Director, Stewardship and Donor Relations

Job Description: BERKLEE SUMMARY: Comprised of the Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Berklee NYC, Berklee Abu Dhabi, Berklee Valencia, and the Division of Pre-College, Online and Professional Programs, Berklee is a preeminent institution of contemporary music, theater, and dance, offering degree granting programs in Boston, New York City, and Valencia, Spain, and through Berklee Online. Dedicated to nurturing the creative and career potential of the world’s most inspired artists, Berklee’s commitment to arts education is reflected in the work of its students, faculty, and alumni – who have been recognized with 297 Grammy Awards, 95 Latin Grammy Awards, 25 Emmy Awards, seven Academy Awards, and five Tony Awards. Graduates go on to successful careers in the performing and creative arts, the media and entertainment industries, and as arts entrepreneurs. POSITION SUMMARY: Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Engagement, the Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations is a collaborative member of the Institutional Advancement division responsible for planning, designing, implementing, and coordinating a comprehensive program of stewardship and donor relations for Berklee. This position serves as a high-level advisor to fundraisers at every level to help support, enhance and strengthen their stewardship efforts; designs individualized stewardship/recognition for special gifts, and creates and participates in new and imaginative ways to build meaningful relationships with donors. The Director, Stewardship and Donor Relations must collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders throughout the Berklee community, including: the President and the Office of the President; Institutional Advancement; Finance; Student Financial Services; Student Enrollment and Engagement (SEE); Facilities; Academic Affairs; faculty, and others in order to stay informed of funding opportunities, connect donors and prospects with key partners across campus, and ensure partners are spending funds in accordance with donor wishes. The Director’s primary responsibilities consist of deepening engagement with current donors, overseeing the stewardship of donor funds, and collaborating with fundraisers to develop new and impactful means of celebrating philanthropy at Berklee. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: In partnership with the AVP, oversees strategy and execution of donor relations programs on behalf of all areas of Berklee (including but not limited to Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Berklee Valencia, Berklee Online, and Berklee NYC). Leads several donor-centric events per year, including the college’s Celebration of Scholarships Luncheon with the President, and the conservatory’s Named Scholarship Tea with the Executive Director. Connects select top donors with their scholarship recipients throughout the year. Partners with the AVP to develop additional meaningful donor programs and events throughout the year for recognition society members, principal gift donors, named scholarship fund donors, and other relevant philanthropic constituencies. Develops metrics and systems to monitor outcomes across all areas of donor relations programming with a particular focus on donor retention, satisfaction and engagement. Supervises the Stewardship and Donor Relations team who research, write, and produce donor communications, including acknowledgment letters, endowed fund reports, impact reports, student thank you notes, videos, invitations to recitals, notifications of special accomplishments, and more. Oversees the institution’s donor recognition and signage program.Oversees the development, streamlining and maintenance of essential stewardship activities across the organization, including but not limited to: Leading the creation, review and approval process for donor agreements. Directing the receipting and acknowledgement process for all gifts. Management of the reporting to donors in a timely, consistent and accurate manner on the use, impact, and financial management of their gifts. Partnering with the Office of Student Financial Services, Finance, and others across campus to regularly audit donor funds and ensure they are utilized according to donor intent. Supports the SVP in activating institutional leaders including academic leaders and top volunteers by: regularly identifying top prospects whom they can assist to cultivate and solicit; collaborating on strategic donor cultivation events hosted by key volunteers such as board and committee members, and providing these leaders with information and experiences that strengthen their knowledge of the college and conservatory. Mentors, trains, supervises, and evaluates staff, setting the tone for a positive, equitable, inclusive, productive, and enjoyable work environment. Cultivate a team-oriented culture of achievement and guide goal-setting. Leads efforts to create new initiatives and enhance existing deliverables to promote donor retention, inform donors about the impact of their philanthropy and inspire further giving. Manages the Stewardship and Donor Relations budget using cost-benefit analysis to determine priorities and guide spending. Propose and implement new communication pieces and engagement opportunities that showcase the transformational power of gifts to the college and the conservatory. Partner with Talent Acquisition to recruit, hire and onboard for vacant positions, ensuring diversity, equity and inclusiveness in hiring and recruiting practices Participate in the creation of scholarship-specific stewardship communications including event invitations, annual reports, and digital content Endowment Reporting: Participate in the creation of internal endowed fund communications and serve as