Stanford University · 1 month ago
Associate Director of Donor Relations and Development Communications
Stanford, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$108K/yr - $118K/yr
5+ years expStanford University is a leading institution known for its innovation and excellence in engineering. The Associate Director of Donor Relations and Development Communications will be responsible for implementing a donor-centric stewardship strategy and enhancing communication to strengthen ties with donors.
EducationHigher EducationUniversities
Responsibilities
Participate in defining the donor relations strategy for the school/unit portfolio of donors in adherence to the university's donor relations guidelines. Ensure messaging aligns with school/unit communications plans and strategic priorities. Identify key information, messages and topics
Develop and implement programs that provide comprehensive reporting to donors. Communicate donor relations plans across the organization and/or school, department and with partner teams and maintain open channels of communication with donor relations colleagues across the university
Establish and maintain strong partnerships with gift officers in order to maximize engagement for their portfolios of donors. Build complete understanding of each donor's involvement and giving activity
Oversee design and production of development materials from creation to deployment. Research, develop, execute and manage high-profile written reporting on complex topics
Develop, compile and edit supplementary materials that support written communication (i.e., backgrounders, biographies, briefing materials and talking points, and other related materials)
Responsible for the allocation of resources for donor relations reporting, the gift acknowledgment process, and donor relations requests
Coordinate with staff and development officers to develop and produce key donor relations deliverables, including written (hard copy, email or online content), video, or events
Execute fiduciary responsibility to ensure that gifts are awarded and utilized in accordance with donor expectations and university policy in a timely manner. Resolve discrepancies and escalate when needed
Manage vendors/consultants on specific projects and may oversee key vendor and consultant relationships
May manage program budget, goals and objectives in alignment with organizational goals, in partnership with director
Set priorities for school/unit donor relations functions and manage their overall effectiveness. Develop tracking methods for reporting of the team's overall productivity
May be involved in hiring, training, setting individual performance goals and completing annual performance reviews
Other duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant experience or combination of education and relevant experience
Strong client service orientation and attention to detail
Excellent interpersonal skills, and professionalism to interact with a wide range of people at different levels of an organization
Ability to clearly and credibly communicate a diverse array of topics
Ability to articulate progress and impact in a way that is understandable and meaningful to various constituencies
Demonstrated understanding of a wide variety of donor audiences
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to edit high-level correspondence
Demonstrated experience leading project teams
Proven ability to effectively and efficiently manage multiple priorities, with competing deadlines
Must be able to conduct research and ability to interpret information available in a database
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Tact, discretion, and experience handling confidential information
Proficient in MS Office Suite and database applications
Demonstrated project management skills
Demonstrated sound judgment in situations requiring independent decision-making and in handling confidential and sensitive material
Preferred
Experience in a fundraising organization, ideally in development communication or stewardship roles
Experience in higher education, particularly complex research institutions
Experience with relationship or prospect management systems
Familiarity with InDesign and/or Photoshop
Benefits
Career development programs
Tuition reimbursement
Superb retirement plans
Generous time-off
Family care resources
Health care benefits
Free commuter programs
Ridesharing incentives
Discounts
Company
Stanford University
Stanford University is a teaching and research university that focuses on graduate programs in law, medicine, education, and business.
10001+ employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$26.52MKey Investors
National Institutes of HealthCalifornia Institute for Regenerative MedicineGRAMMY Museum
2025-09-08Grant
2025-01-30Grant· $5.6M
2023-08-17Grant
Leadership Team
Nadia Roumani
Co-founder and Senior Designer, Designing for Social Systems (DSS) Program, d.school
Howard Wolf
Vice President for Alumni Affairs
Recent News
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2026-01-03
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