Assistant Director, Stewardship and Donor Communications

The Assistant Director, Stewardship and Donor Communications for the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) is a newly created position within the SCA Advancement office based on the increased need for more cohesive and impactful stewardship for SCA’s donors. As the School embarks on a fundraising campaign in support of its 100th Anniversary, this position will be critical to ensuring continued success in philanthropy among its key supporters. The primary responsibilities for the position will include generating regular annual impact reports for a wide variety of gift funds, including endowment funds; interfacing with donors and their offices to ensure that donors are properly stewarded; drafting, editing and sending all types of correspondence from the Dean and Advancement office, including gift acknowledgements. Reporting to the Senior Associate Dean for Advancement, the position will conduct research into donors and prospects and be responsible for managing constituent information stored in relevant USC databases. The position will also be responsible for drafting and editing briefings for the Dean, and conducting campus tours for guests of SCA. The position may assist in the creation of donor-related content, including marketing materials and gift proposals.

The ideal candidate for this position will have excellent oral and written communication skills; a keen attention to detail and to deadlines; be a self-starter with a strong sense of organization; and be able to gather and synthesize a variety of information to present in an appealing format that will encourage additional philanthropic support. The ideal candidate will also have experience in and an understanding of both the entertainment industry and SCA, along with experience in philanthropy for higher education. Applicants should have an ability to multi-task on different projects and easily pivot when needed; an ability to collaborate effectively and flexibly while working with different internal and external constituencies; an understanding of relationship building with donors; experience with constituent relationship management (CRM) databases, such as Salesforce; and experience with stewardship platforms, such as ThankView or Mythos. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a history of success in their prior field/position, with an interest in fundraising as a career.

The position’s responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• Overseeing SCA stewardship and donor relations, including generating annual reports for SCA donor support funds, including academic and student-based funds
• Drafting, editing, and sending a variety of written communications from the Dean and Office of Advancement, including gift acknowledgements, congratulations and condolence notes.
• Managing SCA donor and constituent information for databases, including Salesforce.
• Researching donor prospects to develop gift solicitation strategies and target areas.
• Preparing briefings for the Dean on donors and guests
• Conducting SCA complex and campus tours for guests
• Working with other Advancement staff and internal SCA departments, including Student Services, to collect and synthesize information for donor reporting purposes.
• Serving as primary liaison with USC Central Stewardship office
• Collaborating with SCA Communications office on stewardship-related materials
• Creating and editing donor-related content, including marketing material for campaigns and proposals, in concert with other internal SCA staff
• Collaborating with other SCA Advancement staff on events and donor visits
• Performing other duties as assigned in support of SCA’s mission.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum Education:  Bachelor's degree
• Combined experience/education as a substitute for minimum education
• Minimum Experience: 5 years
• Development experience in higher education.
• Ability to self-manage, prioritize work assignments and manage multiple deadlines.
• Experience maintaining and interpreting datasets and database systems.
• Excellent planning, organizational and interpersonal skills.

• Detail oriented with excellent written and oral communication skills, including public speaking and fundraising proposal writing/editing.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office

Preferred Qualifications:

• Preferred Experience: 7 years
• Experience in creating stewardship reports and/or materials for fundraising campaigns, preferably at a complex research university
• Experience in and an understanding of the entertainment industry as well as the School of Cinematic Arts
• Solid relationship-building skills, ability to interface with donors, leading faculty and staff, cross-campus partners, and high-profile guests
• Donor prospect research experience in higher education
• Experience with stewardship and donor relations programs, including software platforms
• Customer service experience
• Strategic, creative thinking to maximize the growth of the School’s donor base
• Demonstrated ability to adapt, manage and implement change; and flexibility to thrive in a fast-paced, complex environment
• A valid driver’s license is required; with weekend and evening work expected.
• A Master's degree.

The salary range for this position is $80,655.89 - $91,949.59. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Minimum Education:
Bachelor's degree

Additional Education Requirements
Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education

Minimum Experience:
5 years

Addtional Experience Requirements
Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum work experience

Minimum Skills:
Development research experience in higher education.
Ability to self-manage, prioritize work assignments and manage multiple deadlines.
Experience maintaining and interpreting large datasets and database systems.
Excellent planning, organizational and interpersonal skills.
Detail oriented with excellent written and oral communication skill.
Proficient in Microsoft Office.


Preferred Education:
Bachelor's degree

Preferred Experience:
7 years

Preferred Skills:
Donor prospect research experience in higher education.
Volunteer experience in fundraising, campaign or non-profit environments.
Experience with email marketing, website development/coding and Adobe Creative Suite.
Extensive customer service experience.
Fluent in one or more language in addition to English (e.g., Spanish).

                                                  

USC 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, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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