Associate Director, Donor Relations
The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Associate Director, Donor Relations
The George Washington University Division of University Advancement (UA) is seeking an Associate Director, Donor Relations. The Donor Relations team provides a comprehensive, donor-focused program that enriches a donor's engagement with the university and motivates the involvement and investment of others. University Advancement is responsible for leading the university's alumni and fundraising efforts and seeks to promote a culture of philanthropy throughout the university community, including alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, corporations and foundations, grateful patients, and other friends. Our goal is to advance GW's mission of excellence in education, research, scholarship, and patient care. This position manages stewardship reports, donor communications, and activities for donors at all levels. This position develops stewardship content for reports, reviews and edits drafts of donor correspondence, and drafts reports on the status of major initiatives for distribution to donor constituencies, including alumni, families, patients, and friends of the university. This role develops content for donor profiles, video content creation, and stories of impact stemming from donor philanthropy. This position creates procedures to increase efficiency and assure the quality and consistency of stewardship deliverables. The Associate Director will primarily focus on financial aid stewardship and its related communications and protocols. Additional project management responsibilities may include organizing and overseeing stewardship events, including dedications, celebrations, and installation ceremonies. Additional duties include developing cultivation and stewardship opportunities that include impact of gift reporting (endowed, current use, and capital funds), donor recognition and celebration events, gift acknowledgments, donor correspondence, communications (digital and print), and other opportunities for donor engagement. Provides central oversight for the stewardship of financial aid funds across the campus, ensuring consistency and transparency are maintained to foster donor retention and satisfaction. This includes the management of our scholarship administration tool, GWay (Blackbaud Award Management), developing and administering the requisite protocols and procedures to support it, and communications with our campus partners in the schools and units. Collaborates with a variety of university stakeholders (AVPs, deans, faculty, financial aid, finance directors, and program directors) to ensure accurate information is collected and prepared for distribution to donors and university departments. Works closely with the Director of Donor Relations and the Director of Donor Fund Compliance to audit and monitor donor fund expenditures and compliance with donor intent. Performs other work-related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties logically related to the position. Minimum qualifications include a Bachelor's degree in an appropriate area of specialization plus 2 years of relevant professional experience, or, a Master's degree or higher in a relevant area of study. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position. Degree requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience. Preferred qualifications include prior experience working in donor relations or stewardship or with annual, major, or leadership donors. Ability to exercise a high degree of sensitivity in dealing with confidential donor information. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills are essential for this position. Excellent editing, writing, and proofing skills. Advanced technical skills and computer literacy specifically, proficiency with donor database systems, Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office software, and Google Suite are required. Experience with Blackbaud Award Management or similar system a plus. Experience building collaborative relationships with diverse constituencies and strong partnerships in a team environment is preferred. Proven skills and ability to manage complex projects from start to finish, including overlapping projects, with a demonstrated focus on meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Solid customer service/donor-first orientation desired. Hiring range is $72,235.20 - $99,250.68. GW offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, life & disability insurance, time off & leave, retirement savings, tuition, well-being and various voluntary benefits. For program details and eligibility, please visit https://hr.gwu.edu/benefits-programs. Campus location is Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C. The college/school/department is University Advancement, family is Dev & Alumni Relations, sub-family is Donor Relations, stream is Individual Contributor, level is Level 2, full-time/part-time is Full-Time, hours per week is 40, work schedule is Monday Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, some evenings/weekends. Occasional travel regional and national. The job requires the employee to work on site and is hybrid with telework. Required background check includes Criminal History Screening, Education/Degree/Certifications Verification, Social Security Number Trace, and Sex Offender Registry Search. Employer will not sponsor for employment Visa status. Internal applicants only? No. Posting number is S014147. Job open date is 04/23/2026. Job close date is not specified. Background screening is required as a condition of hire. The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*). * Are you currently employed with The George Washington University? No Yes * For current GW employees, have you completed your Introductory Employment Period (IEP)? (As a reminder, employees in their IEP are not eligible to apply for other internal university staff and research positions until the IEP is complete.) Yes, IEP complete No, still in IEP N/a - not a current GW employee * What is your salary range expectation? (Open Ended Question) Required documents to apply include a resume and cover letter. Optional documents are not specified.
