Associate Director of Donor Stewardship

Summary The Associate Director of Donor Stewardship provides operational leadership for California Baptist University’s (CBU) donor stewardship program by developing, implementing, and enhancing policies, procedures, and best practices that support the fundraising and stewardship efforts of the Office of University Advancement. Reporting to the Senior Director of Advancement Operations, this position leads the administration and stewardship of donor-funded scholarships, oversees scholarship management within Scholarship Universe, coordinates annual donor stewardship reporting, and advances strategic stewardship initiatives that strengthen donor engagement and retention. The Associate Director collaborates closely with Development Officers, Financial Aid, Accounting, academic colleges, and other campus partners to ensure accurate scholarship administration, meaningful donor recognition, and impactful stewardship experiences for both donors and scholarship recipients. This role supports the University’s philanthropic goals by fostering strong relationships, maintaining stewardship excellence, and promoting accountability in the management and reporting of donor investments. Essential Duties And Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Oversees the administration of donor-funded scholarships throughout the annual scholarship lifecycle, including management of the Scholarship Universe platform, application support, award coordination, student communications, acceptance processes, stewardship requirements, and ongoing system administration. Ensures scholarship awards are administered in accordance with donor intent, University policies, gift agreements, and applicable regulations. Collaborates with Financial Aid, Accounting, academic colleges, and Development Officers to resolve scholarship-related issues and ensure accurate awarding, reconciliation, and reporting. Monitors scholarship utilization, funding availability, and Scholarship Universe operations, identifying opportunities to enhance processes, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen the scholarship recipient experience. Oversees the collection and distribution of scholarship recipient thank-you letters and partners with the Business Intelligence Analyst and Director of Advancement Communications to develop and distribute annual donor stewardship and endowment reports. Provides day-to-day leadership, direction, and operational oversight for the Donor-Funded Scholarship Team. Supervises, trains, mentors, and evaluates the Assistant Coordinator of Donor Stewardship and student employees. Establishes departmental priorities, assigns responsibilities, monitors progress, and ensures the timely and accurate completion of stewardship and scholarship administration activities. Cultivates a collaborative, service-oriented culture focused on operational excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement. Oversees communications and engagement efforts related to Gratitude Fest, the Scholarship Dinner, and other stewardship events that foster meaningful connections between donors and scholarship recipients. Develops, documents, implements, and continuously improves donor stewardship policies, procedures, and workflows to support organizational effectiveness and consistency. Identifies and implements opportunities to improve efficiency, data accuracy, reporting capabilities, and customer service through process improvement and technology solutions. Maintains strong internal controls, quality assurance standards, and compliance practices related to scholarship administration and donor stewardship activities. Oversees stewardship-related data integrity, reporting, and operational analytics to support decision-making and stewardship effectiveness. Serves as the primary operational liaison between University Advancement, Financial Aid, academic colleges, and other campus partners regarding donor-funded scholarship administration and stewardship activities. Supports strategic initiatives, special projects, stewardship events, and other duties as assigned. Supervisory Responsibilities Supervises the Assistant Coordinator of Donor Stewardship and student employees. Provides leadership through workforce planning, assigning and reviewing work, establishing priorities, monitoring performance, and ensuring the timely and accurate completion of departmental responsibilities. Recruits, trains, mentors, and develops staff; promotes professional growth and accountability; and fosters a collaborative, service-oriented work environment that supports the effective delivery of donor stewardship services and the mission of University Advancement. Other Knowledge Skills And Abilities To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to effectively carry out all essential duties. The following requirements outline the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the role: Demonstrated commitment to living out and upholding the University’s Christ-centered mission and values. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, including the ability to analyze, manipulate, and manage large and complex datasets. Experience with CRM databases, scholarship management systems, reporting tools, mail merge functionality, and business intelligence applications preferred. Ability to make sound administrative and procedural decisions and exercise independent judgment when handling sensitive and confidential matters. Strong organizational, project management, and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple complex projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively and professionally with donors, students, faculty, staff, University leadership, and external stakeholders. Demonstrated ability to maintain the highest level of discretion, confidentiality, and professionalism when working with donor, student, financial, and other sensitive information. Ability to collect, analyze, interpret, and present complex data to support operational decision-making, donor stewardship activities, strategic planning, and executive reporting. Ability to build collaborative relationships and work effectively across multiple departments while providing exceptional customer service to both internal and external constituents. Strong customer service skills, including demonstrated experience handling inquiries, resolving concerns, and maintaining professional telephone and written communication. Ability to coordinate, organize, and manage meetings, stewardship activities, recognition programs, and special events. Knowledge of standard budgeting, financial reporting, expenditure control procedures, and related documentation. Ability to interpret, adapt, and apply policies, procedures, regulations, and donor gift agreements. Ability to develop, implement, and continuously improve operational policies, procedures, workflows, and stewardship strategies. Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with the ability to create, compose, and revise a variety of donor-facing, technical, and administrative materials. Ability to investigate issues, analyze information, exercise sound judgment, and recommend practical and effective solutions. Demonstrated ability to learn, administer, and optimize technology platforms, systems, and business processes to improve operational efficiency, data integrity, and service delivery.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone, and other standard office equipment. The employee must possess sufficient manual dexterity to perform computer-based work for extended periods and visual acuity sufficient to read and analyze printed and electronic documents. The employee may occasionally be required to lift, carry, and/or move materials weighing up to 15 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Work is primarily performed in a professional office environment and requires regular use of standard office equipment. The noise level is typically moderate. The position may require occasional attendance at stewardship events, donor engagement activities, and University functions conducted outside of normal business hours. Minimal exposure to health or safety hazards is expected. Education and/or Experience Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in business administration, nonprofit management, higher education administration, communications, public relations, or a related field required. A minimum of three to five years of progressively responsible experience in donor stewardship, advancement services, scholarship administration, higher education, nonprofit operations, or a related field is preferred. Supervisory experience and experience working with fundraising databases, scholarship management systems, and operational reporting tools are highly desirable. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered. #J-18808-Ljbffr Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business