Vanderbilt University

The Executive Director of Donor Relations and Events is responsible for the university’s comprehensive effort to acknowledge, recognize, and engage donors at all levels—by celebrating philanthropic impact and leveraging donor relations and events to drive continued fundraising success.

As a member of the development leadership team, this role drives the vision for donor relations overall in addition to leading multiple teams responsible for programmatic stewardship activity including broad-based and highly personalized reporting, creating and facilitating curated donor experiences, and executing events.

This position is a strategically integrated part of the development team, working in close partnership with frontline fundraising leadership to ensure that donor relations and stewardship play a central role in advancing Vanderbilt’s most ambitious campaign to date and sustaining its momentum in the years ahead. This hire will play a pivotal role in shaping that future by bringing deep expertise in donor engagement, strategic insight across the donor pyramid, and a creative and adaptive approach to planning and implementation They will serve as a key thought partner and high-impact collaborator across the development enterprise.

About the Work Unit:

The Department of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) assists Vanderbilt University in securing the resources, both human and financial, that are required to achieve its mission and goals. The Department is responsible for the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individuals and organizations whose charitable objectives are consistent with those of Vanderbilt University’s teaching and research programs. Learn more about our department at https://www.vanderbilt.edu/dar/

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

Collaborate on Vision and Resources

Actively collaborate with leaders from across Development and Alumni Relations to create, develop, and iterate on a clear and compelling donor relations vision and strategy

Prioritize and align human and financial resources to maximize impact

Seek continuous process improvement to increase efficiencies, maximize human capital, and advocate for essential projects related to databases, reporting, and business processes

Develop and Deploy Strategy

Create high-impact stewardship programs for all levels and types of giving: endowment, capital, current-use, encompassing the full donor spectrum from annual gifts to planned gifts

Design and implement a highly integrated and collaborative principal donor engagement effort alongside fundraisers, communications, and university leaders

Build on existing objectives and key results (OKRs) to establish a robust set of measures to capture the reach and range of donor relations activity—and the impact on fundraising

Operationalize Creative Tactics

Deliver high-quality personalized donor communications and creative and engaging broad-based communications at scale for all donors

Optimize financial reporting for personalization and a laser-focus on donor impact

Source ideas and support creative and out-of-the-box ideas to enhance event experiences for our constituents, with an emphasis on operationalizing unreasonable hospitality for our top supporters

Embrace a digital-first mindset to tell compelling stories of impact that reinforce Vanderbilt’s growing brand-strength and the role that philanthropy plays

Execute Effective Events

Drive dynamic and purpose-driven events that deliver top-notch donor experiences spanning intimate, personalized gatherings to broader receptions and celebrations

Partner closely with related offices and functions at the university to execute unique Vanderbilt experiences that are rooted in our mission and our fundraising and engagement objectives

Embrace informed resource allocation to demonstrate the value, return on investment, relationship impact, and brand enhancement driven by event activities

Mentor and Cultivate the Team’s Talent Pipeline

Lead a team of professionals with an emphasis on deploying strengths, growing individual career plans, and leaning into collaboration and creativity

Cultivate a strong core team that exhibits radical ownership of the donor relations team’s work and direct engagement with leadership across the division in driving key initiatives

Seek regular benchmarking with peer and aspirational institutions but also industries beyond higher education to evolve our strategies and pilot new tactics. Pursue a leadership role in our own industry through professional conferences and associations.

Supervisory Relationships

The Executive Director reports administratively and functionally to the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Development Officer and manages 4 direct reports

Work Environment:

Strong preference for candidate residing in Nashville but will consider remote work.

Education and Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent combination of education, relevant military experience, and relevant skills, is required.

Experience and Skills:

• Ten or more years of experience, or the equivalent, is required
• Proven track record for achieving results through collaboration across teams that span multiple verticals and functions of the university; resiliency for building long-term partnerships with colleagues through continuous feedback loops and flexibility
• Passion for donor engagement at all scales and all mediums—from high quality personal experiences, broad-based communications, events, and more
• Familiarity with systems integrations, process development and refinement, and skill for building technological capabilities for donor relations
• Demonstrated ability to assess important program elements and make adjustments to maximize success and enhance the work—considering people, process, and technology
• Experience in and eagerness for quantifying donor relations impact through data—and articulating how the work drives fundraising
• Confidence and professionalism to deliver information and guidance related to reporting, compliance, and diligence on behalf of the university while also appropriately representing donor intention and interest
• Comfort and confidence engaging with high-level university leaders, members of the board of trust, and top donors to the institution
• Deeply engrained ethos around unreasonable hospitality for our donors—providing the best possible service and experience
• Strong written and oral communication skills, and a track record for consensus-building, leading working groups, and contributing to high-level collaboration between both frontline and non-frontline fundraising team members

Key Characteristics of a Successful Team Member in this Work Unit:

• Holds oneself accountable; takes responsibility for failures as well as successes; and recognizes that trust is required to hold a team together.
• Shares information; communicates proactively; transmits knowledge; asks for advice and considers it thoughtfully.
• Genuinely values teamwork and co-workers.
• Expects and delivers excellence. Is proactive and focused on creative problem solving. Welcomes input to making things better. Places a high value on learning and improving.
• Is motivated. Manages time, activities and outcomes well so that progress stays on track. Balances multiple, competing priorities simultaneously without becoming overwhelmed.

At Vanderbilt University , our work - regardless of title or role - is in service to an important and noble mission in which every member of our community serves in advancing knowledge and transforming lives on a daily basis. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, on a 330+ acre campus and arboretum dating back to 1873, Vanderbilt is proud to have been named as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” as well as a top employer in Tennessee and the Nashville metropolitan area by Forbes for several years running. We welcome those who are interested in learning and growing professionally with an employer that strives to create, foster and sustain opportunities as an employer of choice.

We understand you have a choice when choosing where to work and pursue a career. We understand you are unique and have a story. We want to hear it. We encourage you to apply today so that you might become a part of our story.

Vanderbilt University is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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