"Director, Presidential Advancement Strategic Correspondence"

Director, Presidential Advancement Strategic Correspondence

To serve as a high-trust communications strategist and facilitator supporting the President of the University in development-related efforts. This role ensures the President's philanthropic priorities, donor messaging, and strategic initiatives are effectively communicated, aligned, and executed in collaboration with the ASU Foundation and university leadership. The Presidential Advancement Strategic Correspondence Director helps advance institutional fundraising goals by stewarding communication flow and elevating the President's voice in high-impact development engagements.

What you'll do

• Draft, curate, and steward donor-facing communications from the University President and ASU Foundation CEO, including letters, personal notes, acknowledgments, and other highly tailored messages that support cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts.
• Collaborate with ASU Foundation leadership, unit development teams, university executives, and university staff to ensure presidential communications are aligned with advancement strategy and tailored to individual donor relationships and institutional priorities.
• Translate real-time opportunities and strategic cues from the University President and ASU Foundation CEO into clear communication assignments, issuing direction to appropriate team members and following through to ensure timely, high-quality execution.
• Maintain message consistency and continuity across all development-related communications from the President, upholding institutional voice, tone, and philanthropic intent.
• Provide strategic insight and communication guidance to ensure the President's philanthropic voice is reflected accurately and effectively across donor-facing efforts.
• Establish the communication infrastructure required to support the role's long-term success, including defining workflows, intake processes, review protocols, and coordination points across units.
• Develop and maintain a repository of presidential messaging themes, donor touchpoint language, and evergreen talking points to streamline the production of future communications.
• Track and manage communication deliverables and timelines, ensuring accountability across multiple stakeholders and proactively identifying gaps, overlaps, or missed opportunities in donor messaging.
• Supervise and develop the Presidential Advancement Intelligence Officer, providing mentorship, strategic guidance, and talent development to ensure seamless coordination of donor intelligence and communication efforts.

What you'll need

• Deep understanding of development strategy, donor engagement, and the advancement ecosystem within higher education.
• Exceptional writing, editing, verbal communication and message development skills with a sharp ability to tailor communications to individual donors and high-level stakeholders.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate loosely defined ideas, comments, or cues into effective, on-brand communications.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple assignments with competing deadlines.
• Proven ability to build systems, workflows, and communication infrastructure from the ground up.
• Comfort with ambiguity and fast-moving priorities; able to pivot quickly and maintain focus under pressure.
• High emotional intelligence, discretion, and judgment, especially in handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Commanding yet collegial communication style with the ability to issue direction and follow-through effectively across teams and levels of leadership.
• Familiarity with donor databases, content tracking systems, or advancement-related platforms is a plus

Relevant qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, public affairs, nonprofit management, advancement, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in advancement, strategic communications, or executive-level support, preferably within higher education or a mission-driven organization.
• Demonstrated experience producing high-level donor communications or managing executive communications within a development context.
• Supervisory or team leadership experience, with a record of mentoring or developing talent in fast-paced, collaborative environments.

Benefits

• Hybrid work schedule. We work from home two days a week!
• Comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with matching employer contribution
• 22 days of vacation time
• 11 holidays, including your birthday
• Parental leave
• Significant tuition reductions
• Professional development is highly valued at ASU Enterprise Partners, where employees are encouraged to look across the organization and nurture new areas of interest
• $30 bi-weekly cell phone reimbursement

About ASU Foundation

The ASU Foundation fosters partnerships between ASU and like-minded individuals, corporations and foundations who believe in ASU's mission and provide resources for ASU to manifest its charter into meaningful impact. These partnerships empower ASU to advance student access, serve our community, protect the planet, create equity in higher education and conduct research for the public good.

At the ASU Foundation We Value:

• Character
• We prioritize character and integrity in every decision and action, establishing trust as the foundation of all that we do.
• Service
• We are dedicated to serving our students, donors, communities, and colleagues by fostering support and collaboration to ensure that our efforts are impactful.
• Innovation
• Innovation drives us to create meaningful opportunities and solutions, helping every member of our global community achieve meaningful outcomes.

The ASU Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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