Donor Relations Officer, Annual Giving

Wheaton is a leading private, coeducational, liberal arts collegeof 1800 students located in Norton, MA and within easy commuting distance of Boston and Providence.

Posting Number: 0601339

Position Title:

Donor Relations Officer, Annual Giving

FLSA:
Exempt

Job Type: Full-Time

Staff Term: 12 Months

Staff Work Schedule (hours/dates): 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday to Friday

Academic Year Schedule (dates): 12 months

Faculty Term:

Position Type:
Staff

Department:
College Advancement

The Donor Relations Officer, Annual Giving develops impact communications and donor experiences that demonstrate the impact ofphilanthropy, strengthen donor engagement, and support retention.

The office plays a vital role in nurturing the relationship between the College and its annual donors. The position is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing a stewardship program thatacknowledges, recognizes and celebrates annual donors, including first-time donors and loyal consecutive-year donors.

With support from the Manager of Donor Communications and Stewardship, create and distribute compelling impact reports highlighting financial aid/scholarships, Life and Career Design(Experiential Learning Opportunities), Athletics, and other keyannual college priorities.

Manage logistics, communications and benefits for the College’sannual giving societies and loyalty programs, including the 1834

Society and Mary Lyon Leadership Society. Collaborate with Advancement Marketing and Communications to draft inspiringstewardship content, including newsletters, impact videos, webfeatures, and social media spotlight pieces

Coordinate student scholarship recipient testimonials in conjunction with the Donor Relations Officer, Leadership Giving.

Monitor donor retention and engagement trends to evaluatestewardship effectiveness and identify opportunities to strengthendonor loyalty

Plan and execute small to mid-sized donor appreciation events forkey donors as part of the College’s broader campaign priorities.

Produce financial activity reports in conjuction with the Donor Relations Officer, Leadership Giving

• Bachelor’s Degree and 1-3 years related experience experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• General understanding of the donor lifecycle, annual givingsocieties, loyalty programs, and higher education campaignpriorities.
• Proficiency in advancement databases (e.g., Raiser’sEdge) to track donor activity, query data, and monitor retentionmetrics.
• Knowledge of endowment fund structures, restricted vs.unrestricted funds, financial activity statements, and scholarshipadministration.
• End-to-end knowledge of event planning, catering logistics, vendor contracts, and VIP donor protocol for small to mid-sizedevents.
• Exceptional written and visual storytelling skills across variousmediums, including impact reports, newsletters, video scripts, webcopy, and social media.
• Ability to evaluate stewardship program effectiveness, calculatedonor retention rates, interpret financial activity, and presentactionable quarterly reports to leadership.
• Strong organizational ability to handle multiple overlappingpublication schedules, student testimonial collections, and donorevents simultaneously.
• Skill in interviewing student scholarship recipients to draw outcompelling testimonials, and collaborating effectively across teams(Advancement Marketing, Leadership Giving, Annual Giving).
• Ability to work seamlessly with cross-departmental partners (e.g.,Student Support Services/Financial Aid, Athletics, the Life and Career Design Institute) to gather impact data.
• High degree of tact when handling sensitive financial data, donor records, and student information.
• Meticulous accuracy in donor…