Assistant Director of Donor Relations - Oberlin College - near Cleveland, Ohio

Stephanie Klem

https://jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/12524

Job Summary

The Office of Advancement at Oberlin College seeks applications for the position of Assistant Director of Donor Relations. This is a full-time, continuing 12-month Administrative and Professional Staff position reporting to the Chief of Staff for Advancement.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Director of Donor Relations is an individual with excellent communication skills that assists with donor stewardship efforts that build relationships, inspire generosity, and ensure Oberlin donors feel connected to the College & Conservatory. This is a perfect opportunity for an early-career professional or someone looking to enter the Advancement field in a position with room for growth.

Essential Job Functions

• Create donor communications that result in timely, meaningful stewardship touches that demonstrate the impact of giving to Oberlin and instill confidence that gifts to the College are being used according to donor wishes.
• Track and manage the stewardship reporting process for non-scholarship funds (professorships, internship funds, departmental funds, etc.) by securing information from across campus, organizing data, writing appropriate copy, and editing materials.
• Manage the Advancement Office ThankView and ODDER accounts, serving as project leader for video projects and the primary contact with ThankView reps.
• Assist the Associate Director of Donor Relations with composing and managing personalized correspondence to donors including gift acknowledgements and other written communications.
• Respond to inquiries and requests for assistance from advancement staff in matters related to donor relation functions by providing guidance, information or other support as appropriate.
• Update donor database with stewardship, engagement, and recognition actions; create queries and reports on these actions as necessary.
• Collaborate with the Chief of Staff in strategic planning, creatively seeking opportunities for stewardship, and maintaining up-to-date knowledge on best practices for donor relations.
• Complete special projects and other duties as directed, including physical signage, donor lists, and donor recognition/campaign-related events.
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 1-3 years of experience in communications, advancement or a higher education environment, or equivalent experience.
• Excellent organizational, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Ability to write in the voice of the College, infuse genuine emotion, communicate causation, effective data and narrative storytelling.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills with the ability to draft correspondence and documents for executive level officers.
• Demonstrated ability to apply judgment, discretion, and initiative.
• Excellent attention to detail and follow-through.
• Ability to initiate connections and collaborate with colleagues and faculty.
• Ability to provide excellent, donor-focused customer service while maintaining discretion and confidentiality.

Desired Qualifications

Experience with customer relations management (CRM) software (e.g., Raiser’s Edge) and other customer services, video, or design software such as ThankView and Adobe Premiere Pro.

Compensation

A generous compensation package will be offered to the successful candidate, including an excellent benefits package, liberal vacation time, and tuition remission for eligible dependents.

Special Instructions to Applicants

A completed application will include a cover letter, resume, list of 3 professional references, and a writing sample.

Oberlin College is committed to the creation and nurturing of a diverse community of individuals through inclusive excellence. Diversity involves recognizing the value of differences and the inclusion of all members of the community including those that experience discrimination or under representation. This is a core value of the organization as we strive for a culturally diverse student body, faculty and staff that reflect the multicultural nature of the nation and our world and bring unique strengths and abilities, which contribute, to our institution.

Oberlin College is located near Cleveland, Ohio.