the client seeks a strategic and innovative Senior Director, Stewardship and Recognition to help shape and elevate its donor relations and stewardship program during a period of transformation and modernization. In this role, the Senior Director will serve as a central leader, providing expert guidance over a critical development function to ensure excellence in donor recognition and stewardship and to deepen institutional impact as the client prepares for a comprehensive fundraising effort.
The Senior Director will implement strategic, individualized stewardship and recognition practices across the full giving continuum, delivering high-touch experiences for the client’s most significant benefactors. Working in partnership with relevant internal constituents, the role will integrate stewardship and recognition approaches more fully, ensure regular and effective communications about the use and impact of gifts, and advance best practices while developing new methods to strengthen relationships across donor constituencies. The position also includes oversight of a team and leading a positive, cohesive environment grounded in emotional intelligence.
The successful candidate will bring at least ten years of experience in donor relations, stewardship, and recognition in philanthropy for higher education, healthcare, or a similarly complex nonprofit setting. The role requires strong communication skills to craft effective messaging for diverse audiences, along with proven problem-solving and analytical abilities and a strategic, critical, and creative mindset. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated track record leading proactive, integrated, service-oriented stewardship in a large, fast-paced environment and will be an effective, confident leader, supporting a culture of gratitude and using data to guide recognition and engagement experiences.