Director of Donor Relations

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for a Director of Donor Relations position within the University Advancement Department. 

The University of St. Thomas embraces belonging and equal opportunity for all. Our convictions of dignity, diversity and personal attention call us to embody and champion an inclusive environment.  The University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO).  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or other protected characteristic.  This commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity is consistent with our mission: Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good.  A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Up to 100% tuition remission for employees and dependents upon eligibility
• Up to 50% tuition remission for spouses upon eligibility
• A generous Employer retirement contribution of 9.4% of annual salary upon eligibility
• Medical, dental, and vision options
• Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits

Salary Range: $86,200 - $95,000

The University of St. Thomas has provided a salary range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The specific salary offered will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Strategic Engagement, the Director of Donor Relations leads a comprehensive, campus-wide stewardship and donor relations program that strengthens the relationship between St. Thomas and its benefactors. This role is responsible for advancing a culture of gratitude, increasing donor satisfaction and retention, recognizing donors, and elevating the giving experience in alignment with institutional and campaign priorities.

This position is responsible for the strategic development and execution of a high-performing, comprehensive, and campus-wide donor relations program in collaboration with Advancement leadership. The Director will focus on increasing donor satisfaction and retention to drive fundraising success, with special emphasis on principal and campaign donors.

The Director manages a team responsible for donor acknowledgments, impact and endowment reporting, recognition, and stewardship programs. The Director leverages the expertise of the Strategic Engagement team and partners across University Advancement to shape donor-centered strategies, develop data-informed recommendations to guide gift officer engagement and campaign stewardship plans, and ensure that all stewardship efforts reflect the university’s values, priorities, and voice.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Strategic Stewardship Leadership

• Lead the design, execution, and assessment of a university-wide stewardship and recognition strategy, integrating personalized donor experiences with scalable best practices across all levels of giving.
• Serve as the division’s lead strategist for principal-level gift stewardship in partnership with gift officers and campaign leadership.
• Collaborate with Advancement leadership to align stewardship priorities with campaign milestones and university strategy.
• Collect and analyze data to inform strategy, measure program success, and promote continuous improvement.
• Provide oversight and steering to align cross-functional programs and university-wide standards.

2. Donor Experience, Program Development and Relationship Management 

• Develop strategic donor touchpoints and programs that connect donors with the impact of their giving and inspire continued support, including programs for giving societies and campaign milestones.
• Collaborate across Advancement and with academic and administrative partners to create high-touch experiences and events celebrating philanthropic impact.
• Manage multi-faceted donor acknowledgment systems to ensure timely production of all gift acknowledgements. Coordinate with Gift Accounting personnel to ensure receipts, pledge statements and pledge reminders are on brand and incorporate a voice of gratitude.
• Proactively address donor concerns in collaboration with gift officers.
• Integrate campaign donor stewardship into long-term strategy.

3. Recognition and Reporting

• Oversee the design and execution of impactful donor reporting, including gift instruments, endowment reporting, impact communications, and custom principal gift stewardship.
• Ensure all donor recognition—verbal, digital, written, and event-based—is timely, accurate, and mission-aligned. Lead the planning and development of new donor displays.
• Create and maintain standards for named gift recognition, including signage, displays, digital recognition, and acknowledgments.

4. Team Leadership and Collaboration

• Supervise and mentor a team of stewardship professionals.
• Set clear expectations, goals, and performance measures to promote a high-performance culture.
• Build strong partnerships across University Advancement and with campus partners to promote shared responsibility for donor stewardship.
• Develop and manage annual budgets, ensuring resources are used strategically to meet departmental goals.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in donor relations, fundraising, or advancement strategy

• Experience managing teams, building cross-functional collaborations and reporting outcomes to leadership.

• Demonstrated success stewarding principal-level donors and designing integrated stewardship programs

• Familiarity with higher education fundraising and CRM systems such as Salesforce

HOW TO APPLY

All interested candidates must apply online at https://www.stthomas.edu/jobs/. Follow the instructions to complete an online application which includes creating or updating an applicant profile, uploading a resume, and completing a job specific application.

In light of its commitment to create and maintain a safe learning and working environment, employment with the University of St. Thomas requires consent and successful completion of a background screening.

Official job posting is available at www.stthomas.edu/jobs.