Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship

Since 1867, Howard University has awarded more than 130,000 degrees in the professions, arts, sciences, and humanities. Howard ranks among the highest producers of the nation’s Black professionals in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, nursing, architecture, religion, law, music, social work, and education.

The University has long held a commitment to dismantle systems and processes that marginalize and harm people in American society and throughout the world. The goal is the elimination of inequities related to race, color, social , economic, and political circumstances. As the only truly comprehensive predominantly Black University, Howard is one of the major engineers of change in our society. Through its traditional and cutting-edge academic programs, the University seeks to improve the circumstances of all people in the search for peace and justice on Earth – Howard prepares men and women to advance social justice and the preservation of human liberty.

Regarded as one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning, current enrollment is more than 13,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students representing 49 states and more than 100 countries. The University continues to prepare Black scholars in every field and across the globe.

The Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship is a key member of the central office for the Division of Development & Alumni Relations staff and coordinates the implementation of a comprehensive program to effectively steward donors. This position plays a critical role in creating a culture of philanthropy at Howard by maintaining and enhancing the University’s relationships with donors. A successful candidate will also supervise individuals who will manage the relationships with academic partners, and the full spectrum of donors, from annual fund to principal gifts. The Director will be a transparent and collaborative team member.

Responsibilities:

• The position is responsible for developing a comprehensive individual and institutional giving stewardship/engagement plan for all giving levels. The role organizes stewardship plans for donors across giving levels and gift types. This includes, but is not limited to, creating unique and personal stewardship touchpoints, and engaging relevant stakeholders to participate in the stewardship process.
• The position will create processes and tracking measures to ensure that donors are receiving attention from the appropriate University officials. The role provides written support and project management to include conceptualizing, creating, and producing reports, letters and stewardship pieces including but not limited to the Endowment Reports.
• Through direct contact with major donors and prospects, the role will collect appropriate information that may have a bearing on future philanthropy; inform relevant development officers and record the information in Raisers Edge.
• This position supervises stewardship professionals working with the full spectrum of donors, from annual fund to presidential prospects. This position is responsible for creating performance assessment plans for the stewardship team. This role may perform other related duties as assigned.

Ideal Candidate:

• Bachelor’s degree in business/public administration, or a closely related field.
• A minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience in building long-term fundraising relationships.
• Demonstrated, successful experience in major gift fundraising or marketing and planned giving experience highly desired.
• Experience in an academic setting preferred.
• A proven track record of successful supervision.
• Knowledge of donor relations trends, models and practices as well as ability to forecast and be pro-active.
• Knowledge of current stewardship techniques and a willingness to innovate.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to clearly articulate and align Howard’s mission, vision, and values to donors and donor prospects.
• Knowledge of and adherence to policies and procedures, recommending changes when necessary.
• Proven, successful track record in maintaining relationships and stewarding donors.
• Motivated to meet goals, produce results, and exceed expectations, and enthusiastic about accountability.
• Knowledge of database software (Raisers Edge NXT) and Microsoft Office (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word).
• Knowledge of research techniques and methodologies.
• Ability to be detailed oriented, thinking analytically, and use good judgement to make accurate decisions.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and harmonious work relations with students, faculty, staff, university officials, and the general public.
• Ability to prepare and manage a budget and resources.

DRiWaterstone is proud to lead this search on behalf of Howard University.