Development & Donor Relations Associate

The Development and External Relations (DER) team at The Hormel Institute builds relationships and secures philanthropic support to advance the Institute's research and education mission. The team works closely with donors, community partners, businesses, foundations, government partners, and others who want to support the Institute and its work.

The Development & Donor Relations Associate provides professional support for fundraising, donor relations, and stewardship activities. This position helps create a positive and meaningful experience for donors by coordinating communications and recognition, maintaining donor and prospect information, preparing materials, supporting donor meetings and events, and ensuring timely follow‑up.

The work of this position involves multiple areas of fundraising and donor relations and works closely with other members of the Institute team and with faculty, staff, University partners, donors, and community members. The employer retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position as needed.

• Coordinate donor acknowledgment, recognition, and stewardship activities to help provide a positive donor experience from the first gift through continued engagement.
• Maintain donor and prospect information and track engagement activities, follow‑up needs, and relationship‑building efforts.
• Assist with identifying and researching prospective donors, including basic prospect research and wealth screening.
• Gather information about donor interests and help identify connections with Institute research, education, and other funding priorities.
• Support donor cultivation and stewardship plans developed by the DER team.
• Coordinate donor and prospective donor visits and meetings, including scheduling, preparation of materials, and follow‑up.
• Maintain stewardship and donor recognition materials and inventory.
• Work with the Finance team and University partners to track gifts and support accurate and timely donor acknowledgments.
• Assist with reports and basic analysis of donor activity, giving, and engagement.

• Coordinate recurring donor communications, including acknowledgments, mailings, invitations, updates, impact of gifts, and other donor touchpoints.
• Draft and prepare donor correspondence and materials using established messaging and templates.
• Gather information from faculty and staff to help communicate the impact of donor support and connect donors with the Institute's research and education mission.
• Prepare and assemble materials for donor meetings, visits, presentations, and fundraising activities.
• Coordinate production and distribution of donor communications with internal partners and external vendors.
• Maintain schedules and project timelines for recurring fundraising and donor communication activities.
• Track response and engagement information to help the DER team evaluate and improve fundraising and communication efforts.

• Serve as a point of contact for community members and organizations conducting fundraising activities benefiting The Hormel Institute.
• Maintain a centralized calendar of community fundraising activities, contacts, key dates, and participation needs.
• Provide community organizers with approved Institute information, fundraising resources, branding guidance, and other materials.
• Coordinate participation by Institute leaders, faculty, staff, or grant recipients when appropriate.
• Maintain communication with community fundraising partners and coordinate Institute follow‑up and recognition.
• Maintain and update resources and tools that help community partners successfully organize fundraising activities benefiting…