Reporting to the Senior Director for Advancement, the Donor Engagement Manager carries responsibility for continued development and execution of the comprehensive stewardship and donor engagement program for the seminary. Additionally, as a member of the Advancement team, the Manager participates in the maintenance of high quality data, assists in the execution of advancement events, alumni engagement activities, and various fundraising initiatives. 

Job Duties: 

• Lead, coordinate, and execute core donor relations and stewardship functions to increase donor affinity and engagement 
• Create and coordinate stewardship opportunities for Presidents Circle and Pillar Society
• Partner with other offices as needed for events, print pieces, digital recognition, honor rolls, etc. 
• Manage creation, launch, and ongoing plan for new loyalty (consecutive giving) society 
• Lead marketing efforts and ensure execution of the department’s gift acknowledgment and stewardship activities, through unique letters and touches working with colleagues within Advancement or others to convey gratitude and impact 
• Proactively generate and/or partner with communications and marketing content for Epistle, E.pistle, website or other channels to highlight donors and promote their impact 
• Manage the creation and distribution of individual donor stewardship and endowment reports with internal partners 
• Track scholarship recipients, maintain accurate fund records, identify donor intent, and facilitate connection between donors, students, and programmatic leaders where needed by working with other Seminary departments
• Write and create standard and unique donor communications and acknowledgments for Advancement team and/or seminary leaders 
• Manage, triage, and resolve inquiries or service requests from internal and external constituents through various channels 
• Manage workflow and protocols for new pledges, ensuring accurate recording in Raiser's Edge (RE), creation of proper funds/project codes, liaison with program department, creation of stewardship plan and/or reporting 
• Act as Advancement’s liaison and partner with departments and Finance on recording, tracking, and reporting on true grants to LSTC, which may involve training and outreach to seminary partners 
• Partner with front line staff to ensure that all prospects “In Stewardship” have a plan and identified steps to execute the plan 
• Partner with Vice President and Advancement colleagues to coordinate Presidential donor engagement 
• Maintain constituent data as one of key team members responsible for clean and reliable constituent data 
• Pull lists, create queries, and extract data as needed for stewardship purposes or other needs of the team 
• Develop full grasp of moves management protocols and help to ensure accurate reporting on the status of relationships and opportunities 
• Work with team members to identify and prioritize prospects for cultivation 
• Perform general and detailed prospect research to further stewardship and philanthropic engagement opportunities 

•  BA/BS degree required 
• Experience working within in a team in an advancement setting 
• Hands on experience with RE/NXT and its moves management functions 
• Strong administrative and organizational skills
• Ability to meet deadlines and prioritize workflow 
• Demonstrated ability to learn and apply new software applications effectively 
• Ability to conduct professional, high-level conversations with donors, board members, volunteers and maintain confidentiality on a variety of sensitive topics 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills 
• Expert skills in Outlook, Excel, Word, and other Microsoft products, as well as Raiser’s Edge or another fundraising database. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Knowledge of ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and ELCA institutions 
• Experience in seminary, higher-education, nonprofit, or church-related environment 

Special Demands/Requirements: 

• Ability to work occasional additional hours and some evenings and weekends. 

LSTC is committed to diversity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression. Women and/or persons from historically underrepresented cultural groups are encouraged to apply. LSTC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. 

Application Process

Please utilize the online application portal to submit your resume and a letter of interest that includes a) your reasons for applying; b) your work experience within fundraising, stewardship, and/or institutional advancement; and c) a description of how you connect to LSTC’s mission. Please submit all application materials through the employment application portal.