Job Abstract

The Director of Advancement Communications and Stewardship is responsible for developing, implementing, and leading communication and stewardship strategies and comprehensive plans to achieve The College’s advancement and stewardship goals. The Director of Advancement Communications and Stewardship collaborates with colleagues across The College and within the advancement and alumni relations team to ensure goals are met timely to achieve institutional objectives. As the communications and stewardship subject matter expert, this position is responsible for developing strategies, managing project plans, and ensuring all deliverables support the strategies and goals of The College.

The Director will serve as both the editor and principal stewardship writer for advancement and alumni relations, offering support for projects and opportunities involving individual donors, campaign-related materials, stewardship reports, and recommendations for general stewardship/engagement opportunities, events, and projects.

The Director will perform analyses of stewardship activities for all areas of giving, including writing/selecting which data to use to measure effectiveness and inform strategic planning.

The Director reports to the AVP, Advancement Strategy and Foundation Relations, and has one direct report.

Essential Job Duties Include:

• Develop and drive the communications strategy for key initiatives, such as the upcoming centennial campaign and scholarship campaign.
• Oversee communication strategy, planning, implementation, and production for the advancement and alumni relations team, including, but not limited to, events, fundraising, stewardship, operations, and alumni and donor engagement, along with The College initiatives in partnership with the marketing and communications team.
• Ensure all advancement communications are strategically executed and in line with the The College’s strategic plan.
• Collaborate with internal teams, i.e. annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, planned giving, alumni engagement, and marketing communications to solidify and execute comprehensive, strategic communications plans.
• Collaborate closely with corporate and foundation relations and the Centers of Excellence to support annual impact reporting as well as one-off donor stewardship reports.
• Create an overarching messaging strategy for advancement and related initiatives.
• Serve as the advancement and alumni relations team event liaison and partner with The College marketing and communications team to implement events for cultivating and stewarding donors.
• Manage all advancement communications to streamline and ensure audiences are appropriately understood, reached, and motivated to respond to calls to action.
• Gain and maintain awareness of evolving Center of Excellence successes and initiatives and keep advancement and alumni relations team informed for purposes of stewardship and solicitation opportunities.
• Work with internal and external partners to produce compelling advancement materials, including videos, postcards, brochures and promotional materials, and impact reports.
• Develop and implement an annual 12-month advancement communications and donor stewardship plan.
• Write annual giving donor appeals and acknowledgment letters for various fundraising initiatives, including scholarship programs and Centers of Excellence promoting best practices.
• Manage Advancement Associate – Stewardship

Other Job Duties:

• Write quarterly and annual donor impact reports.
• Craft, draft, and facilitate distribution of endowed fund donor reports.
• Write year-end giving letters and impact statements.
• Contribute to and write the quarterly Legacy Society and Alumni Relations emails.
• Write quarterly welcome letters for annual giving societies, including the President’s Circle and Loyalty Society.
• Partner with the College marketing and communications team to prepare the annual President’s Report.
• Lead advancement event communications, including program and script writing.
• Write correspondence from the Senior Vice President.
• Perform analysis of stewardship, including writing data and metrics to measure effectiveness and inform strategic planning.
• Produce engagement, fundraising, and stewardship communications.
• Develop measurement criteria to gauge campaign and communications success, separate from dollars-generated reporting.
• Independently obtain the necessary knowledge and skills needed to keep up with technology and changing roles.
• Apply knowledge of best practices to all projects and collaborations.
• Demonstrate articulate, professional, and courteous use of communication strategies with others in all circumstances.
• Oversee the full lifecycle and expansion of, the advancement website – from asset-gathering to production, promotion, maintenance, and sunsetting in collaboration with the director of engagement marketing.
• Manage and oversee advancement projects to ensure the timely delivery of communications including appeals, newsletters, and releases that meet objectives.
• Coordinate materials – such as invitations, programs, video, and photography – needed for advancement events.
• Ensure that projects meet or exceed agreed-upon goals.
• Participate in management and project implementation teams as requested.

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, or related field from an accredited university
• 3-5 years of communication experience, nonprofit fundraising communication a plus
• Experience in messaging and writing to generate engagement among multiple stakeholder audiences including alumni and individual and corporate donors
• Excellent grammar, composition, and proofreading skills
• Excellent organizational skills and superior attention to detail
• Ability to multitask, plan, allocate resources, monitor progress, keep stakeholders informed throughout the project lifecycle, and bring individual attention to a variety of initiatives
• Big-picture thinking with the ability to integrate messaging across departments/teams requests
• Computer literacy and competency with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, ClickUp, HubSpot, and/or the ability to learn computer and application skills as applicable to the role
• Previous staff management experience is desirable
• Ability to build effective internal and external relationships and experience working with vendors and consultants
• Ability to identify and analyze needs and translate them into innovative and effective solutions
• A collaborative self-starter who is an active listener and confident decision-maker
• Demonstrated effectiveness in a growth-oriented organization, requiring flexibility and adaptability to evolving organizational priorities
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, along with a demonstrated aptitude to think critically, oversee projects, and balance concurrent priorities

The College provides an award-winning culture and offers a competitive total compensation package that includes:

• Lucrative Time Off (25-40 Days PTO, Paid Family Medical Leave, 11 Paid Holidays)
• Retirement Savings Plan with Supplemental Contribution and Match
• Tuition Remission and Reimbursement
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Wellness Benefits
• Company-paid Short Term and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible, hybrid, and remote work schedules
  

Salary Grade Minimum: $67,900.00

The starting base salary is determined based on a variety of factors including but not limited to experience, education, internal equity, departmental budgets, qualifications, licenses, specialty, and training.

In policy and practice, we encourage diversity and provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals based on job-related qualifications and ability to perform a job. We are committed to maintaining a welcoming and inclusive environment.

The American College of Financial Services is committed to applying financial education through teaching, research, and innovation in program delivery and design. As a nonprofit, accredited education institution, our courses are researched and written by a faculty of the nation's top thought leaders in personal finance. To learn more, visit The American College.

The American College of Financial Services is an E-Verify Employer.