Job Summary
Advancement at CU Boulder encourages applications for an Assistant
Director of Donor Relations! This role is responsible for the
planning and execution of impactful donor engagement and
stewardship efforts for the College Arts and Sciences, Graduate
School and Libraries. This position is critical to the engagement
efforts for the Office of Advancement and joins a team that focuses
on donor relations initiatives within the categories of
acknowledgments, stewardship, recognition, and engagement.
Under the guidance of the Director of Alumni Engagement and Donor
Relations, this position is tasked with supporting the programmatic
planning and execution that achieves the unit’s goals in stewarding
donor funds, constituents, and promoting the reputation of the
College Art and Sciences, Graduate School and Libraries to increase
overall philanthropic support for CU Boulder.
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all
applicable federal, state, and local laws governing
nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a
workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and
dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to
apply, including protected veterans and individuals with
disabilities.
Who We Are
CU Boulder Advancement is committed to a culture of joy,
motivated by collaboration, passionate about excellence and driven
by impact. These four values define the culture and drive
engagement and fundraising success.
We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone matters
and all can thrive. This dedication is rooted in our core values
and our mission to drive impactful fundraising and engagement. Our
team actively engages in learning, reflection, and the
transformation of systems, policies, and practices that perpetuate
oppressive ideologies—including racism, sexism, ableism, and
heterosexism. We recognize our responsibility to lead by example in
building a supportive and inclusive culture for both internal
colleagues and external partners. We hold ourselves accountable
through individual and divisional goals that continuously assess
our progress, growth, and outcomes—ensuring alignment with our
mission and values every step of the way.
What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be
Programmatic Oversight/Task Execution/Tactical Work
Acknowledgments:
- Administer appropriate reports and connect with the fundraising
team for the timely acknowledgment of gifts to the unit including,
but not limited to, weekly gifts, monthly donors, faculty/staff
donors, and special initiatives (this includes meaningful
quality-control of donor data).
Apply creative tools such as ThankView to enhance and vary the
acknowledgment approaches and track CASE Metrics.
Manage the design, ordering, and supply for all acknowledgment
efforts
Stewardship:
- Provide strategic oversight of annual stewardship for the most
generous and Manage stewardship program for scholarship donors with
a focus on consistent innovation and implementation of industry
standard methodologies; process may include coordinating meetings
with donors and students, creating scholarship impact reports and
managing donor data for annual stewardship mailing.
- Plan and implement donor specific events including the
management of the College of Arts and Science football suite.
Elevate donor relations programs, communications, and projects to
effectively recognize/steward donors, including production of
annual impact reports (general, personalized, faculty reports),
management of donor named spaces, ThankView videos, gift
acknowledgments, and special event communications like birthdays,
anniversaries, holidays, etc.
- Facilitate consistently recognizing gifts made "in memory of"
or "in honor of” throughout the year in partnership with
appropriate development officers.
- Coordinate the design and installation of donor recognition
signage in alignment with donor recognition agreements and internal
signage policies.
- Administer and evolve efforts to recognize the college's loyal
donors through meaningful touchpoints.
Engagement:
- Facilitate invites and logistics for all targeted donor events
including, but not limited to, football suites, ground breakings,
and ribbon-cuttings.
- Collaborate with development officers, with an emphasis on the
Assistant Dean of Advancement and Senior Directors of Development,
to implement meaningful engagement experiences for top donors and
prospects.
Other Engagement Duties as Assigned
- Partner with college and advancement counterparts to engage,
steward and manage important donors, volunteers and allies to the
College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School and Libraries
School.
- Represent the College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School and
Libraries School’s at stewardship roundtable meetings.
- Work to support the greater advancement teams to implement
strategic priorities and achieve goals.
- Participate in professional development activities to find
opportunities for continual improvement of donor relations
strategies and tactics.
What You Should Know
- This position may require local, regional, and out-of-state
travel to engage with university constituents.
- This position has the ability to work a hybrid schedule with
some days on campus and some days remote.
- This position will occasionally be required to work
evenings/weekends.
What We Can Offer
The salary range for this position is $68,000 - $82,000 annually.
Relocation assistance is available within Advancement
guidelines.
Benefits
At the
University of Colorado Boulder , we are
committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our
employees. Our comprehensive
benefits package includes medical,
dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition
assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local
transit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder
offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class
outdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs through
the
CU Advantage program.
Be Statements
Be dynamic. Be visionary. Be Boulder.
What We Require
- Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience or
combination of education and experience.
- Experience: 3+ years of professional, job-related
experience.
What You Will Need
- Ability to establish and enhance interpersonal relationships,
including ability to coordinate and manage volunteers.
- Knowledge of fundraising, donor relations, and alumni relations
standard processes.
- Strong communication skills including the ability to
participate in public events and represent Advancement and the
university in a professional manner.
- Ability to analyze information/situations and solve
problems.
- Ability to exercise a high degree of tact, discretion, and
collaboration in working with a diverse range of constituents
including employees, students, volunteers, alumni, donors, and
campus colleagues.
- Ability to organize and manage multiple projects/tasks
simultaneously; ability to work independently and on a team and
adapt to changing priorities.
- Knowledge of current issues facing public universities and
interests of assigned school, students, faculty, and alumni.
- Knowledge of annual giving standard processes.
- Strong attention to detail and to visual appeal of presentation
materials.
- Growth mindset, resilience and perseverance.
- Ability to champion the shared values of the Office of
Advancement.
- Ability to practice effective fiscal management.
- Public speaking skills.
What We Would Like You to Have
- Software Used: Microsoft Office products, database management
and data manipulation, Salesforce, Zoom, Teams, Academic
Impressions, Trello, LinkedIn, Marketing Cloud, Marketplace, Google
docs/sheets, Cvent (or other RSVP system), Graduway, ThankView, and
Qualtrics.
- Experience in donor relations and/or development/fundraising
environment.
- Experience in constituent relations/relationship
management.
- Experience in a higher education environment.
- Previous participation in Donor Relations Guru Four Pillars
Conference.
- Experience in tactical execution of events and/or marketing and
communications plans.
Special Instructions
To apply, please submit the following materials:
- A current resume.
- A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background
and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and
responsibilities of the position.
We may request references at a later time.
Please apply by
September 7, 2026 for consideration.
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For
consideration, please apply through
CU Boulder Jobs .
In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in
any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying
information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school
attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting
or removing this information.
Posting Contact Information
Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources
Posting Contact Email: Recruiting@colorado.edu
