions, create and implement ongoing reporting practices to track progress, and help hone donor engagement strategies with a focus on growing leadership annual giving, enhancing donor retention, and driving upgrades to grow the major gift pipeline. 

• One Vanderbilt Society: Execute tactical plan of the giving society including communications (web and print), recognition opportunities, and engagement opportunities (locally and across the country) to acknowledge and steward donors who make leadership annual gifts ($2,500 up to six-figures) across any area of the university.

• Sarratt Society: Execute tactical plan of the giving society including communications (web and print), recognition opportunities, and engagement opportunities (locally and across the country) to acknowledge and steward donors who make planned gifts to any area across the university.
   

• Collaboration: Work flexibly across the team and department to develop projects from pulling data to building creative briefs and executing multifaceted campaigns to engage donors. Tackle these projects with flexibility and openness to collaborate widely to unify donor engagement efforts across schools/colleges, annual giving, and gift planning. 

• Surprise and Delight: Identify and execute creative outreach strategies and plans that engage donors through communications, content, and unexpected gifts, that go beyond a transactional, give-to-get mindset deepening their connection to the university. 

• Support Frontline Fundraising: Create and maintain materials and tools that are easily deployed among frontline fundraising teams to inform, solicit, and steward donors, drawing from all schools and university priority areas. 

• Integrated Events: Partner with other teams to integrate donor recognition and giving society messaging and branding into existing efforts around fundraising campaigns, Reunions, and virtual programming to recognize and engage donors, provide immersive content experiences, and deepen connections. Additionally, develop, organize, and execute giving society events in priority markets to provide meaningful experiences for donors. 

• Dashboards, Processes, Reporting: Pull regular reports, maintain CRM updates and leverage dashboards to track and articulate the impact around leadership annual giving across the university; serve as a team member on working groups tasked with the development of new reports and dashboards.
   

• Impact Storytelling: Work across school and unit lines to facilitate the creation of compelling impact stories that enrich donor recognition and giving society content and provide a framework for personalized donor stewardship at scaled giving levels with an emphasis on the top 20 giving allocations for leadership annual giving donors. 

Job responsibilities listed herein are intended to be a thorough representation of the duties, responsibilities, expectations, and qualifications for this specific role at the time of hire but should not be considered all-encompassing as actual responsibilities may evolve to include additional duties as assigned based on organizational and operational needs.

Work Environment: 

The position is located in Nashville, you can expect a hybrid work environment where you will work in the office one day per week, or more depending on business needs.

This position will routinely be required to work night, weekends, and travel for events.

Supervisory Relationships: 

This position reports administratively and functionally to Senior Director for Donor Experience and does not have any management responsibilities. 

Education and Certifications: 

Bachelor’s degree, or the equivalent, is necessary. 

Experience and Skills: 

The Associate Director, Donor Experience must be a polished development professional who understands the value of high-quality, thoughtful donor engagement to drive sustainable fundraising success. Leading candidates should have: 

• Four or more years of experience, or the equivalent, in a related field with a proven track record of managing complex programs, campaigns, or development activities is required. 

• Relevant experience in stewardship, marketing, communications, annual giving, alumni relations, and/or events is highly preferred. Individuals with experience outside of higher ed who have proven excellence in their respective career fields, and have demonstrated the ability to transfer those knowledge, skills, and abilities to the needs of a dynamic development and donor relations team will be considered. 

• Strong understanding of development strategies and practices. 

• Excellent communication skills: strong writing, editing, and an interest in expressing and demonstrating impact. 

• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills with the ability to provide updates to university leadership, interact with donors/prospects as needed, and comfort in leading meetings and facilitating conversation internally and externally. 

• Top-notch organizational skills, experience managing complex projects simultaneously, and a consistent record meeting deadlines. Ability to work independently, take initiative, manage multiple projects simultaneously, meet deadlines, and adapt to ever-changing priorities. 

• Demonstrated success in working across teams and disciplines – facilitating solutions and driving forward priorities. 

• Creative curiosity; interest in brainstorming and problem-solving, but also gathering information and distilling it to actionable recommendations to build out detailed plans. 

• Good judgment in the handling of confidential information.

• Familiarity with Vanderbilt and/or solid understanding of a major research university environment is preferred. 

• The capacity to perform in an intellectually rigorous and complex academic environment. 

• Values the importance of equity as an organizational operating principle and is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. 

• Some evening and weekend work, as needed. 

If you are passionate about education, curious about what motivates donors to give back, are a self-starter and natural collaborator, we invite you to apply for this exciting opportunity!