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Assistant Director, Donor Relations

Columbia College

Assistant Director, Donor Relations

  • 557308
  • New York
  • Columbia College
  • Full Time
  • Opening on: May 16 2026
  • Grade 11
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  • Job Type: Officer of Administration
  • Bargaining Unit:
  • Regular/Temporary: Regular
  • End Date if Temporary:
  • Hours Per Week: 35
  • Standard Work Schedule:
  • Building:
  • Salary Range: $70,000 - $74,000 Annually
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

Reporting to the Senior Director of Donor Relations, the Assistant Director of Donor Relations plays an integral role in developing and implementing a comprehensive donor relations program for Columbia College. They will perform operational, day-to-day tasks in support of the overarching stewardship program, which aims to thank, inform, inspire, engage and recognize donors through strategic communications, reporting and engagement activities.


Responsibilities

  • Annual Narrative Reporting
    • Columbia College has various named funds that support the strategic priorities of the College. The Assistant Director will manage the process of creating annual narrative reports that seek to meaningfully demonstrate the impact of donor support. This will include more than 100 named funds and involve coordinating with various Columbia offices, editing and formatting content, writing cover letters for reports, and assisting with the maintenance of donor and fund recognition websites. The Assistant Director will help maintain the integrity of data for the College’s named funds.
  • Impact Reporting
    • The Assistant Director will develop and execute a strategy for expanding the College’s impact reporting, with a special focus on annual fund donors. This will involve working directly with students and student-facing staff, identifying opportunities to tell student stories that demonstrate the impact of donor support, drafting communications and coordinating with the marketing team.
  • Gift Acknowledgements
    • The Assistant Director will manage the College’s gift acknowledgement process. They will oversee the design and messaging of physical and digital acknowledgments, including drafting templates, gathering content, coordinating with the marketing team, maintaining records of communications, evaluating metrics and ordering supplies. The Assistant Director will also have a special focus on developing and executing a strategy for new donors, consecutive donors and other segments of alumni and donor populations.
  • Leadership Giving Societies
    • The Assistant Director will provide support for the John Jay Associates program, a leadership giving society at Columbia College. They will help in fulfilling membership benefits, planning and staffing events, and other tasks as needed. The Assistant Director will also assist teammates with the stewardship efforts for other giving societies at the College.
  • Other Stewardship Responsibilities
    • The Assistant Director will perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree required or its equivalent
  • A minimum of 2-4 years of experience in a university or other complex organization
  • Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of basic donor relations and stewardship principles
  • Extreme attention to detail and an eye for accuracy
  • Excellent writing, editing, research, customer service and interpersonal skills
  • Strong organizational and time-management skills with an ability to prioritize projects
  • Must possess a high level of professionalism, creativity and flexibility
  • Must be self-directed and motivated, able to manage multiple and complex assignments and meet deadlines and production schedules both independently and as part of a team
  • Ability to handle confidential matters and maintain confidentiality

*Must be available to work some weekends and evenings*


Preferred Qualifications

  • Technical proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel, manipulating data and mail merges
  • An interest and ability to develop new skills
  • Experience with using a central donor and prospect-tracking database

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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