Director, Donor Relations and Stewardship

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Work Shift Day

Work Day(s) Friday, Monday, Thursday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Shift Start Time 8:00 AM

Shift End Time

5:00 PM

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Children’s is one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals. No matter the role, every member of our team is an essential part of our mission to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow. We’re committed to putting you first, and that commitment is at the heart of our company culture: People first. Children always. Find your next career opportunity and make a difference doing what you love at Children’s.

Job Description

The Director, Donor Relations and Stewardship provides strategic leadership for donor-engagement, mission alignment, donor fund governance and revenue enablement across Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation. This position oversees the development and execution of stewardship plans, donor relations and recognition to enhance donor engagement. The Director ensures comprehensive donor recognition through donor walls, digital recognition, and system-wide recognition initiatives and annual donor lists. Acting as the primary liaison with Marketing, Facilities, PD&C, FinOps, and Accounting, the Director ensures alignment across departments and the execution of donor reporting and engagement strategies. Additionally, this role leads donor fund management, overseeing financial tracking, restricted gift oversight, and process improvements related to gift processing and reporting. The Director manages the Case for Support process, coordinating prioritization, updates, and donor communications. This role requires a strategic, collaborative leader with expertise in donor relations, project management, and cross-functional coordination to enhance donor engagement and advance the Foundation’s philanthropic goals.

Experience

10+ years of progressive experience in philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, or a related field

Demonstrated success serving as a trusted advisor to senior or executive leadership

Proven experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives in matrixed organizations

Experience influencing outcomes without direct authority

Experience with donor stewardship, donor fund management, philanthropic governance and proposal development

Prior people management experience, including coaching and developing teams

Experience operating in ambiguous environments, requiring judgment, prioritization and decision framing

Education

Bachelor’s degree required

Preferred Qualifications

Advance degree preferred

Certification Summary

No professional certifications required

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Passion for child health and well-being and commitment to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta mission

Strong strategic judgment with the ability to prioritize, sequence and frame complex work

Ability to translate ambiguity into clear options, recommendations and next steps

Advanced written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level writing and presentations

Deep understanding of donor intent, stewardship principles and philanthropic best practices

Ability to balance ideal outcomes with practical, achievable implementation

Strong relationship-building and collaboration skills across internal and external partners

Comfort navigating organizational complexity, competing priorities and stakeholder dynamics

Demonstrated ability to lead, coach and develop high-performing teams

High level of professionalism and accountability

Job Responsibilities

Cross-Functional Planning & Executive Alignment

Serve as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership on donor engagement, development strategy and mission alignment

Frame complex issues and recommendations for executive decision-making, including tradeoffs, sequencing and implications

Translate organizational strategy and clinical priorities into clear, donor-ready philanthropic priorities

Advance alignment across Development, Finance, Clinical Operations and Marketing partners

Case for Support & Donor Messaging

Lead the development and ongoing refinement of the Foundation’s Case for Support and donor-facing messaging

Ensure consistency and clarity across proposals, donor communications and impact reporting

Partner with Foundation, Marketing and clinical leaders to align messaging with mission priorities and outcomes

Donor Fund Management & Philanthropic Governance

Provide executive leadership for donor fund management, ensuring donor intent, governance and reporting are clearly defined and consistently applied

Partner with Finance and Operations to align fund structures, policies and practices with donor expectations and organizational priorities

Identify and address systemic donor fund management risks, gaps and inefficiencies

Develop frameworks, guidance and decision pathways that support frontline fundraisers and executive leaders

Ensure donor fund practices reinforce trust, transparency and long-term donor confidence

Donor Engagement Strategy & Journey Design

Lead the design and evolution of integrated donor engagement strategies that deepen relationships across portfolios, giving levels and channels

Develop donor engagement journeys to intentionally connect stewardship, communications, events and personal outreach

Reduce channel silos by partnering across teams to deliver cohesive, donor-centered experiences

Use insight and performance data to refine engagement strategies and support donor retention and growth

Revenue Enablement & Campaign Readiness

Strengthen donor confidence and long-term revenue by ensuring clarity and discipline in donor engagement, fund governance and stewardship practices

Enable frontline fundraising by providing clear priorities, donor-facing messaging and guidance that support effective solicitation and renewal

Support organizational readiness for future campaigns by embedding engagement strategy, messaging frameworks and alignment work into ongoing operations with accountability for donor confidence, retention and long-term revenue durability

People & Team Leadership

Lead, coach and develop a team responsible for donor engagement, stewardship and related functions

Set clear expectations, foster accountability and support professional growth

Build a culture grounded in integrity, collaboration and operational excellence

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic covered by applicable law.

Primary Location Address

1575 Northeast Expy NE

Job Family

Director/Senior Director