Senior Director, Stewardship & Donor Relations

WPI

Job Location:

Worcester, MA - USA

Yearly Salary: $ 95000 - 110000

Posted on: 9 days ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

JOB TITLE

Senior Director Stewardship & Donor Relations

LOCATION

Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME

Development & Communications Strategy

DIVISION NAME

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The Senior Director Stewardship and Donor Relations leads WPIs comprehensive donor stewardship strategy ensuring every philanthropic investor experiences exceptional recognition impact reporting and ongoing engagement that deepens their connection to the university and inspires continued support. This senior leader designs and executes stewardship programs that demonstrate gratitude communicate impact and build lasting relationships with donors across all giving levelsfrom first-time annual fund supporters to principal gift investors. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President Development Communications and Strategy the Senior Director ensures stewardship is strategic personalized and seamlessly integrated with broader advancement communications and fundraising efforts. This role is critical to completing the Beyond These Towers campaign with strong donor retention and positioning WPI for sustained philanthropic success.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Stewardship Strategy & Leadership (35%)

Develop and implement comprehensive donor stewardship strategy aligned with fundraising goals campaign priorities and donor lifecycle engagement
Design differentiated stewardship approaches by donor segment (major/principal gifts leadership annual giving planned gifts corporate/foundation first-time donors)
Create personalized stewardship plans for top donors in partnership with gift officers ensuring consistent touchpoints and meaningful impact reporting
Establish stewardship standards timelines and accountability measures across advancement division
Lead stewardship planning for campaign completion and transition to post-campaign donor retention strategies
Partner with gift officers to ensure stewardship supports donor cultivation retention and upgrade pathways

Donor Recognition & Gratitude (25%)

Oversee all donor recognition programs including gift acknowledgments donor societies naming opportunities and public recognition
Manage donor society programs (e.g. legacy society campaign donor recognition) including membership criteria benefits events and communications
Ensure timely personalized and accurate gift acknowledgments that reflect donor intent and demonstrate genuine gratitude
Coordinate presidential and leadership engagement in donor stewardship including thank-you calls personal notes and recognition events
Design and execute donor recognition events that celebrate philanthropy and showcase impact
Manage donor recognition spaces plaques digital displays and physical recognition on campus
Partner with Communications on donor honor rolls annual reports and public recognition platforms

Impact Reporting & Communications (25%)

Create compelling impact reports that demonstrate how donor investments advance WPIs mission support students enable research and transform lives
Develop endowment fund reports providing financial updates and programmatic impact for endowed gift holders
Produce customized impact communications for major and principal gift donors showing specific outcomes of their investments
Partner with academic and administrative units to gather impact stories data and outcomes for donor reporting
Oversee stewardship communications including newsletters videos impact stories and digital content
Ensure stewardship messaging is authentic donor-centered and demonstrates tangible results
Track and report restricted gift spending and impact to ensure donor intent fulfillment

Cross-Functional Collaboration (10%)

Serve as primary stewardship resource and partner to all gift officers providing tools templates and support
Collaborate with AVP Development Communications and Strategy on integrated communications strategy
Partner with Advancement Operations on gift processing database tracking of stewardship activities and reporting
Work with Events team on donor recognition events and stewardship experiences
Coordinate with Finance on endowment reporting fund spending and restricted gift compliance
Engage faculty students and program leaders in stewardship through scholarship recipient letters facility tours and research presentations
Participate in divisional planning and cross-functional initiatives

Salary Grade 10: $95000 $110000 per year (depending on experience)

Salary is based on related experience expertise and internal equity; generally new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.

Compensation at WPI

FLSA STATUS

United States of America (Exempt)

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color age religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin veteran statusor disability. It seeks individuals from all backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity collaboration inclusion problem solving innovation high performance and change is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.

Required Experience:

Exec

JOB TITLESenior Director Stewardship & Donor RelationsLOCATIONWorcesterDEPARTMENT NAMEDevelopment & Communications StrategyDIVISION NAMEWorcester Polytechnic Institute - WPIJOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARYThe Senior Director Stewardship and Donor Relations leads WPIs comprehensive donor stewardship strategy ...