Associate Director, Donor Relations

Job Summary

The Associate Director, Donor Relations, is a key member of the Advancement team at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, responsible for oversight and execution of stewardship strategies for Annual Fund donors. This position ensures that donors are appreciated, informed of their impact, and engaged in meaningful ways to encourage continued support. The Associate Director partners closely with the fundraising and communications teams to deliver a comprehensive donor stewardship program that reflects organizational values and priorities.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes a multi-year strategy stewardship program for Annual Fund donors, ensuring timely recognition and impact reporting, including Chicago Booth Dean's Society donors.
• Manages stewardship projects and tasks for Annual Fund donors, such as the Annual Fund quarterly newsletter, campaign reporting, honor rolls, first-time donor and pledge packet mailings, Dean's Society stewardship touchpoints and events, and other Annual Fund-focused donor activity.
• Expands on stewardship efforts available for Annual Fund donors, in particular, email and mail communication (DRIP campaign), and Dean's Society special offerings.
• Collaborates with Booth Advancement colleagues to ensure consistent messaging and coordinated donor engagement efforts, including the Leadership Annual Giving team.
• Works with the Booth Marketing and Communications team to create compelling stewardship materials and donor stories.
• Monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of stewardship initiatives; recommends improvements based on donor feedback, industry standards, and analytics.
• Assists with other donor relations tasks, activities, and projects as directed by the Director, Donor Relations and Senior Associate Director, Donor Relations as assigned.
• Has a deep understanding within the areas of recognition, stewardship, acknowledgement, and proposal writing.
• Sets activity goals and develops the annual operating budget for donor related programs.
• Works closely with the special events team in the development of recognition on an annual basis.
• Acts as a resource for other units regarding fundraising and engagement activities.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• Professional work experience in advancement, alumni relations, donor relations and stewardship, communications, marketing, public relations, or similar work.
• Background in an institution of higher education or non-profit.
• Understanding of fundraising databases such as Salesforce.
• Familiarity with Marketo or similar marketing software.
• Proficiency with the Windows environment and standard MS Office suite.
• Strong understanding of Annual Fund fundraising and donor engagement strategies.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, and proofreading skills.
• Demonstrated track record of strategic and creative approaches to tasks.
• Flexible and adaptable to new programs in an emerging and changing environment.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Self-motivated and work well with and through others.
• Work on multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities, and meet short deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong commitment to customer service.
• Scrupulous attention to matters of discretion and confidentiality.

Working Conditions

This position is currently expected to work a minimum three days per week in the office. Travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business. Work evenings and weekends on occasion.