The Iowa State University Foundation is charged with the rewarding task of fundraising for the university. Together, we work as a team to expertly match our donors’ passions with Iowa State’s needs.
The first gift to Iowa State was made in 1899 by alumnus and former professor Edgar Stanton, who donated the original 10 bells of the Campanile. Without this first gift, and all the generous gifts since then, Iowa State’s campus would be completely different. The foundation honors this tradition today by finding new ways to move Iowa State University forward – whether through scholarship support, funding leading-edge facilities, creating new opportunities, or recruiting the best faculty.
As a part of the donor relations unit, the stewardship team assists in building and enhancing relationships with donors by creating meaningful experiences and reporting that displays and demonstrates the impact of private support. The assistant/associate director of stewardship is primarily responsible for developing and implementing for broad-based impact reporting and serves as a liaison to constituent units in identifying stewardship opportunities that will advance individual donor strategies.
Based on qualifications and experience, a selected candidate may hold one of these job titles: Assistant Director of Stewardship or Associate Director of Stewardship.
Core Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Work closely with internal and external partners to develop and execute processes that report the impact of donor giving to broad-based and targeted audiences.
- Oversee the capital project reporting program.
- Assist development staff in the physical recognition of donors’ giving to facility projects.
- Utilize the customer relationship management software (CRM) to maintain and enhance an inventory of all named spaces across campus including buildings and internal rooms, laboratories, lecture halls, etc.
- Assist in production and delivery of annual endowment and expendable fund activity reports.
- Serve as a liaison to constituent units, participating in stewardship strategy development and overseeing execution of materials or planning of engagement opportunities as needed.
- Develop and monitor evaluation mechanisms for measuring success and adjust strategies accordingly. Continuously seek new creative and innovative ways to share impact with donors.
- Work closely with writers, creative services, and communications assistant to manage the day-to-day operational aspects and progression of stewardship efforts.
Qualifications
Education & Work Experience
- Bachelor’s degree or appropriate years of related experience, preferably in communications, public relations, or marketing.
- 2+ years of professional experience, preferably in donor relations. Experience working for or with a non-profit, specifically institutions of higher education is preferred.
Desired Skills & Experience
- Communication skills (both written and verbal) and attention to detail are essential.
- Must be proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Strong editing and proofreading skills to ensure meaningful and accurate information is communicated are required.
- Experience working with Salesforce is preferred.
- Ability to analyze significant amounts of data to identify trends and best practices.
- Program development and project management skills.
- Must handle a number of activities simultaneously with attention and adherence to deadlines and accuracy.
- Ability to work in a team setting and navigate working with a variety of personalities.
- Confidentiality is required.
- Creativity, patience, a sense of humor and a belief in our organizational mission: Aligning donor passion and generosity to advance Iowa State University’s land grant ideals.
Travel: Occasional travel required for events
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Ames, IA; potentially hybrid
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