Senior Director, Donor Relations - 197477

Description

Reporting to the Executive Director of Advancement Services, the Senior Director of Donor Relations provides strategic leadership for Pace University's donor relations, stewardship, donor recognition, and philanthropic impact programs. The Senior Director is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive donor relations strategy designed to strengthen donor retention, enhance the donor experience, increase donor loyalty, and support long-term philanthropic growth.

The Senior Director serves as a strategic partner to Development Officers, Annual Giving, Alumni Relations, Advancement Services, and University leadership to develop and execute a comprehensive donor engagement strategy that supports fundraising priorities and enhances the donor experience throughout the philanthropic lifecycle. Through personalized stewardship, impact communications, donor recognition, and data-informed engagement initiatives, the Senior Director strengthens donor loyalty, improves retention, maximizes lifetime philanthropic value, and advances the University s long-term fundraising and revenue growth goals.

The successful candidate will be a strategic and collaborative leader with exceptional communication, relationship-building, and project management skills. The Senior Director will work extensively with Planned Giving, Development Officers, Advancement Services, Alumni Relations, Financial Aid, Finance, University Events, Communications, Marketing, Academic Leadership, and senior University administrators.

The position requires the ability to lead organizational change, implement best practices, utilize data to inform strategy, and build strong partnerships that advance donor retention, engagement, and fundraising success.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive donor relations and stewardship strategy designed to strengthen donor retention, increase donor loyalty, and enhance the overall donor experience.
• Establish measurable goals and key performance indicators related to donor retention, stewardship, donor engagement, and donor satisfaction, utilizing data and analytics to assess effectiveness and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with fundraising leadership to develop donor lifecycle engagement strategies that support donor acquisition, retention, renewal, upgrade, and long-term philanthropic engagement.
• Collaborate with Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Principal Gifts, and Alumni Relations teams to align donor relations activities with institutional fundraising priorities and campaign objectives.
• Benchmark donor relations and stewardship programs against peer and aspirational institutions and implement best practices that support innovation and continuous improvement.
• Develop strategies to deepen donor engagement by demonstrating the impact of philanthropy through personalized stewardship, impact reporting, recognition programs, and donor-centered communications.
• Oversee the University s donor impact reporting program for endowed scholarships, professorships, research initiatives, centers, current-use funds, and other restricted gifts.
• Design and oversee stewardship communications, including personalized reports, special mailings, digital communications, and donor updates highlighting the impact of donor support.
• Partner with academic and administrative leaders to gather stories, outcomes, and data that effectively communicate the value of philanthropy to donors.
• Lead the development and implementation of comprehensive donor recognition programs that celebrate philanthropy and strengthen donor affinity across all giving levels.
• Oversee physical and digital donor recognition programs across all campuses, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and alignment with institutional standards.
• Design and execute donor engagement and recognition events that provide meaningful opportunities for donors to connect with students, faculty, University leadership, and the University s mission.
• Ensure a consistent, personalized, and donor-centered experience across all donor touchpoints.
• Oversee donor reporting for individuals and organizations that support scholarships, professorships, research funds,…