Salary: $105,000.00 - $115,000.00 Annually
Location : Brooklyn, NY, NY
Job Type: Full-Time Staff
Job Number:Division: Institutional Advancement (Division)
Opening Date: 11/13/2026
Closing Date: 12/4/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
DescriptionThe Associate Director of Donor Relations is a key member of Pratt Institute's Institutional Advancement team, responsible for managing and implementing donor relations and stewardship activities that strengthen donor trust, deepen engagement, and encourage continued philanthropic support. This role coordinates the communications, reporting, recognition, cross-departmental and cross-campus partnerships necessary to ensure donors are thanked and stewarded in a timely, meaningful, and personalized manner.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Major Giving, the Associate Director contributes to the development of stewardship strategies and manages their implementation, with particular attention to major, principal, endowed, restricted, and campaign gifts. The position works closely with frontline fundraisers, Advancement Operations, Finance, Financial Aid, academic leadership, and other campus partners to document and honor donor intent, coordinate gift agreements, and communicate the use and impact of philanthropic support.
The Associate Director collaborates closely with the Assistant Director of Donor Relations, with both positions reporting directly to the Senior Director of Major Giving. The successful candidate is an excellent writer, a strong project manager, and a thoughtful, collaborative partner who brings sound judgment, initiative, and attention to detail to donor stewardship.
Examples of Duties Donor Stewardship and Recognition- Manage and implement donor relations and stewardship activities, ensuring timely, accurate, and meaningful engagement with donors, alumni, parents, trustees, and friends of the Institute.
- Personally welcome and thank new donors through timely phone and email outreach, expressing appreciation for their gifts and strengthening their connection to Pratt.
- Partner with Major Gifts fundraisers to develop and carry out stewardship strategies for major and principal gift donors, endowed fund donors, and other key constituencies.
- Draft and review special acknowledgments, leadership correspondence, customized thank-you letters, and donor recognition content, coordinating with the Development Manager on production, signatures, and distribution.
- Create and maintain individualized stewardship plans in partnership with frontline fundraisers, coordinating appropriate follow-up after gifts and significant donor interactions.
- Develop personalized stewardship opportunities that demonstrate the impact of philanthropy and deepen donors' connections to Pratt's students, faculty, programs, and priorities.
- Contribute to consistent standards of thoughtful, accurate, and responsive donor communication across Institutional Advancement.
Donor Reporting and Fund Stewardship- Manage the preparation and delivery of donor impact reports, endowed fund reports, scholarship reports, and other materials that communicate the use and impact of philanthropic support.
- Maintain stewardship reporting calendars and coordinate timely completion of annual, endowed, restricted, campaign, and customized donor reports.
- Gather student stories, faculty updates, and programmatic outcomes from campus partners, incorporating financial information supplied and validated by Finance and other responsible offices.
- Coordinate follow-up on questions involving donor intent, use of philanthropic support, or stewardship commitments, referring fund setup and reconciliation matters to the Development Manager and appropriate institutional partners.
- Recommend improvements to the clarity, consistency, and quality of donor reporting materials.
Gift Agreements, Fund Documentation, and Donor Intent- Review gift and fund agreement language and pledge documentation using approved templates, working with frontline fundraisers to accurately reflect donor intent and institutional priorities; partner with the Development Manager on review routing, signatures, and executed agreement records.
- Manage the in-kind gift process in collaboration with the Assistant Director, reviewing gift documentation and confirming opportunities to record gift revenue, consistent with institutional policies.
- Identify and elevate questions involving unusual gift terms, donor restrictions, or fund use to the Senior Director of Major Gifts and appropriate institutional partners.
Collaboration with Fundraisers and Campus Partners- Partner with frontline fundraisers to prepare stewardship plans, donor communications, impact reports, and recognition opportunities that support donor engagement and retention.
- Coordinate with colleagues in Major Gifts, Annual Giving, Alumni Engagement, Planned Giving, Campaign, and Events to align stewardship activities with fundraising and engagement priorities.
- Collaborate closely with the Assistant Director of Donor Relations to coordinate shared projects, clarify responsibilities, and maintain continuity across donor relations activities.
- Build productive relationships with faculty, deans, chairs, program directors, and administrative colleagues to gather content and updates that demonstrate philanthropic impact.
- Support donor events, campaign activities, recognition opportunities, and special stewardship moments as needed.
Systems, Data, and Process Management- Use Raiser's Edge NXT and other advancement systems to document stewardship plans, donor recognition, reporting requirements, deadlines, and communications.
- Communicate donor reporting, recognition, and stewardship requirements to the Development Manager and Advancement Services.
- Coordinate with relevant colleagues on pledge reminders and donor-facing information about wire, stock, and other gift transactions.
- Proactively identify and implement improvements to donor relations projects and stewardship processes, partnering with the Development Manager when changes affect shared Development workflows.
- Track stewardship activity and reporting completion, providing updates and recommendations to the Senior Director of Major Gifts.
- Handle confidential donor and institutional information with discretion and care.
Project Management and Departmental Support- Manage donor relations projects from planning through completion, coordinating contributors, timelines, and review processes.
- Recommend project priorities and flag competing deadlines, resource needs, or issues requiring leadership guidance.
- Share stewardship resources and provide guidance to colleagues on established processes, templates, and reporting requirements.
- Coordinate assigned vendor relationships and track project expenses within approved budgets.
- Participate in departmental planning, process improvement, and campaign readiness activities.
- Perform other related duties as assigned, including occasional evening and weekend work for donor events and institutional activities.
Qualifications Education/Experience:- Bachelor's degree required.
- Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in donor relations, stewardship, advancement communications, development, customer service, or a related field.
- Experience in higher education, arts and culture, or another complex nonprofit environment preferred.
- Demonstrated experience coordinating donor stewardship activities and developing impact reports, donor communications, and recognition materials.
- Experience drafting or coordinating gift agreements.
- Experience working with donor databases, preferably Raiser's Edge NXT.
- Excellent writing, editing, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:- Strong project management skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain careful attention to detail.
- Sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism when communicating with donors, trustees, senior administrators, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and external partners.
- Excellent writing, editing, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Proficiency with Google Workspace, especially Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Familiarity with Asana or similar project management tools, as well as reporting systems, preferred.
- Ability to work independently, recognize when to seek guidance, and build effective collaborative relationships across departments.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and the ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Supplemental Information **If moved forward in the interview process, references will be requested.
Medical
Dental
Vision
HSA
Company Sponsored Basic Life & AD&D
Company Sponsored Long Term Disability
Flex Spending Account (Health, Dependant Care)
Commuter Benefits (Transit & Parking)
Disability (NYS)
Voluntary Short Term Disability
Voluntary Life Insurance
403B Retirement Plan
Voluntary Supplemental Retirement Plan
Paid Time Off (Vac & Sick)
