GENERAL SUMMARY OF POSITION: 

Reporting to the Manager of Donor Relations, the Donor Relations Officer is responsible for planning, implementing and managing comprehensive stewardship strategies that recognize and thank donors, demonstrate the impact of their gifts and support donor retention and engagement with the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.

This position is hybrid with onsite work in Worcester, MA.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Compose acknowledgment letters and other special correspondence for a variety of signers, including institution leadership, researchers and physicians.
• Establish, manage information tracking processes and implement acknowledgements, memorial and honor notifications, recognition projects, on-going communications and continued cultivation of past and current major donors to enhance their relationship with the UMass Chan and increase the likelihood of continued contributions.
• Design, document and implement a systematic and integrated donor relations program that acknowledges the generosity of donors and maintains their engagement and connection to the institution.
• Manage the annual Scholarship Celebration. Work collaboratively with Communications and Events staff to compile and review appropriate invitation lists, engage scholarship recipients and student speakers, and create invitation materials, scripts and participant remarks.
• Ensure that all stewardship efforts align with institutional goals, comply with donor intent and promote a culture of gratitude and accountability.
• Develop, assess, document and implement policies and procedures that are essential for a comprehensive donor relations and acknowledgment program.
• Responsible for the review and quality control of gift acknowledgments, donor lists and endowment reports; assist in the review of all mail and email lists to verify data accuracy.
• Proactively support the stewardship responsibilities of Major Gift Officers by collaborating with them in establishing and coordinating individualized stewardship plans for their portfolio of donors.
• Advise on and facilitate the recognition of donors in both print and Web-based publications.
• Work closely with Advancement office staff, faculty, clinical staff and student scholarship recipients to report to donors on the use of gifts, to facilitate meetings between donors and their campus beneficiaries and to recognize donors and celebrate their gifts with gift plaques, framed articles or similar.
• Gather content and financials for and prepare reports on named and endowed funds.
• Prepare customized donor stewardship materials.
• When necessary, manage summer/graduate interns.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.
• 1-4 years’ experience in communications related field.
• Superior written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to engage with a diverse group of donors.
• Proven skills and ability to manage multi-phase projects from inception to completion, including the ability to build consensus among team members and balance multiple concurrent priorities.
• Excellent planning, organization and communication skills; proficiency with MS-Office (including Word, Excel and Powerpoint), Canva and Adobe Pro, donor database and UMass Foundation database.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team in partnership with faculty, colleagues, students and other key players.
• The knowledge and ability to create, execute and oversee a comprehensive donor acknowledgment and recognition plan, including advising on complex and carefully orchestrated cultivation events and programs for the UMass Chan Medical School major donors.
• The ability to generate creative solutions and think strategically about donor engagement.
• High level of initiative and energy, as well as excellent problem-solving skills and judgment in situations requiring independent initiative and tact.
• Must display a high level of maturity and personal integrity and ability to understand, develop and sustain resilient and dynamic relationships with donors, colleagues and senior management.