Assistant Director of Stewardship and Advancement Communications, College of Education - 1029698-6689

at University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois, United States

Job Description

• Establish and manage a comprehensive program to steward relationships with donors and key external constituents including gift acknowledgments, donor relations and other activities designed to enhance the donor relationship with the College of Education and increase future contributions.
• Act as a liaison with the College of Education's departments, finance office, and the University of Illinois Foundation with questions regarding donor fund agreements, statements of understanding, gift pledges, and other relevant documents related to the stewardship of gifts to the College. Provide expert advice and consultation to resolve problem cases.
• Identify and document how donations are used by the college and units to allow for recognition and stewardship of donors and demonstration of impact.
• In partnership with the advancement team, ensure major gift donors and leadership annual giving donors have stewardship plans by developing and maintaining high level stewardship guidelines for funds contributed by donors, with an emphasis on donors with endowed funds.
• Ensure that major gift prospects and donors receive annual impact reports regarding the use and impact of the funds they have contributed to, including interactions with the students or faculty benefitting from their philanthropy, when appropriate.
• Monitor and modify stewardship plans to ensure that steps are completed or revised, as appropriate.
• Collaborate with the Assistant Dean for Advancement and the College's Marketing and Communications team to design, create, and facilitate donor engagement and stewardship materials, specialized acknowledgment letters, report templates, project and fund proposals, etc.
• Support the College's Major Gift Officer and Illinois Advancement's regional and international gift officers by identification of donor prospects through reports such as the weekly gift report, planned giving report, and by contributing to strategies regarding stewardship activities for these donors.
• Monitor deferred giving list to ensure the College has accurate and current information and with partnership from the University of Illinois Foundation, steward this population accordingly.
• In partnership with the Assistant Dean for Advancement, the Dean's Office, and the Director of Facilities, create inventory of college assets to be named and oversee donor recognition opportunities.
• Stay current on stewardship and donor relations best practices and make recommendations for improving processes in the College.
• Attend Illinois Advancement events, trainings, seminars, roundtables, etc. as the stewardship representative from the College of Education.
• Perform other stewardship duties or projects as assigned.

• Write and edit proposals, working closely with advancement team, and units to create unique and personalized donor proposals.
• Oversee the creation, editing, and distribution of print materials and messages, including brochures, invitations, informational handouts, flyers, announcements, press releases, and annual reports.
• Identify and write stories on gift/donor impact for the website, e-newsletters, and other print materials, including the alumni newsletter.
• Write and edit stewardship reports, working closely with the Assistant Dean for Advancement and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement to individualize and personalize content and schedule.
• Plan and manage proposed annual mass communications plan for the Office of Advancement. Track targeted populations used for mailings to ensure proper audiences and criteria are used to meet the stated intention of donor outreach.
• Track and measure the effectiveness of advancement communications and initiatives. Make appropriate recommendations to increase participation and ensure deadlines are met for communications pieces with the College's Marketing and Communications team and the University of Illinois Foundation.
• Manage advancement-related website content and giving pages, in collaboration with the College's Marketing and Communications team guide social media presence and use of other online media to promote private support and showcase impact of giving.
• Review advancement communications, plans, and strategies to ensure compliance with College of Education and campus marketing and brand standards.

• In partnership with Advancement Operations Coordinator, ensure all stewardship and engagement activity is recorded in TED.
• In partnership with the Office of Advancement and the University of Illinois Foundation, review development of donor lists and list management for outreach and stewardship.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong marketing sense and ability to think creatively.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• A self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit along with demonstrated success in working independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to appropriately manage sensitive and confidential information.
• Ability to research and organize information and data with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to successfully manage multiple tasks simultaneously while meeting deadlines.
• Must have the ability to work well with diverse populations.
• Ability to occasionally travel to events and conferences to meet with donors, major gift officers, and other stakeholders at various locations and durations. This may include evenings and weekends.