The Director of Donor Relations is responsible for designing, implementing and coordinating an institution-wide comprehensive donor engagement and stewardship system that appropriately and consistently promotes interaction with and recognition of donors at all levels. The Director will be part of a dynamic advancement team focused on meeting rigorous annual goals and overall fundraising success. The Director will be a proven leader with a track record of creating and implementing donor recognition and stewardship programs. A key goal is to increase our number of new donors, new endowed scholarships, and deepen the relationships with current donors and constituents. The Director will report to the Executive Director of Advancement Services who is a member of the Vice Chancellorâ??s leadership team. The Director is responsible for creating and implementing key strategies and initiatives for donor engagement, recognition and stewardship for both individual and corporate donor groups. The Director works independently to lead staff and volunteers in planning, coordinating and executing donor stewardship activities. These include, but are not limited to events, gift societies, and initiatives that target programs of highest priority for Western Carolina University. The duties of this position require strong writing and communication skills. The Director will be a member of the Advancement Services unit and must work in close collaboration with Development, Alumni Engagement, WCU Athletics, the Director of University Scholarships and the Marketing, Communication and Special Events teams. Other responsibilities include but are not limited to establishing and maintaining timetables and budgets; coordination and stewardship of volunteer leadership; management of vendor relationships; creating and maintaining endowment guidelines (heavy focus on scholarship guidelines) and creating annual operational plans. The Director of Donor Relations will be an accomplished professional who understands the nature and purpose of public higher education and who has: successful experience at progressively higher levels of responsibility; strong interpersonal, organizational, and time-management skills reflected in an ability to work effectively with senior management, professional colleagues, donors, and prospects in a team-oriented environment; a high degree of detail orientation, commitment to accuracy, and the ability to manage multiple projects at once; ability to work independently with minimal management oversight; a high energy level and commitment to professional growth and responsibilities, unquestioned integrity and fiscal accountability, ability to plan and achieve long and short-term goals; and exceptional written and oral communication skills.

Bachelors degree from accredited college / university.
Minimum 5 -7 years of non-profit (higher education preferred) or business experience with demonstrated track record of success in creating and implementing stewardship and recognition programs.
Experience working in a customer relationship management (CRM) system.
Experience managing low and high profile events.
Experience working with scholarship donor/recipient programs
Experience managing donor/customer relationships in a service driven industry.
Experience planning and executing short, medium, and long-term projects and initiatives. â?¢ Demonstrated strategic planning experience: Determines short and long term objectives and strategies for meeting goals and allocating resources according to priorities.
Demonstrated high level writing skills.
Self-motivated, goal oriented, ability to get job done.
Excellent oral and written communication skills (including public speaking) and solid relationship management skills at all levels in organization.
Strong computer skills including above average competency on Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Comfort and knowledge of Internet.