Description

Reporting to the Executive Director of Advancement Services, the Senior Director of Donor Relations provides strategic leadership for Pace University's donor relations, stewardship, donor recognition, and philanthropic impact programs. The Senior Director is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive donor relations strategy designed to strengthen donor retention, enhance the donor experience, increase donor loyalty, and support long-term philanthropic growth.

The Senior Director serves as a strategic partner to Development Officers, Annual Giving, Alumni Relations, Advancement Services, and University leadership to develop and execute a comprehensive donor engagement strategy that supports fundraising priorities and enhances the donor experience throughout the philanthropic lifecycle. Through personalized stewardship, impact communications, donor recognition, and data-informed engagement initiatives, the Senior Director strengthens donor loyalty, improves retention, maximizes lifetime philanthropic value, and advances the University's long-term fundraising and revenue growth goals.

The successful candidate will be a strategic and collaborative leader with exceptional communication, relationship-building, and project management skills. The Senior Director will work extensively with Planned Giving, Development Officers, Advancement Services, Alumni Relations, Financial Aid, Finance, University Events, Communications, Marketing, Academic Leadership, and senior University administrators.

The position requires the ability to lead organizational change, implement best practices, utilize data to inform strategy, and build strong partnerships that advance donor retention, engagement, and fundraising success.

Position Duties

• Develop and implement a comprehensive donor relations and stewardship strategy designed to strengthen donor retention, increase donor loyalty, and enhance the overall donor experience.
• Establish measurable goals and key performance indicators related to donor retention, stewardship, donor engagement, and donor satisfaction, utilizing data and analytics to assess effectiveness and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with fundraising leadership to develop donor lifecycle engagement strategies that support donor acquisition, retention, renewal, upgrade, and long-term philanthropic engagement.
• Collaborate with Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Principal Gifts, and Alumni Relations teams to align donor relations activities with institutional fundraising priorities and campaign objectives.
• Benchmark donor relations and stewardship programs against peer and aspirational institutions and implement best practices that support innovation and continuous improvement.
• Develop strategies to deepen donor engagement by demonstrating the impact of philanthropy through personalized stewardship, impact reporting, recognition programs, and donor-centered communications.
• Oversee the University's donor impact reporting program for endowed scholarships, professorships, research initiatives, centers, current-use funds, and other restricted gifts.
• Design and oversee stewardship communications, including personalized reports, special mailings, digital communications, and donor updates highlighting the impact of donor support.
• Partner with academic and administrative leaders to gather stories, outcomes, and data that effectively communicate the value of philanthropy to donors.
• Lead the development and implementation of comprehensive donor recognition programs that celebrate philanthropy and strengthen donor affinity across all giving levels.
• Oversee physical and digital donor recognition programs across all campuses, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and alignment with institutional standards.
• Design and execute donor engagement and recognition events that provide meaningful opportunities for donors to connect with students, faculty, University leadership, and the University's mission.
• Ensure a consistent, personalized, and donor-centered experience across all donor touchpoints.
• Oversee donor reporting for individuals and organizations that support scholarships, professorships, research funds, centers, and other restricted and endowed funds.
• Ensure the timely assignment of scholarship awards in collaboration with Financial Aid and oversee the collection of student thank-you letters, recipient profiles, and impact stories.
• Oversee accurate reporting of endowment performance, fund utilization, growth, and spending and respond to inquiries from donors, fundraisers, and University leadership.
• Oversee the drafting, review, interpretation, and administration of gift agreements to ensure donor intent is properly documented, understood, and fulfilled in accordance with university policies and gift acceptance guidelines.
• Partner with Development Officers, Advancement Services, Finance, Legal Affairs, and academic leadership to ensure compliance with donor restrictions and stewardship commitments.
• Provide strategic leadership and supervision for the donor relations team, including staff responsible for stewardship reporting, donor communications, recognition programs, scholarship stewardship, and donor engagement activities.
• Establish priorities, workflows, service standards, and professional development opportunities that support operational excellence and exceptional donor service.
• Partner with Systems to enhance stewardship tracking, donor engagement reporting, CRM utilization, and donor analytics.
• Utilize donor engagement, retention, and participation data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement that support fundraising success.
• Performs other such duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Supervision Exercised
Provides leadership and supervision for donor relations staff responsible for stewardship reporting, donor communications, donor recognition, scholarship stewardship, engagement activities, and related donor relations initiatives. Fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and exceptional donor service.

Work Hours

Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Occasional evenings and weekends required.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• At least five years of experience in donor relations, stewardship, or philanthropy-related roles.
• Five years of leadership experience.
• Strong understanding of donor lifecycle management, donor experience, philanthropic engagement, and stewardship best practices.
• Strong project management, organizational, analytical, and leadership abilities.
• Experience utilizing donor engagement metrics, retention data, and analytics to evaluate program effectiveness and inform strategy.
• Knowledge of fundraising CRM systems such, Banner Advancement, Blackbaud CRM, Salesforce, or comparable platforms.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering a culture of philanthropy through exceptional donor experiences, strategic stewardship, and meaningful engagement.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Ability to lead through influence across teams and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated political acumen and ability to manage sensitive information.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making ability.
• Ability to build effective relationships with internal teams, donors, and community leaders.