Associate Director of Constituent Relations & Events

Position Summary: 

The assistant director will implement a comprehensive donor relations and stewardship program that appropriately engages prospective donors to Rice Athletics through the planning, implementation, and staffing of assigned athletics development and letterwinner events involving senior administrators, coaches, and student-athletes. This position will also collaborate with university constituent relations to promptly recognize athletics donors of all levels through gift acknowledgment letters, endowment reports, signage, specialized events, etc.; and work with the Development and Alumni Relations gift processing team to ensure the timely recording of all gifts to the department of Athletics.

Ideal Candidate Statement: 

The ideal candidate will be able to effectively work with a diverse group of constituents on event planning functions and serve as a liaison between the Athletic Department and donors.

Workplace Requirements:

 On-campus position: This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree

  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

• 1+ years of related experience

  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Strong organizational and time management abilities

• Keen attention to detail, with a quick understanding and retention of information about alumni, donors, and assigned projects

• Ability to collaborate effectively and adapt to changing situations

• Proficient in data analysis

• Capability to work well under pressure and manage multiple projects simultaneously

• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team to meet deadlines and schedules

• Familiarity with Google Workspace

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite

• Ability to learn new strategies

Preferences:

• Experience with fundraising in a higher education setting

Essential Functions:

• Actively manages relationships with annual and capital donors for athletics, including the Owl Club and Sports Interest Groups

• Oversees stewardship for endowment donors, including facilitating connections with scholarship student-athletes

• Assists in planning athletic development events, such as game day hospitality, fundraising dinners, golf tournaments, letterwinner reunions, and donor appreciation events. This includes invitation management, registration, logistics, and overall execution

• Proactively supports development staff in creating and coordinating personalized stewardship plans for donors and volunteers

• Collaborates with Development and Alumni Relations staff to effectively steward donors and volunteers, ensuring consistent implementation of the campus's master strategic stewardship plan

• Creates and develops compelling donor and volunteer stories for print and online publications

• Works with athletics business operations, development, and alumni relations to ensure that all gifts to athletics are recorded promptly

• Engages with vendors for hospitality and event coordination

• Performs additional duties as assigned