The George Washington University Division of University Advancement (UA) is seeking an Associate Director, Donor Relations. The Donor Relations team provides a comprehensive, donor-focused program that enriches a donor's engagement with the university and motivates the involvement and investment of others. University Advancement is responsible for leading the university's alumni and fundraising efforts and seeks to promote a culture of philanthropy throughout the university community, including alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, corporations and foundations, grateful patients, and other friends. Our goal is to advance GW's mission of excellence in education, research, scholarship, and patient care. This position manages stewardship reports, donor communications, and activities for donors at all levels. This position develops stewardship content for reports, reviews and edits drafts of donor correspondence, and drafts reports on the status of major initiatives for distribution to donor constituencies, including alumni, families, patients, and friends of the university. This role develops content for donor profiles, video content creation, and stories of impact stemming from donor philanthropy. This position creates procedures to increase efficiency and assure the quality and consistency of stewardship deliverables. The Associate Director will primarily focus on financial aid stewardship and its related communications and protocols. Additional project management responsibilities may include organizing and overseeing stewardship events, including dedications, celebrations, and installation ceremonies. Additional duties include developing cultivation and stewardship opportunities that include impact of gift reporting (endowed, current use, and capital funds), donor recognition and celebration events, gift acknowledgments, donor correspondence, communications (digital and print), and other opportunities for donor engagement. Provides central oversight for the stewardship of financial aid funds across the campus, ensuring consistency and transparency are maintained to foster donor retention and satisfaction. This includes the management of our scholarship administration tool, GWay (Blackbaud Award Management), developing and administering the requisite protocols and procedures to support it, and communications with our campus partners in the schools and units. Collaborates with a variety of university stakeholders (AVPs, deans, faculty, financial aid, finance directors, and program directors) to ensure accurate information is collected and prepared for distribution to donors and university departments. Works closely with the Director of Donor Relations and the Director of Donor Fund Compliance to audit and monitor donor fund expenditures and compliance with donor intent. Performs other work-related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties logically related to the position. Minimum qualifications include a Bachelor's degree in an appropriate area of specialization plus 2 years of relevant professional experience, or, a Master's degree or higher in a relevant area of study. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position. Degree requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience. Preferred qualifications include prior experience working in donor relations or stewardship or with annual, major, or leadership donors. Ability to exercise a high degree of sensitivity in dealing with confidential donor information. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills are essential for this position. Excellent editing, writing, and proofing skills. Advanced technical skills and computer literacy specifically, proficiency with donor database systems, Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office software, and Google Suite are required. Experience with Blackbaud Award Management or similar system a plus. Experience building collaborative relationships with diverse constituencies and strong partnerships in a team environment is preferred. Proven skills and ability to manage complex projects from start to finish, including overlapping projects, with a demonstrated focus on meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Solid customer service/donor-first orientation desired. Hiring range is $72,235.20 - $99,250.68. GW offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, life & disability insurance, time off & leave, retirement savings, tuition, well-being and various voluntary benefits. For program details and eligibility, please visit https://hr.gwu.edu/benefits-programs. Campus location is Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C. The college/school/department is University Advancement, family is Dev & Alumni Relations, sub-family is Donor Relations, stream is Individual Contributor, level is Level 2, full-time/part-time is Full-Time, hours per week is 40, work schedule is Monday Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, some evenings/weekends. Occasional travel regional and national. The job requires the employee to work on site and is hybrid with telework. Required background check includes Criminal History Screening, Education/Degree/Certifications Verification, Social Security Number Trace, and Sex Offender Registry Search. Employer will not sponsor for employment Visa status. Internal applicants only? No. Posting number is S014147. Job open date is 04/23/2026. Job close date is not specified. Background screening is required as a condition of hire. The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*). * Are you currently employed with The George Washington University? No Yes * For current GW employees, have you completed your Introductory Employment Period (IEP)? (As a reminder, employees in their IEP are not eligible to apply for other internal university staff and research positions until the IEP is complete.) Yes, IEP complete No, still in IEP N/a - not a current GW employee * What is your salary range expectation? (Open Ended Question) Required documents to apply include a resume and cover letter. Optional documents are not specified.