Director of Donor Experience

Position Overview

The Wexner Medical Center and Health Science Colleges Donor Experience team collaborates with colleagues from across the medical center, Health Sciences Colleges, Advancement, and the University to create opportunities to engage donors and show appreciation and impact of their giving. The Wexner Medical Center Donor Experience team serves four interrelated, but unique donor audiences: donors to the Wexner Medical Center (WMC), College of Medicine, OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC)/James, and the Health Sciences Colleges (HSC). These combined audiences account for more than a third of all fundraising support to the University on an annual basis. The position mobilizes a team to strengthen relationships, build loyalty with our donors and prospects in pursuit of the broader strategic goals of the Wexner Medical Center and the University.

The Director of Donor Experience is responsible for overseeing a team of donor experience professionals, developing strategy, and implementing a comprehensive stewardship program that ensures donors are acknowledged, recognized, and shown the impact of their gifts through meaningful engagement, communication, and creative stewardship efforts. They partner closely with Advancement colleagues to provide strategy on the stewardship of donors, both universally and unit-specific, and serve as a subject matter expert on the WMC/HSC to stewardship peers. The Director inspires their team to test new ideas in pursuit of establishing best practices for other colleges and units in the areas of stewardship events, acknowledgements, reporting and operations integration.

The Director reports to the Senior Director of Donor Experience and operates with a high degree of independence, decision-making capabilities, judgment, consistency, and discretion. Executive presence and communication skills are a must for effective interaction with leadership, trustees, development officers, donors, physicians, administrators, and other key stakeholders. The Director must build and maintain strong internal and external partners across the University and serve as an advocate for Advancement initiatives. The successful candidate will also bring strong event planning, problem-solving and organizational skills along with creativity and attention to detail to the table.

All members of Advancement are part of creating an inclusive culture that inspires an exceptionally diverse and talented team and are measured on their adherence to the following core competencies: leadership, continuous improvement, teamwork and collaboration, and communication/interpersonal effectiveness. All members are also expected to exhibit The Ohio State University’s Shared Values which include Excellence and Impact, Diversity and Innovation, Inclusion and Equity, Care and Compassion, and Integrity and Respect.

About the Wexner Medical Center

One of the nation’s leading academic health centers, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center offers health care services in virtually every specialty and subspecialty in medicine. Thousands of patients come to us each month for treatments and services they can’t find anywhere else. Our clinical areas of distinctiveness are Cancer, Heart, Neurology, Transplantation, Diabetes, Musculoskeletal, Digestive Diseases and Critical Care. At Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, we’re driving breakthrough health care solutions to improve people’s lives.

Duties and Responsibilities

65%

Develops and evaluates a comprehensive stewardship program that inspires future support of the WMC, OSUCC/James, the College of Medicine, and Health Science Colleges; Identifies, develops, and implements new programs that demonstrate appreciation, impact, and engage donors; Develops creative initiatives that deliver an exceptional experience and concrete messaging about fundraising priorities; Provides strategic direction and oversight for all cultivation and stewardship events, acknowledgements, impact reporting, comprehensive stewardship plans focused on both stewarding donors and cultivating future giving through engagement activities and ensures that established follow-up tactics/activities are in place and executed; Develops tactics for tracking engagement of individual prospects, annual touchpoints for donor stewardship interaction, and other stewardship tracking efforts in The Advancement System (TAS); Establishes strong relationships with senior Advancement leadership at unit/college level and actively works to identify opportunities for collaboration between donor experience team and the fundraising team; Collaborates with staff, senior administration, volunteers, physicians, faculty, and donors to achieve strategic objectives and advocate for good stewardship and donor relations practices at a division level; Serves as an advocate for individual donors across the university, and is empowered and expected to resolve problems, questions, and concerns; Provides excellent donor relationship services as a primary contact for donors and internal partners; Acts as point of contact for inquiries and solutions in absence of the Senior Director and ensures budget processes are being followed.

25%

Hires, trains, and supervises professional staff who develop and have ownership of projects and programs that cross multiple WMC, college, and university constituencies and divisions; Establishes and monitors goals, provides performance feedback and coaching, and supports professional development; Completes annual performance management procedures, manages performance issues, and is responsible for using independent, consistent, and fair judgement in exercising authority; Develops procedures, assigns, and prioritizes work, and ensures that the resources needed to accomplish work are provided.

10%

Creates and maintains staff resource materials related to areas of responsibility; Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education/experience
• Experience developing and implementing strategic programs
• 5 years of professional experience in donor relations/stewardship, events or related development work specifically working with major gift donors
• 3 years of management experience

Desired Qualifications (We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and encourage you to apply even if your experience does not align perfectly)

• Experience working in the donor relations/stewardship field in higher education, a large university-related medical center or a healthcare fundraising organization
• Experience building and implementing strategic donor cultivation program
• Demonstrated success in managing complex teams, programs and projects
• Experience working with volunteers inclusive of board members and campaign committees
• Experience with budget preparation

The Office of Advancement is committed to providing tools and resources for you to learn our business, proprietary databases, university-specific processes, and advancement practices.

Commitment to Inclusion

The Office of Advancement is committed to active allyship in addressing and dismantling the inequities created by systemic racism and implicit, long-held bias. We pledge to act with kindness, respect, and integrity at all times; trust ourselves and our colleagues and empower their whole identities; and hear and see our colleagues’ ideas, voices, and perspectives, acknowledging that we are better together.

You Need to Know

Aside from the unparalleled benefits of working for The Ohio State University and working in the diverse, smart, enjoyable, and growing city of Columbus, Ohio, this opportunity will provide exceptional rewards that arise from working for an institution doing worldwide life-changing teaching and research. Learn more here: https://hr.osu.edu/careers/.

In accordance with the Disaster Preparedness and University State of Emergency Policy 6.17 this position has been designated as a standby position.

Additional Information:

To learn more about the Office of Advancement, please visit advancement.osu.edu.

The budget for this position is up to $85,000. The offer for this position will be based on internal equity and the candidate's qualifications.

Function: Development and Engagement

Sub-function: Donor Experience

Career Band: People Leader - Managerial

Career Level: M2

Location:

University Square North (1031)

Position Type:

Regular

Scheduled Hours:

40

Shift:

First Shift

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.