Associate Director, Donor Relations - University of Pennsylvania

University Overview


The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.




Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.




The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.








Posted Job Title

Associate Director, Donor Relations





Job Profile Title

Associate Director C, Development, Services





Job Description Summary

Reporting the Director, Donor Relations, the Associate Director of Donor Relations will play an important role in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of donor relations functions across Penn Development and Alumni Relations (DAR), as well as delivering creative donor relations materials that help drive donor engagement and fundraising.


This position will have a significant technical operations role in the department, serving as the primary manager of Qwilr, a technology platform used across DAR to create proposals and donor stewardship reports. This responsibility includes governance of the Qwilr system, working with the vendor to manage user accounts and communicate system updates, serving as the primary contact for colleagues across DAR using the system, and continuously reviewing system usage to ensure file structures and resource libraries are appropriately maintained.


The Associate Director will also manage the process to establish, maintain, and internally communicate Penn DAR’s donor relations and stewardship shared business processes, best practice guidelines, and policies. This work will include helping to establish processes and tracking capability for stewardship within our new Salesforce CRM (internally named Compass), and helping to establish metrics and reports to measure stewardship activity and effectiveness as a critical step in the donor engagement and cultivation journey.


Under the supervision of the Director, Donor Relations, this individual will also work on projects to produce highly customized stewardship materials, proposals, case materials, and other development communications for principal gift and major gift fundraising teams.


The successful candidate for this position will be a creative and skilled communicator with a talent and passion for systems, process, and technology to drive excellent results, and the ability to lead project teams across hierarchy, functions, and departments.





Job Description


Key Responsibilities:



+ Project Management and Internal Coordination


+ Manage and support the Donor Relations Working Group, which is chaired by the Director, Donor Relations and includes a small representative group of donor relations staff across DAR.


+ Work closely with the Director of Donor Relations and other members of the Working Group to convene donor relations staff across DAR regularly for learning and sharing best practices. Maintain the listserv/s for donor relations subject matter expert groups.






+ Policy and Guidelines Management:


+ Work with the Director, Donor Relations and Donor Relations Working Group to audit Penn’s current donor relations and stewardship practices across the University, identifying areas for improvement.


+ Develop and update best practice guidelines and policies for donor relations and stewardship.






+ Business Process and Data Alignment:


+ Project manage ongoing work to ensure that stewardship business processes are functional within Compass. This project will involve coordinating with DAR stewardship staff across Penn, the Compass management team, and Technology Training Team.


+ Work with the Director, Donor Relations, other members of the Donor Relations Working Group, and AVP of Prospect Strategy and Research to identify KPIs that will be used to measure stewardship performance across DAR.


+ Working with this same group of colleagues, inform the design and preparation of Compass reporting relevant to DAR-wide donor relations, stewardship needs and deliverables, and support the analysis and interpretation of data to identify trends and opportunities for enhancing donor engagement.






+ Qwilr Governance:


+ Train and support DAR staff in the use of Qwilr, including responding to feedback about user needs.


+ Continuously monitor platform usage, ensure system maintenance, and communicate updates about the system’s functionality to users.


+ Continuously seek ways to leverage Qwilr to enhance donor communications and reporting and serve in a consultative capacity to others using the tool.






+ Stewardship Projects and Proposal Development:


+ Manage workflow and deadlines for high-quality, multidimensional communications deliverables with attention to quality and accuracy; provide proofing and copyediting where necessary.


+ Interface with DAR leadership, frontline fundraisers, stewardship teams, and DAR Marketing and Communications (DARMAX), to produce case presentations, proposals, and stewardship materials that may be presented to our highest-level volunteers and donors across multiple formats including Qwilr, PPT, Adobe, and web.







Qualifications



+ Education: Bachelor's degree




+ Experience:


+ 3-5 years of experience in communications, donor relations, stewardship, or a related field or equivalent combination of education and experience required.


+ Experience with technology platforms for relationship management is required. Experience specifically with Salesforce and Qwilr is a plus.


+ Experience working in a large, complex organization is beneficial.


+ Experience working in higher education is beneficial.






+ Skills and Attributes:


+ Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and demonstrated competence using databases, CRMs, and donor management software, and interest and aptitude in emerging technologies.


+ Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to distill complex academic topics in a way that is meaningful and understandable to various constituents, and with an eye for design to create compelling presentation materials.


+ Strong attention to detail, and commitment to accuracy.


+ Strong project management and organizational skills, including the ability to manage and meet tight deadlines.


+ Confidence and emotional intelligence to convene and influence peers and senior colleagues to help drive projects forward and make decisions collectively.


+ Ability to work independently and as a part of a team, including interacting with a wide range of people at different levels of the organization.


+ High level of professionalism and discretion.


+ Creativity and the ability to “think outside the box”.


+ Belief in the value of higher education and support for the mission of the University of Pennsylvania.


+ Dedication to supporting an environment of diversity and inclusion.









Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania





Department / School

Development and Alumni Relations





Pay Range

$51,824.00 - $78,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.




Affirmative Action Statement Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.




Special Requirements Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.




University Benefits

+ Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts : Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

+ Tuition : Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits . You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

+ Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

+ Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

+ Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

+ Wellness and Work-life Resources : Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

+ Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

+ University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

+ Discounts and Special Services : From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

+ Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

+ Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

+ Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.




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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay



The University of Pennsylvania's special character is reflected in the diversity of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community that draws on the strength that comes with a substantive institutional commitment to diversity along dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, veteran status, interests, perspectives, and socioeconomic status. Grounded in equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action, Penn's robust commitment to diversity is fundamental to the University's mission of advancing knowledge, educating leaders for all sectors of society, and public service. The University of Pennsylvania prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.