Associate Director, Donor Relations

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‚cre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are:

The Swarthmore Office of Advancement manages the College's relationships with its alumni, families, and friends to further Swarthmore's commitment to intellectual rigor and creativity, the nurturing of student confidence and curiosity, the production of new knowledge, and inclusive excellence, among other goals. Advancement works closely with the President, faculty, and senior colleagues to foster positive and productive relationships that not only accelerate the objectives of the College but also represent meaningful and beneficial engagement for the Swarthmore community.

The Office of Advancement manages and maintains alumni, family, and friend records; engages constituents in the life of the College in a variety of ways, contexts, and over time; provides and supports meaningful volunteering opportunities; and partners with the President and Board of Managers to share information about the College and raise critical philanthropic support for the College's priorities and new initiatives. Advancement ensures that alumni and donors are appropriately recognized and informed about the impact of their service and contributions, and manages all gift acceptance and stewardship.

The opportunity:

The Associate Director of Donor Relations is a key member of the Donor Relations team, assisting the Director in implementing a best-in-class program that acknowledges, recognizes, and engages donors to foster long-term relationships with the College. This Associate Director position will focus on expanding and elevating recognition and engagement programs for donors at the major gift level, including the donor giving societies and other high-level strategies to strengthen donor relationships with the College. The Associate Director should be a forward-thinking, innovative and energetic professional with proven success in donor engagement and stewardship.

Essential Responsibilities

• Develops and executes strategies for major gift stewardship, including the management of the leadership giving society. Facilitates engagement events, activities and strategies that demonstrate the impact of philanthropy and cultivate donors for continued and increased giving.
• Collaborates with Division colleagues who manage other gift societies to maximize the impact of donor stewardship. Ensures consistent stewardship and that the Division is maximizing internal efficiency. Annually reviews all existing donor recognition societies and makes recommendations for improvement to the Director.
• Oversees all major donor stewardship events, including the gift society events and other special stewardship events. Assists the Director on all principal gift stewardship events as needed.
• Manages the donor relations acknowledgment process, including individual and broad-based donor communications. Partners with key staff to ensure all communications and processes are in place for timely gift acknowledgments, including updated templates.
• Assists with the execution of the major donor signage recognition program. Works closely with outside vendors and other College partners to execute donor signage in campus buildings and spaces. Partners with colleagues on donor outreach as necessary. Ensures all recognition is appropriately documented and tracked in the database.
• Assists the Director and other colleagues on additional projects and programs as needed.
• Stays current on industry trends and best practices and proactively seeks opportunities to implement these in the College’s donor relations program.

Additional Responsibilities

• Attends and assists other College Advancement staff at College events as needed.
• Serves voluntarily on ad-hoc or standing College committees, as appropriate and with approval of the supervisor.
• Takes advantage of opportunities for professional development at least twice annually.
• Performs other assignments as directed by his or her supervisor.

Who you are:

• Self-starter with a high degree of creativity and ability to prioritize assignments
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly articulate institutional priorities and engage diverse audiences
• Collaborative team player with the flexibility to support broader organizational initiatives and events as needed
• Strong time management skills, including the ability to work under pressure and adapt to changing priorities.

What you bring:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• A minimum of five (5) years working in institutional advancement, higher education, volunteer management, non-profit, or equivalent professional and educational experience.
• Exceptional communication (written, oral, and interpersonal) skills with special emphasis on the ability to connect and engage with a broad constituency in both written and oral communications.
• Flexibility and initiative, as well as the ability to work independently, combined with the skills for thriving in a team environment.
• Strong skill in dealing with people, using tact and diplomacy, and the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality. Strong customer service skills.
• Ability to use a variety of computer applications proficiently, including demonstrated skills in the use of word processing and spreadsheets (e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel, Google Docs and Sheets), and fundraising databases and reporting software.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree.
• Experience working in a college or university setting, especially in a comprehensive fund-raising campaign environment.