Senior Director, Stewardship & Donor Relations

JOB TITLE

Senior Director, Stewardship & Donor Relations

LOCATION

Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME

Development & Communications Strategy

DIVISION NAME

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

Job Description Summary

The Senior Director, Stewardship and Donor Relations leads WPI's comprehensive donor stewardship strategy, ensuring every philanthropic investor experiences exceptional recognition, impact reporting, and ongoing engagement that deepens their connection to the university and inspires continued support. This senior leader designs and executes stewardship programs that demonstrate gratitude, communicate impact, and build lasting relationships with donors across all giving levels—from first-time annual fund supporters to principal gift investors. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President, Development Communications and Strategy, the Senior Director ensures stewardship is strategic, personalized, and seamlessly integrated with broader advancement communications and fundraising efforts. This role is critical to completing the Beyond These Towers campaign with strong donor retention and positioning WPI for sustained philanthropic success.

Job Description

Stewardship Strategy & Leadership (35%)

• Develop and implement comprehensive donor stewardship strategy aligned with fundraising goals, campaign priorities, and donor lifecycle engagement
• Design differentiated stewardship approaches by donor segment (major/principal gifts, leadership annual giving, planned gifts, corporate/foundation, first-time donors)
• Create personalized stewardship plans for top donors in partnership with gift officers, ensuring consistent touchpoints and meaningful impact reporting
• Establish stewardship standards, timelines, and accountability measures across advancement division
• Lead stewardship planning for campaign completion and transition to post-campaign donor retention strategies
• Partner with gift officers to ensure stewardship supports donor cultivation, retention, and upgrade pathways
  
  

Donor Recognition & Gratitude (25%)

• Oversee all donor recognition programs including gift acknowledgments, donor societies, naming opportunities, and public recognition
• Manage donor society programs (e.g., legacy society, campaign donor recognition) including membership criteria, benefits, events, and communications
• Ensure timely, personalized, and accurate gift acknowledgments that reflect donor intent and demonstrate genuine gratitude
• Coordinate presidential and leadership engagement in donor stewardship including thank-you calls, personal notes, and recognition events
• Design and execute donor recognition events that celebrate philanthropy and showcase impact
• Manage donor recognition spaces, plaques, digital displays, and physical recognition on campus
• Partner with Communications on donor honor rolls, annual reports, and public recognition platforms
  
  

Impact Reporting & Communications (25%)

• Create compelling impact reports that demonstrate how donor investments advance WPI's mission, support students, enable research, and transform lives
• Develop endowment fund reports providing financial updates and programmatic impact for endowed gift holders
• Produce customized impact communications for major and principal gift donors showing specific outcomes of their investments
• Partner with academic and administrative units to gather impact stories, data, and outcomes for donor reporting
• Oversee stewardship communications including newsletters, videos, impact stories, and digital content
• Ensure stewardship messaging is authentic, donor-centered, and demonstrates tangible results
• Track and report restricted gift spending and impact to ensure donor intent fulfillment
  
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration (10%)

• Serve as primary stewardship resource and partner to all gift officers, providing tools, templates, and support
• Collaborate with AVP, Development Communications and Strategy on integrated communications strategy
• Partner with Advancement Operations on gift processing, database tracking of stewardship activities, and reporting
• Work with Events team on donor recognition events and stewardship experiences
• Coordinate with Finance on endowment reporting, fund spending, and restricted gift compliance
• Engage faculty, students, and program leaders in stewardship through scholarship recipient letters, facility tours, and research presentations
• Participate in divisional planning and cross-functional initiatives
  
  

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree; Master's degree preferred
• 7-10 years of advancement experience with increasing responsibility in stewardship, donor relations, or development communications
• Demonstrated success designing and implementing comprehensive donor stewardship programs
• Exceptional writing and storytelling skills; ability to translate institutional priorities into compelling donor impact narratives
• Strong project management abilities with capacity to manage multiple concurrent initiatives and meet deadlines
• Experience with donor database systems for tracking stewardship activities
• Strategic thinker who connects stewardship to donor retention, cultivation, and fundraising outcomes
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate across advancement and campus partners
• Detail-oriented with commitment to accuracy in donor communications and recognition
• Understanding of donor psychology, recognition preferences, and stewardship best practices
• Experience in higher education advancement strongly preferred
• Flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends for donor events
  
  

Preferred

• CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive)
• Experience in comprehensive campaign environment with stewardship of campaign donors
• Knowledge of endowment reporting and restricted gift administration
• Familiarity with CASE standards for donor recognition and stewardship
• Experience with digital stewardship tools and platforms
• Understanding of STEM education and research university context
  
  

Salary Grade 10: $95,000 – $118,800 per year (depending on experience)

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.

Compensation at WPI

FLSA STATUS

United States of America (Exempt)

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. It seeks individuals from all backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making. It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.