Experience Manager

Experience Manager

The Experience Manager leads the planning, execution, and continuous improvement of engagement, stewardship, and recognition experiences that strengthen relationships between Fort Lewis College, the Fort Lewis College Foundation, and alumni, donors, volunteers, students, and community members. Reporting to the Director of Engagement and working closely with other Advancement colleagues, this position oversees events and engagement initiatives while leading donor stewardship efforts across Advancement. This role is responsible for creating meaningful constituent experiences that promote a culture of philanthropy, connection, and service. The Experience Manager designs and implements consistent stewardship practices, leads donor recognition and celebration efforts, evaluates and enhances donor relations practices, and thoughtfully integrates volunteer engagement into the broader constituent experience. The position collaborates across Advancement and campus partners to deliver impactful events, stewardship communications, volunteer opportunities, and engagement strategies that support the philanthropic goals of the Fort Lewis College Foundation.

Constituent Experience and Event Management

• Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of events and engagement experiences that strengthen relationships among alumni, donors, volunteers, students, and community members and advance the mission of Fort Lewis College and the Fort Lewis College Foundation.
• Design and implement creative engagement opportunities that deepen constituent connection, increase participation, and promote a culture of philanthropy and service.
• Oversee event logistics and operations, including project plans, timelines, budgets, registration, vendor coordination, venue arrangements, catering, technology, and on-site execution for in-person and virtual events.
• Partner with Advancement colleagues and campus stakeholders to ensure events and engagement activities are strategically aligned, well-communicated, and effectively executed.
• Represent Advancement and the Foundation at key events and engagement activities, troubleshoot issues as needed, and ensure a high-quality constituent experience.
• Evaluate events and engagement initiatives using participation data, constituent feedback, and advancement outcomes to inform future planning and continuous improvement.

Donor Stewardship and Recognition

• Lead donor stewardship, recognition, and celebration efforts in partnership with the Director of Engagement and other Advancement colleagues.
• Design, implement, and maintain consistent donor stewardship practices across Fort Lewis College and the Fort Lewis College Foundation to ensure donors are thanked, recognized, informed, and connected to the impact of their giving.
• Evaluate and enhance current donor relations practices, including thank-you processes, acknowledgment and recognition efforts, donor events, stewardship communications, and impact reporting.
• Develop and manage stewardship timelines and touchpoints to support timely, strategic, and meaningful donor engagement throughout the year.
• Create and coordinate stewardship communications and experiences that express gratitude, demonstrate impact, and strengthen donor affinity for Fort Lewis College.
• Partner with Advancement colleagues, campus leadership, and campus partners to gather stories, outcomes, and impact information for use in donor stewardship materials and reports.
• Establish and maintain stewardship workflows, templates, and practices that support consistency, quality, and operational efficiency across donor relations activities.
• Identify opportunities to personalize donor recognition and stewardship based on giving level, interests, and engagement history.

Operations, Data, and Assessment

• Work with Advancement Services to utilize CRM tools and related systems to manage event registration, track participation and stewardship activity, maintain accurate constituent records, and support data integrity.
• Develop and maintain systems for tracking and assessing the effectiveness of events, stewardship efforts, volunteer engagement, and constituent experience initiatives.
• Use data, feedback, and outcomes to evaluate performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and inform future planning and strategy.
• Document and maintain procedures, workflows, templates, and project materials that support operational consistency and continuity.
• Contribute to cross-functional planning and collaboration across Advancement, the Foundation, campus departments, and leadership to support coordinated and high-impact constituent engagement.

Supervision

• Supervise and train student workers and other assigned support staff, including assigning projects, setting expectations, monitoring progress, and ensuring timely completion of tasks.
• Provide guidance and oversight to student employees supporting events, stewardship projects, communications, and other Advancement initiatives.

Other

• Maintains knowledge and awareness of digital accessibility including the American with Disabilities Act and Section 508.
• Produces and remediates digitally accessible materials in accordance with FLC standards.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Required Education, Specialized Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university or equivalent experience;
• Minimum of four years of professional experience in advancement, donor relations, stewardship, event planning, alumni engagement, volunteer management, fundraising, communications, marketing, or a related field;
• Demonstrated experience managing projects, programs, events, or initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop donor-facing and stewardship communications;
• Demonstrated outstanding customer service, relationship-building, and interpersonal skills;
• Strong organizational skills and extraordinary attention to detail;
• Experience working with CRM systems or customer-focused databases and using data to support planning, communication, and evaluation;
• Demonstrated ability to develop, implement, and improve processes, procedures, and operational standards;
• Ability to travel regularly and work evenings and weekends as needed for events and engagement activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in donor relations, donor stewardship, advancement services, or fundraising in higher education or nonprofit settings;
• Working knowledge of fundraising strategy and donor stewardship best practices;
• Experience designing and implementing donor recognition, stewardship communications, or impact reporting;
• Experience creating and implementing standard operating procedures, workflows, or protocols;
• Experience coordinating volunteer engagement programs;
• Familiarity with Fort Lewis College's culture, mission, and/or alumni network.

This position reports to the Director of Engagement. This position supervises student workers.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• Travel and evening/weekend work up is expected to be 20% to 50%, with flextime during regular working hours.
• Office setting with moderate noise levels.
• Fast-paced and dynamic environment requiring adaptability, collaboration, discretion, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period of time.
• Light to moderate lifting is required.

Travel:

Travel is required up to 50% of the time in this role including travel for regional and national engagement, as well as conference travel as deemed appropriate. Weekend and evening obligations are also required.

FLSA Status/ Position Type/Expected Hours of Work/ and Salary Range:

• Exempt
• Full Time
• Permanent
• Full Year
• Typical Work hours are 8am to 5pm Mountain Time Monday to Friday, with evening and weekend work based on event schedules. Schedules will be determined in collaboration with the Director of Engagement.

Compensation

The salary range is $62,000 to $69,000, plus a comprehensive benefits package.

Application Process A complete application packet includes:

• Cover letter addressing interest and qualifications for the position
• Resume
• Names and contact information for three current, professional references

Application materials received by 11:59 PM on August 9, 2026, will receive full consideration.

The successful candidate will be required to submit official transcripts and pass a background check.