Donor Stewardship Specialist

The Donor Stewardship Specialist is responsible for acknowledging gifts and pledges of charitable contributions to the College and its programs by producing accurate letters, reports, and stewardship correspondences. Donors represent a broad range of constituents, including Bard alumni/ae, friends, families, and corporations and foundations. This position reports to the Stewardship Manager in the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs (ODAA) of Bard College.

This position also provides administrative support for the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs as identified by the VP of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs and stays aware of best practices in the donor stewardship field. The Donor Stewardship Specialist will learn to expertly use the Development Office’s Slate CRM (constituent relationship system) to draft customized letters and other communications that strengthen the bonds that donors feel to the College.

They will orchestrate the review of draft documents by Gift Officers as appropriate. They will also coordinate with development staff throughout the institution to archive externally produced stewardship documents in accordance with the outlined policies and procedures of the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs.

The position is located at Bard College’s main campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., home to 1,900 undergraduate students. ODAA also serves the College’s multiple graduate programs, the Fisher Center, the Hessel Museum of Art, the Bard Prison Initiative, the Bard Early Colleges across the country, and a number of international campuses and partnerships and new initiatives.

• Produce and send receipts for gift and pledge payments
• Create and manage tailored acknowledgments and other stewardship communications, including customization, distribution, and archival
• Use the Slate CRM to automate the creation of acknowledgment communications to the fullest extent possible
• Generate reports that support colleagues in other departments who also acknowledge gifts
• Draft and manage stewardship reports for a variety of donors, which may include reports for scholarships, awards, prizes, endowed funds, and any additional reports as needed
• Receive and archive acknowledgments created by colleagues in other departments
• Assist in maintaining correct address/contact information for donors in the Slate CRM
• Create annual statements for donors with multiple gifts, payroll deductions, recurring monthly donations, and other segments as needed
• Provide backup coverage for ODAA’s main phone line and front desk
• Assist with campus-wide events and stewardship events, such as Commencement/Reunion Weekend, Arrival Day, Family Weekend, Alumni/ae Holiday Party, Annual Scholarship Reception, Undergraduate Awards Ceremony, Senior Dinner, Thank-A-Donor, and other events as needed
• Manage swag inventory for the office
• Maintain the stewardship calendar
• Responsible for producing documentation of gift acknowledgments for auditors.
• Work some weekends and during peak processing periods, specifically, mid-December through mid-January and mid-June through mid-July.
• Other duties as assigned

• High school diploma required
• B.A., B.S., or A.A. preferred

• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly including mail merge
• Skilled at using Google G-Suite (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides)
• Demonstrated ability to be accurate and accountable in assigned tasks and work efficiently with minimal errors
• Proven experience in writing and copyediting

• Effective writing skills:
  Able to write clearly and concisely using correct grammar
• Cross team collaboration:
  Able to work with others to accomplish shared goals,…