Senior Director of Donor Relations and Presidential Liaison

The Senior Director of Donor Relations and Presidential Liaison leads a team of advancement professionals focused on the recognition, stewardship, engagement, and acknowledgement of donor giving to Lafayette College. In addition to team management and project oversight, this position is responsible for principal gift stewardship planning, proposals, and reporting; capital gift opportunities and recognition; executive communications related to Advancement; and serving as a direct liaison to the President’s Office.

Essential:

• Serve as the primary liaison to the President’s Office for Advancement-related matters and activities, and serve as a liaison to the Communications Division to coordinate executive communications and related Advancement materials.
• Coordinate departmental reporting to the Board of Trustees and its committees, and prepare departmental reports and presentations for the Division of Advancement.
• Lead, manage, and develop the Donor Relations team, including staff oversight, goal setting, annual performance reviews, and related human resources responsibilities.
• Manage the Stewardship Matrix and coordinate Presidential gift acknowledgements, ensuring timely and appropriate recognition of donor giving.
• Lead Société induction ceremonies on a rolling schedule and lead building and space groundbreakings and dedications on a rolling schedule, coordinating with appropriate College partners and stakeholders.
• Prepare Presidential and Trustee talking points for events and provide related briefing and communication support; oversee the events work of the Donor Relations team and partner with Alumni Relations and Individual Giving departments as appropriate.
• Cultivate a positive working relationship with the Assistant Vice President of Finance & Administration and the College Events team to support effective planning and execution of Advancement-related events.
• Lead the plan for permanent recognition of new and renovated spaces, including donor walls and room plaques, and develop and write plaque wording.
• Oversee principal gift stewardship planning and impact reporting on endowed funds.
• Serve as proposal liaison and provide general oversight with Communications for principal and major gift proposals; oversee proposals of $500,000 or more, bespoke proposals, and proposals prepared for the Vice President or President.
• Work with VP, AVP, and others to define naming opportunity levels for new or renovated buildings and spaces in support of capital gift opportunities and recognition planning.
• Provide executive communications related to Advancement and support other Presidential outreach requested in connection with donors, trustees, events, recognition, stewardship, and institutional activities.

Education, Experience and Knowledge:

The successful candidate should possess:

• A Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of seven years of increasingly successful experience in donor relations and engagement in higher education, non-profit or similar settings, or commensurate related reporting/writing experience and event management skills
• Professional experience in capital/comprehensive campaigns is desirable
• Ability to work well alone or as part of a team in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent written communication skills including ability to write persuasive content, proofreading, editing, and the ability to think universally about content strategy across all sectors of the Advancement operation
• Experience in successful event planning

• Sophisticated interpersonal skills with keen listening and oral communication skills
• Self-motivation to complete tasks in a timely manner and consistently meet…