Director of Benefactor Relations (AD Officer 4-Stewardship)

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Benefactor Relations and Stewardship (65%)

• Create and implement a comprehensive stewardship strategy for the Carlson School's donors at all giving levels with a strong focus on growing the benefactor's relationship to the School
• Provide meaningful acknowledgement and recognition for donors' gifts and create processes to ensure all stewardship of gifts and donor recognition is managed to completion.
• Find opportunities to connect and engage donors and their fund recipients, including creating or identifying opportunities and events to connect donors to the impact of their philanthropy
• Provide high touch stewardship for Carlson's donors through managing and crafting customized impact reports
• Lead efforts to envision, plan, and execute all donor recognition and stewardship events and represent the Carlson School and Institutional Advancement at those events
• Collaborate and meet regularly with development officers to develop creative and personalized stewardship plans with a goal of securing further philanthropic support
• Address donor concerns regarding their giving in collaboration with development officers
• Maintain a portfolio of donors for stewardship purposes, build relationships, and execute plans to maintain donor engagement and connection to the Carlson School
• Work closely with fundraising colleagues to provide appropriate donor recognition through a variety of platforms
• Create collaborative interdepartmental relationships at the Carlson School so that effective stewardship of donors' gifts is widely shared, understood, and executed school-wide
• Build and manage a stewardship network across the campus and with the University of Minnesota Foundation to assist with the Carlson School stewardship program and to aid in developing impact reports on gifts that span multiple collegiate units
• Envision, create and maintain donor recognition signage within the Carlson School
  

Fund and Gift Administration (35%)

• Manage Carlson School's compliance with donor intent on gift direction and use, including the preparation of memoranda of agreement, fund frameworks, gift documents, and fund utilization
• Establish and manage a process for strategically communicating new donors and gifts to development officers and other key stakeholders
• Oversee the establishment of new funds, manage the closing of existing funds, and partner with departments and programs to effectively utilize fund balances
• Provide regular, proactive input and problem-solving support for departments' and programs' fund and gift questions, including fund purposes, balances, disbursements and new gifts
• Advance donors' intentions for their philanthropic gifts while balancing the needs of the School to assure alignment and maximum impact
• Lead with academic programs and departments to manage philanthropic support, including scholarship projections and awarding
• Provide project-based support and reporting to Institutional Advancement leadership
  
  

** The employer reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position **

*MINIMUM / ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's Degree and 6 or more years' experience in stewardship, development, and/or donor relations activities, or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated relationship building skills in an externally facing position
• Proven ability to work effectively with internal and external colleagues and constituents.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and keen attention to detail.
• Demonstrated creativity, energy, and ambition to drive new initiatives and manage projects.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software and experience with CRM databases and tools.

*PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS / SELECTION CRITERIA:

• Master's Degree and 6 or more years' experience in benefactor relations.
• A strong commitment to higher education
• Experience working at a major, public, land grant research university
• Experience working in philanthropic campaigns
• Experience working with executive or senior leaders

OVERVIEW:

The Director of Benefactor Relations is a high-level, strategic partner within the Carlson School of Management's Institutional Advancement team. The Director is responsible for managing and executing all aspects of donor relations and stewardship. This position must have and use discretion and excellent judgement, be able to develop detailed and strategic plans for stewarding Carlson School donors, and have the ability to self-motivate and manage multiple projects simultaneously. The position requires a comprehensive view of benefactor relations that includes a partnership to further philanthropic conversations and externally-facing relationship building with donors and alumni. Occasional evening and weekend responsibilities will be required. This position will report to the Executive Director of Advancement Services.

As a member of the Institutional Advancement team, it is expected that those serving in this position will contribute to a constructive work environment through a positive attitude, civility, collaboration with other team members, and a respectful approach towards working relationships.

Commitment to Institutional Advancement's Mission and Core Values:

The Carlson School of Management strives to have a best-in-class advancement program and be recognized as one of the highest performing fundraising programs in the country. Central to achieving and sustaining this level of success is an individual commitment to our mission and core values. We embrace the Carlson School's commitment to address systemic racism and racial inequality, aligning our work to create a more inclusive culture for alumni, donors and community partners. Our unique value proposition is a belief in not only what we do but how we do it. The Institutional Advancement team has developed a set of core values for how we conduct our work and, importantly, how we treat each other.

Our Mission:
Connecting philanthropy, alumni, and friends of the Carlson School to empower students and bring bold ideas to the world.

Our Core Values:

• We create rather than follow
• We lead with confidence and humility
• We trust colleagues to act ethically, work diligently, and support the team
• We share a belief in our mission, value people as people, and express joy in our workWe demonstrate pride in the University of Minnesota and the Carlson School
  
  

Pay Range: $81,000 - $91,000 depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment Category: 75%-100% Appointment (If job description above does not specify appointment or expected weekly hours, assume a 100% appointment.)

Position Type: Faculty and P&A Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America's Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).