Are you passionate about stewardship and recognition? Are you looking for an opportunity to have a lasting impact? As the next Associate Director for Stewardship & Donor Relations, you will have the opportunity to create meaningful ways to recognize, engage, thank, and retain donors.
As part of University Advancement, this position is an integral part of the Stewardship and Donor Relations team which stewards, honors, and recognizes the University's top donors, prospects, alumni, parents and friends. This role is highly collaborative and is primarily responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing a comprehensive donor recognition program for the University.
In this role you will be responsible for:
Recognition
Develop strategies to recognize and retain donors in meaningful ways that demonstrate the impact of their support in an appropriate, professional, timely and accurate manner according to gift levels, donor history, and special circumstances.
Develop and execute donor and gift communication strategies and plans, including articles, stories, reports and videos, for acknowledgement and recognition purposes.
Collaborate with Assistant Director, Stewardship Events to develop event strategies to honor donors
Prepare personalized thank you notes and letters for high level donors and special acknowledgements from the President and VP of Advancement
Stewardship
Partner with Development Officers and donor relations colleagues to develop and execute ongoing stewardship and recognition strategies for top donors
Manage recognition strategies and process for high-level giving societies and evaluate effectiveness on ongoing basis
Manage the development and execution of annual stewardship plans for donors and top prospects in collaboration with the appropriate Strategic Philanthropy team partners
Assist with the development and process for the annual stewardship reporting
Philanthropic Naming
Manage donor recognition related to philanthropic naming of physical and non-physical spaces ensuring that recognition meets gift agreement and University requirements
Maintain knowledge of available naming opportunities and processes related to physical and non-physical spaces
Other
Communicate and provide training and resources to Advancement staff regarding recognition levels and strategies
Work effectively within a culture inclusive of individuals with diverse backgrounds, styles, abilities, and motivations, and appreciate and leverage the capabilities, insights, and ideas of all individuals
Maintain CRM and other software knowledge to promptly provide or update donor records with appropriate information resulting from event or stewardship activities
Stay abreast of industry and technology trends and network with peers to make recommendations for ongoing improvement
We are looking for someone who meets 1 of these requirements:
Bachelor’s degree AND five (5) years of experience in donor relations, non-profit fundraising, stewardship or high-level client/customer relations

OR
Any combination of education and experience representing nine (9) years professional experience demonstrating advanced knowledge of donor relations, non-profit fundraising, stewardship or high-level client/customer relations
And also meets ALL of these qualifications:
Demonstrates maturity of judgment, high level of accuracy and close attention to detail, with strong ethical sense to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately
Demonstrates creativity and broad level strategic thinking
Demonstrates ability to professionally represent Bucknell and communicate effectively with various diverse audiences including board members, donors, faculty/staff and University leadership
Excellent written and oral communications skills, as well as excellent editing skills
Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, work independently and produce high-quality work under tight deadlines
Experience that demonstrates the ability and commitment to learn how to use a variety of computer-based programs and platforms to perform essential job duties such as Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, CRM database functions and other web-based tools
Willingness and ability to travel (including air travel and travel to major metropolitan areas)
Other Requirements:
This position (and all positions in our division) requires the occasional evening and weekend work to support university events including Homecoming & Family Weekend, Reunion Weekend, and large Career events. We do ask staff to mark their calendars in advance for these events. Also, UA may occasionally coordinate on-campus or off-campus events/activities outside of standard business hours.
Who we are:
University Advancement (UA) is here to advance the mission of Bucknell University by engaging the Bucknell community. It is only through the support of alumni, parents and friends – by opening doors to career opportunities, engaging others to join the conversation and community, and entrusting us with their philanthropic commitments -- that we can further elevate Bucknell as a leader in undergraduate education.
Our team is dedicated to this mission and unified by five values:
Lead with Integrity
Embrace a Collaborative and Inclusive Spirit
Be Open and Receptive
Nurture Creativity and Innovation
Foster a Culture of Empowerment and Knowledge
These values also illustrate how we bring, as a division, the University's strategic plan to life and exercise our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion on a daily basis.