Job No. 156135
- Job Title:
- Senior Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship
- Employer:
-
George Mason University
- Location:
-
Fairfax , VA
- Posting Date:
- 12-Aug-2025
- Description:
-
About the Department:
The George Mason University Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations is a comprehensive development and alumni relations enterprise with a staff complement of approximately 135 FTE. Functional units within Advancement include development/fundraising, alumni relations, donor relations and stewardship, advancement communications, special events, gift processing, research, prospect management, gift planning, corporate and foundation relations, information systems and management, and infrastructure services.
Advancement’s mission is to build strong, lifelong relationships with George Mason University’s alumni and constituents while matching their philanthropic interests with the university’s aspirations and priorities. The division is committed to serving the needs of the university, our alumni, and the greater community by providing access to quality education and lifelong learning. Respect, service, integrity, collaboration, diversity, transparency, and creativity are the values that guide our work and culture.
About the Position:
As an integral part of Central Advancement, the Senior Director is responsible for ensuring that Mason has a comprehensive, best-practice donor relations and strategic stewardship program that supports the cultivation, recognition, and stewardship of Mason’s donors – at all levels – and fosters their lifetime engagement in the University.
This position is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of a high performing, comprehensive University-wide donor relations and strategic stewardship program that is designed to increase donor satisfaction and drive fundraising growth; creates and maintains a positive and professional relationship between the university and its donors, alumni, and constituents; collaborates with various advancement units to determine effective gift stewardship strategies; and elevates the overall philanthropic experience to support donor cultivation and retention.
This position also oversees all aspects of gift acknowledgements, gift acceptance, endowment reporting and compliance, impact reporting, giving societies, naming opportunities, scholarship stewardship, and custom principal and major gift stewardship plans. The Senior Director collaborates closely with George Mason University Foundation accounting personnel, as well as University leadership to maintain donor relations standards and donor-centric programming across all areas of Mason. The Senior Director oversees a team of staff members in the Donor Relations and Stewardship team.
Responsibilities:
Vision and Strategy
Working with supervisor, develops the strategic direction to improve the donor experience, increases donor retention, and promotes giving to Mason;
Conceptualizes, oversees and/or executes initiatives that reach major and principal gift prospects and help elevate Mason’s reputation among potential and current donors;
Collects and utilizes qualitative and quantitative inputs from a wide range of leaders across campus to inform and develop highly customized stewardship plans for principal and major gift donors, lifetime and planned giving societies, and annual fund donors;
Oversees the development of strategy for strategic recognition and stewardship events, and programs for key donors and giving societies;
Collaborates with Advancement events teams to successfully execute the vision and strategy for recognition and stewardship events;
Builds and oversees a donor relations and strategic stewardship community of practice consisting of Central Advancement team members and other fundraising practitioners throughout the University; and
Communicates a vision for the community of practice that aligns with and affirms the overarching goals of Central Advancement.
Program Management
Identifies resource requirements annually for the donor relations and strategic stewardship staff team, operations, and capital needs to place Mason’s program at the leading edge;
Conceptualizes and implements a quantitative and qualitative system of data and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness and success of all stewardship and donor relations programs, utilizing the data to improve standards, increase donor retention, and further the success of fundraising goals;
Collaborates with Advancement Communications to identify areas of integrated marketing opportunities to tell donor impact stories and emotionally connect donors;
Oversees the creation of all stewardship-related reporting that educates, engages, inspires, and thanks donors for their generosity to the university;
Evaluates potential naming opportunities for new construction and major renovation, as well as virtual spaces without dedicated physical space;
Develops, implements, and maintains standards and policies for capital and special project naming and recognition opportunities;
Works on collaborative, cross-campus committees for special university projects and events; and
Develops, implements, and manages all work for the university's giving societies.
Donor Experience
Works closely with university fundraisers, senior academic administrators, faculty, and staff to build long-term donor relations programs that enrich relations between donors and the university;
Works closely and collaboratively with fundraising team members to provide oversight, direction, and operations support for their donor relations needs to create and implement short-term and long-term strategies to steward and engage major gift donors in alignment with overarching donor relations and stewardship programs, plans, and goals;
In partnership with the principal gifts needs, contributes to the management of these donors by developing and executing thoughtful and individualized strategies for stewarding donors; and
Represents Central Advancement at functions and works with donors and other constituents to strengthen connections and build trust in Mason.
Supervision of Staff; Leadership and Coaching
- Contact information:
- George Mason University
- Fairfax, VA 22030
- United States
- Employer's Website:
-
Visit Employer's website