Donor Relations Coordinator & Executive Administrative Assistant

Position Title

Donor Relations Coordinator & Executive Administrative Assistant

Job Classification

Full-time; Salaried Non-Exempt

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Frequent evening and weekend hours

Work Location

Hybrid Work Schedule, Lawrence campus based

Salary Range

$50,000-$55,000

Reporting Relationship

Sr. Director of Donor Relations for Annual Giving

Primary Accountability

The Donor Relations Coordinator and Executive Administrative Assistant plays a key role in stewarding KU Alumni donors and streamlining donor relations team operations by providing administrative support to: 1) assist with the annual giving recruitment, retention and fulfillment process; 2) support the donor team with event planning and registrations; 3) assist with daily responsibilities surrounding the travel program; 4) support the donor team with Presidents Club communications, stewardship and retention goals; and 5) assist with customer service and across the donor relations team.

 

This position also supports executive leadership team including the President & CEO, leaders in the operations & engagement, communications, donor relations, finance, and revenue development departments, including helping manage calendars and schedules for the executive leadership team. 

Major Duties

All Departments:

  • Maintains a comprehensive understanding of the mission of KU Alumni as it relates to the educational, research and service goals of the University with the ability to communicate the institution’s needs and priorities-both internally and externally.

Annual Giving/Donor Relations:

  • Provide day-to-day customer service to donors and potential donors with regards to giving and/or events via phone, email, and personal contact, etc.
  • Coordinate with the team to help plan, budget, and execute events, including, but not limited to, home & away tailgates, post-season events, fundraising events, and other KU Alumni events and outreach.
  • Assist with event registrations.
  • Provide event reservation reports and data to donor team members.
  • Attend donor events to assist with event set-up, check-in and other donor activities.
  • Assists with stewardship and engagement at all levels of giving, including coordinating newsletters, thank you notes, and donor gifts
  • Works with the Sr. Director of Donor Relations for Annual Giving to develop and implement a donor recruitment and retention plan to increase donor numbers at all levels and achieve annual revenue goals.
  • Works with Sr. Director of Donor Relations for Annual Giving and interns to assist with fulfillment, including acknowledgement letters, special promotions, automatic renewal incentives, etc.
  • Access data mining services using vendors and internal support to analyze and identify target groups.
  • Manages inventory and distribution of donor appreciation gifts and recruitment/retention incentives.
  • Develops and maintains working knowledge of annual giving process in current and future systems and platforms.
  • Develops and maintains working knowledge of Trello, KU Alumni’s project management tool, to assist with planning, execution and tracking of giving campaigns.

Flying Jayhawks Alumni Travel program:

  • Provide day-to-day customer service to current and potential passengers.
  • Fulfill pre- and post-trip mailings.

Executive Administrative Support:

  • Manage and prioritize the calendars of key executives, scheduling meetings, appointments, and travel arrangements.
  • Coordinate and confirm appointments, ensuring alignment with business priorities and objectives.
  • Anticipate scheduling conflicts and proactively resolve them to optimize time management and productivity.
  • Provide timely reminders and updates to executives regarding upcoming commitments and deadlines.
  • Cultivate strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, fostering collaboration and transparency.
  • Assist with Concur Expense Reporting and Contact Reports as needed among executives
Qualifications
  • College degree and a minimum of 1-3 years of related work experience is preferred.
  • Prior experience with a university or other non-profit membership organization is preferred.
  • Knowledge of Kansas University history and traditions.
  • Demonstrated written and oral communication skills.
  • Demonstrated Power Point, Excel, Google Doc skills.
  • Excellent organizational skills.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate and work effectively with team members from all departments, as well as externally with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
  • Ability to maintain a high level of professionalism, discretion and confidentiality.
  • Self-motivated and able to work collaboratively to prioritize tasks, accomplish objectives, and meet deadlines.
  • Strong project management skills and continual attention to detail in composing, typing and proofing materials.
  • Maturity, cultural depth and breadth, discipline, creativity and integrity.
  • Position requires willingness to travel, and to work nights and weekends as required.
Physical/Environmental Demands:
  • Frequent: sitting, hearing, listening, talking (on phone, in person), reading (including computer screens, mail), interaction with staff, alumni, students, University colleagues, vendors, donors, members, and corporate partners;
  • Often: repetitive hand motion (such as typing or picking), walking;
  • Occasional: work outside normal business hours including nights and weekends, travel by car or plane to offsite meetings and events, ability to lift or have the ability to utilize reasonable available resources to maneuver up to twenty-five (25) pounds, and exposure to noise and temperature variances at both indoor and outdoor events.
Additional Duties:

Additional duties and responsibilities may be added to this job description at any time. The job description does not state or imply that these are the only activities to be performed by the employee(s) holding this position.  Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related responsibilities as requested by their supervisor.

Application Deadline:

Job posted 04/14/26 – Review of applications begins 05/04/26 and continues until position is filled.

Application Procedure:

To apply, email a letter of interest with résumé and names and contact information for three professional references to dparman@kualumni.org (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF formats only). Alternatively, the requested information can be sent to KU Alumni, Attn. Human Resources, 1266 Oread Ave., Lawrence, KS 66045. Review of applications will begin upon receipt and continue until the position is filled. Due to the sensitive nature of the position, a background check is required. Employment is contingent upon background and reference checks that KU Alumni finds to be acceptable. If you are called for an interview, you will also be asked to complete our job application and bring it with you to the interview.

It is the policy and commitment of KU Alumni to prohibit discrimination in employment practices, organizational activities and provision of services on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Above and beyond discrimination/harassment based on protected characteristics, KU Alumni also strives to prevent subtler forms of inappropriate behavior (like bias and stereotyping). Whether blatant or hidden, barriers to success have no place here.

 

KU Alumni is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please contact Dwight Parman at dparman@kualumni.org or 785.864.4763.

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