the point of contact for internal partners who have questions about the endowed funds in their portfolio; conduct semi-regular audits to ensure compliance with donor intentions; collaborate with development officers as well as Deans and business staff within units across campus to review spending processes of endowed funds; gather information about fund expenditures for external donor reports MINIMUM JOB QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor's degree required, or the equivalent combination of education and experience. A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in donor relations and stewardship at an educational institution, arts organization, non-profit, or equivalent. Proven background that is indicative of superior donor-centric programming. Demonstrated success developing strategic cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans based on institutional and departmental priorities. Management experience required. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED: Concrete understanding of the fundamentals of philanthropy and the donor lifecycle. Must understand financial information, reports and concepts. Proficiency in the use and understanding of relational databases. Must stay abreast of laws and regulations regarding donor-restricted funds. Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work collaboratively across organizational boundaries and effectively interact with volunteers, staff, faculty and a broad range of internal/external constituents Experience developing systems and processes in the management of a high-performing donor relations team. Exceptional written and verbal communications skills with the ability to connect with a wide variety of audiences. Excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; ability to engage individuals and articulate institutional needs while exercising discretionary judgment and professionally handling sensitive situations, in a fast paced, dynamic, deadline driven environment. Ability to maintain confidentiality. Able to write for multiple signatories, including the President and other senior leaders across the organization. Sound analytical and problem-solving skills with strong attention to detail and ability to retain information Proactively seeks out ways to improve cultural competence. Builds diversity and inclusion values into the fabric of all aspects of the work and environment. Creative and resourceful. Develops innovative solutions when problem solving. Able to handle multiple projects simultaneously, collate and analyze data, adapt to change, and meet deadlines in a fast paced environment. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: The Director supervises two full-time staff: Assistant Director, Stewardship and Donor Relations and Senior Stewardship Manager. WORK ENVIRONMENT: There will be some opportunity for remote work. Some nights, weekends, and minimal travel will be required. Actively strives to foster and maintain a workplace climate that is supportive of all employees regardless of their identity, respectful of difference and genuinely open to multiple perspectives. External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who become disabled as defined under the Americans With Disabilities Act, must be able to perform the essential job functions (as listed) either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation to be determined by management on a case-by-case basis. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” employment relationship. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity at Berklee: We support an inclusive workplace where everyone excels based on personal merit, qualifications, experience, ability, and job performance. Berklee affirms that inequality is detrimental to our faculty, staff, students, and the communities we serve. Our goal is to make lasting change through our actions. Berklee is committed to providing fair and equitable consideration of all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, age, national origin, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, or status as a member of the armed forces or veteran of the armed forces, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. As part of this commitment, Berklee will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact the Human Resources Team at hroperations@Berklee.edu or call 617-747-2375. Berklee is committed to increasing the diversity of our institution, community, and the curriculum. Candidates who can contribute to that goal are encouraged to apply and to identify their strengths in this area. *Currently enrolled Berklee students are not permitted to apply for staff or faculty positions.* Employee Type: Staff Berklee is the preeminent institute of contemporary music and the performing arts, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs at its campuses in Boston, Massachusetts and Valencia, Spain, and through its award-winning distance learning program, Berklee Online. Dedicated to nurturing the creative and career potential of the world’s most inspired artists, Berklee’s commitment to arts education is reflected in the work of its students, faculty, and alumni—hundreds of whom have been recognized with Grammy, Tony, Oscar, and Emmy Awards. At Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, students explore interdisciplinary approaches to music, dance, theater, film, business, healthcare, education, technology, and more. Our pioneering youth programs reach underserved classrooms throughout the U.S. and beyond. With students and alumni from more than 100 nations and educational partners across the world, we are forging new connections among art forms, musical traditions, and technologies to build a dynamic, diverse, and collaborative global arts community. Learn more at berklee.edu.