Assistant Director, Stewardship

How to Apply

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Position Summary:

Michigan Medicine is a groundbreaking organization for many reasons, and much of the work we do is made possible because of philanthropy. Annually, the MM Office of Development raises an average of $250 million, which helps us to be a change agent of the world.

The Michigan Medicine stewardship team collaborates with gift officers and other core services teams to ensure that our donors have high-quality interactions that foster long-term engagement with and investment in our organization. The assistant director of stewardship is responsible for creating and consistently delivering innovative stewardship touches that strategically engage donors, recognize their contributions, and inform them about the use of their gift to Michigan Medicine. They will prepare and deliver donor recognition projects, facilitate mailings, run reports, and enter/validate data in our donor database and other tracking sheets. In addition, the assistant director works closely with colleagues to create, sustain, and further cultivate positive relationships with donors, university and Michigan Medicine stakeholders, and development team members.

Responsibilities:

Acknowledgements and Data Management (50%)

• Prepare weekly acknowledgement mailings including data correction and verification, mail merge, interfacing with print/mail vendor, tracking, and follow up.
• Prepare weekly executive acknowledgement mailings including data correction and verification, drafting engaging and impactful letters for multiple executives, gathering approvals and signatures, mailing, tracking, and follow up.
• Collaborate with associate director of stewardship to update all acknowledgement templates (design and copy) three times per year and the mail house vendor contract every two years.
• Delivery of other stewardship data projects, including data correction and verification, responding to questions from internal and external partners about data, and clear communication and timeliness.
• Draft customized letters for donors and stakeholders, including cover letters for reports, condolence letters, and other donor communications.
• Provide Michigan Medicine donors with consistent, timely, and informative impact reports.
  • Collaborate with gift officers and departments to gather information and interview faculty and staff to understand the impact of philanthropy on their work.
• Translate scientific information into compelling storytelling that helps donors understand their impact on medical research projects, patient care, medical education, and community services.
• Responsible for writing 1-2 impact report drafts per month, synthesizing and implementing edits requested by stakeholders, and creating final product in Adobe InDesign.
• Work as a project manager for schedules, delivery of drafts in a timely manner, production of reports, delivery to donors, and documentation.
• Implement and maintain donor recognition projects, including first-time donor program, recurring donors, loyal donors, Giving Blueday, and others.
• Communicate with development colleagues and MM faculty, staff, and leadership in a clear, consistent, and effective manner about office policy, stewardship team requirements, deadlines, and projects (roll out, ongoing updates, and changes).
• Respond to questions/concerns and take appropriate action to resolve issues internally and/or escalate them appropriately.
• Collaborate with team members to continuously improve stewardship programs that creatively and strategically engage donors.
• Create strong working relationships with internal and external constituency groups to accomplish shared goals.
• Work with limited supervision to accomplish goals by independently setting priorities to meet deadlines.
• Work successfully in a fast-paced environment by adapting to ever-changing priorities and at times working under pressure.
• Work effectively with frequent interruptions.
• Contribute to a positive work culture while representing Michigan Medicine values and its unique role at the University of Michigan.
• Bachelor’s degree
• Three or more years of related experience
• Demonstrated strength in writing, including ability to clearly and effectively convey gratitude and to translate science into engaging storytelling
• Detail- and results-oriented with ability to accurately manage large amounts of data
• Proven ability to use discretion and maintain a high level of confidentiality
• Candidate must have access to reliable internet
• Bachelor’s degree in English or writing preferred
• Proven ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities, take initiative while keeping others informed, and meet challenging and changing deadlines
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio, etc.), Google drive, Asana, and Adobe (Acrobat Pro, InDesign)
• Familiarity with development reporting systems

Stewardship Communications (30%)

Donor Recognition Projects (15%)

• Deliver donor recognition projects to donors, including printing materials, hand-signing, collating and mailing materials, and placing thank you calls.

Communication and Collaboration (5%)

Required Qualifications:

Preferred Qualifications:

Work Locations:

The onsite location for this position is an office suite at the 777 Building. This provides free, on-site parking for staff, including covered parking.

This position may be eligible for flexible work opportunities at the discretion of the hiring department. Flexible work agreements are reviewed annually and are subject to change dependent on the business needs of the hiring department, throughout the course of employment. This position works both onsite and remotely based on the business needs of the unit. This position is locally based in Ann Arbor, MI. There is an opportunity for hybrid remote/local work, but on-site availability is a requirement.

Background Screening:

Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre-employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background screenings. Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Report Act. Pre-employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U-M campuses.

Application Deadline:

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO/AA Statement:

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.