Career Opportunities

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering an exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to more than 16,000 students in its nine colleges and schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plans; life insurance; short and long-term disability; employee assistance program (EAP); tuition remission; and generous time off.

Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Jesuit Education.

Reporting to the Director of Fundraising Communications, the Senior Associate Director of Leadership Fundraising Communications plays a key role in the strategic development, execution, and management of fundraising communications that drive leadership annual giving, donor engagement, and pipeline growth. This position is responsible for crafting and implementing integrated marketing and communications strategies to cultivate, steward, and grow membership in the President’s Club leadership giving society and increase support for other leadership giving initiatives. Must be willing and able to work some evenings and weekends, particularly around key fundraising events and initiatives.

Works closely with the Director to implement a strategy for the President’s Club, scaling it into a year-long engagement and solicitation plan. Develops an annual membership model with tiered benefits and engagement opportunities. Engages with current and prospective donors to build a strong culture of leadership giving.

Partners with the regional advancement team on leadership donor pipeline development, ensuring strategic handoffs and collaboration to transition donors from leadership annual giving to major giving. Develops targeted communication strategies that support this progression.

Leads integrated marketing efforts for leadership donors in milestone moments, including Reunion years, and affinity-based giving opportunities.

Creates messaging and utilizes tactics to drive retention and acquisition. Provides strategic oversight of donor storytelling and marketing efforts, ensuring a donor-centered approach to all outreach.

Manages stewardship initiatives for leadership donors, including developing automated donor journeys to share impact stories, crafting meaningful stewardship communications, and organizing donor recognition efforts.

Uses data-driven insights to assess the effectiveness of communication strategies and donor engagement, leveraging analytics to optimize future efforts.

Partners with internal stakeholders to align messaging and integrate leadership annual giving priorities within broader fundraising efforts. Leads or collaborates with colleagues to execute communication plans on schedule and provides best-practice guidance for fundraising communications and storytelling.

Supports event planning and messaging for leadership donor events, including donor appreciation gatherings, campaign launches, and high-impact fundraising events. Ensures that event messaging and follow-up efforts align with retention and upgrade strategies.

Bachelor’s degree

Minimum of five years of experience with marketing and communications.

Exceptional strategic thinking, writing, and project management skills.

Ability to analyze donor behavior and apply data-driven insights to optimize engagement.

Experience developing and executing multi-channel fundraising campaigns, including direct mail, email, phone, and digital fundraising.

Demonstrated ability to craft compelling donor-centric messaging and engagement materials tailored to different audience segments.

Strong interpersonal skills and confidence are necessary to engage with leadership donors.

Experience working effectively in a complex fundraising setting, developing and sustaining productive and effective relationships with constituents, colleagues, and senior leadership.

Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize, multitask, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Solution-oriented mindset; strong analytical skills and professional judgment; personal comportment consistent with DAUR’s core values.

Experience working effectively in a complex higher education setting

Experience with Marketing Cloud and/or Mailchimp.

Experience working with a relational database (e.g. CRM Advance, Salesforce, Blackbaud, etc.)

Familiarity with additional common higher education fundraising technologies (e.g.

GiveCampus, ThankView, PledgeMine, EverTrue, Givezy, etc.)

Fordham University is committed to excellence through diversity and welcomes candidates of all backgrounds.

Fordham University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.