Donor Relations Assistant

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Salary Range: $62,400 - $65,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

The Columbia Mailman School of Public Health is committed to delivering a consistently exceptional experience to its donors and friends. The Donor Relations Assistant (Assistant) will join a collaborative team focused on acknowledging, recognizing, informing, and engaging all of the School's donors and will be part of a world-class public health school within a prestigious medical center and University, fostering a diverse and engaged community.

Under the direction of the Assistant Dean for External and Board Relations, the Assistant will provide comprehensive support to acknowledge donors and demonstrate the impact of their contributions by conducting a full range of donor relations activities. These include drafting timely gift acknowledgments, drafting narrative reports, tracking and documenting key donor information, and support with the planning and execution of stewardship events.

The Assistant will be an integral part in organizing and maintaining the systems and processes essential to our School's donor relations activities. To achieve these goals, the Assistant will collaborate with a diverse group of internal constituents, which may include faculty, students, administrators, executive staff, and directors to facilitate appropriate donor relations activities.

Responsibilities

• Draft tailored gift acknowledgement letters and work with signatories to send to donors.
• Draft gift announcements for various platforms like the School's website, social media, newsletter, and magazine.
• Coordinate the annual outreach to all scholarship recipients to develop stewardship letters for donors.
• Maintain the Department's stewardship calendar.
• Coordinate stewardship events with donors (meetings with students, meetings with donors, etc.).
• Work with the individual giving team to track and document key donor interactions and information.
• In coordination with the Assistant Dean for External Relations, Director for Donor Relations, assist in developing individualized stewardship plans for frontline fundraisers.
• Coordinate the drafting and dissemination of the Department's biweekly News & Digest communication ensuring consistent outreach to all constituents.
• Assist with special touch stewardship efforts (purchasing customized gifts, developing individualized engagement ideas, etc.).
• Send birthday notes to Board members.
• Help with project management of special initiatives such as new professorships and naming of new centers.
• Assist Columbia University Irving Medical Center's planned giving team on mass mailings.
• Support the team's ongoing audit of gift agreements to ensure consistent stewardship of all our donors with appropriate reports and other engagement opportunities.
• Create a repository for all of the School's physical recognition pieces.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's or equivalent in education and experience, 2 years related experience.
• Demonstrated experience in composing and proofreading correspondence with appropriate grammar, spelling, and content, and skill in writing creative and accurate acknowledgments, reports, and other related pieces.
• Experience using a PC and a variety of computer software (MS Office 365, etc.) in a Windows environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills to interact courteously and effectively with colleagues, donors, and key University officials, maintaining composure under time constraints and to work as part of a large team.
• Impeccable integrity and discretion in dealing with donors, alumni, students, administrators, and colleagues.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work effectively under conditions of heavy workload, frequent interruptions, distractions, and deadlines.
• Ability to analyze data to create and maintain complex databases, tables, and visually compelling reports.
• Commitment to accuracy, attention to detail, self-motivated, and results-oriented.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using and participating in work management/collaboration software.
• Demonstrated experience using Advance donor database system and Salesforce.
• Experience with Adobe suite, Canva, and/or comparable graphic design software.
• Working knowledge of donor relations principles and techniques sufficient to complete a variety of projects and assignments successfully.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

Commitment to Diversity

Columbia University is dedicated to increasing diversity in its workforce, its student body, and its educational programs. Achieving continued academic excellence and creating a vibrant university community require nothing less. In fulfilling its mission to advance diversity at the University, Columbia seeks to hire, retain, and promote exceptionally talented individuals from diverse backgrounds.