Position Overview

The Stewardship Coordinator reports to the Director of Leadership and Major Gifts and is responsible for managing and implementing a donor stewardship program that includes donor communications, gift acknowledgment processes, donor recognition, managing endowed and annual scholarships processes, assisting the Executive Director for Board related events and assisting the development team with individual and overall stewardship plans, including recognition events, for donors and prospects.

The Rhode Island College Foundation, established in 1965, is a separate not-for-profit organization devoted to raising funds for the benefit of Rhode Island College. The Foundation also exercises fiduciary responsibility over endowments and other philanthropic investments made to benefit Rhode Island College. The Foundation is the primary source of private support to the college as it achieves its mission to offer accessible higher education of the finest quality to traditional and non-traditional students from around the state, the region, and beyond.

Primary Purpose

The Stewardship Coordinator is responsible for managing and implementing a donor stewardship program that includes donor communications, gift acknowledgement processes, donor recognition, managing endowed and annual scholarships processes, assisting the Executive Director for Board related events and assisting the development team with individual and overall stewardship plans, including recognition events, for donors and prospects.

Essential Duties

•  Manage all aspects of the stewardship program, donor acknowledgements and endowed funds and scholarships.
• Manage and direct a creative, strategic and proactive donor stewardship program, designed to foster and strengthen long-term relationships and consistently promote increased engagement and recognition of donors at all levels. Proactively suggest, develop and implement donor stewardship initiatives and programs to steward donors.
• Work with the interim executive director, director of major and leadership gifts, development and giving officers to steward donors via the delivery of targeted communications, including correspondence, emails and social media and personal contacts.
• Steward Endowed Scholarships and Program Funds.
• Draft and disseminate individualized endowment reports annually.
• Assist in writing advancement-related materials
• Prepare program stewardship reports and similar impact pieces for select programmatic initiatives and projects including the 1854 Society, Gold and White Society, Foundation Trustees and corporate and foundation giving.
• Strategically develop and implement our new video stewardship platform.
• Assist with the coordination of special events for all donor levels.

Occasional Duties

• Assume responsibility for such related activities as may from time to time be assigned by the Interim Executive Director of the Rhode Island College Foundation, and Director of Leadership and Major Gifts.
• Work occasional non-standard hours to meet with donors and volunteers.

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Organizational skills in order to manage multiple competing priorities.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with donors, alumni, professional colleagues and the community.
• Proficiency in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT or similar donor management system; Microsoft Suite.
• Working understanding of fundraising, including campaign planning and implementation.
• Proven success in event planning.
• Evidence of initiative and organizational ability.
• Knowledge of and ability to manage office and record-keeping procedures.
• Ability to work non-standard hours and travel locally.

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of two to three years’ demonstrated experience managing and executing donor stewardship programs.
• Experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, or similar donor management system.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience managing and executing donor stewardship programs in a higher education setting.
• Experience with social media and advancement databases.

Proposed Starting Salary: $45,000-$55,000

As an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity institution that values and is committed to inclusion and to expanding the diversity of its faculty and staff, the College invites members of protected classes, including minorities and persons with disabilities, to identify themselves as such at the time of application.