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Sarah Lawrence College
Associate Director of Leadership & Parent Giving
🇺🇸
Bronxville, New York
🕑
Full-Time
💰
$90K - $95K
💻
Development & Advancement
🗓️
October 29th, 2026
CRM
Blackbaud
Raiser’s Edge
Edtech.com's Summary
Sarah Lawrence College is hiring an Associate Director of Leadership & Parent Giving. The role manages a portfolio of leadership-level donors and parent prospects, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts while building a pipeline of future major-gift donors. The Associate Director reports to the Associate Vice President for Philanthropy and serves as the Advancement liaison to the College's Parents Council.
Highlights
- Manage a portfolio of leadership-level donors and prospects, focusing on annual commitments of $1,000 or more and opportunities to increase support, with individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
- Solicit and close leadership-level and multiyear pledges, including five- and six-figure commitments, in partnership with Major Gifts colleagues, and hand off prospects ready for larger gifts.
- Set annual revenue and activity goals with the Associate Vice President for Philanthropy and track progress against them, keeping donor records and proposals current in Blackbaud.
- Strengthen retention, reactivation, and acquisition of leadership donors, including Westlands Society members, by planning Westlands Society events and producing the Impact newsletter.
- Develop and carry out a parent giving strategy for current parents and families, and serve as the primary Advancement liaison to the Parents Council, helping recruit and retain its members.
- Plan and manage four to six parent and leadership stewardship events a year, including regional Summer Send-Offs, and prepare talking points and donor profiles to brief the President and Advancement leadership.
- Bachelor's degree and five to seven years of fundraising or donor-relations experience, with a record of personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors and managing a portfolio against measurable goals.
- Preferred experience in higher education or secondary school advancement, especially parent philanthropy or leadership annual giving, plus familiarity with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT and GiveCampus.
- Salary of $90,000 to $95,000, with willingness to travel and attend donor events and regional gatherings.
Associate Director of Leadership & Parent Giving Full Description
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Associate Director of Leadership & Parent Giving
Posting Details
Position Information
Job Title | Associate Director of Leadership & Parent Giving
Job Description | Position Overview
Sarah Lawrence College, now celebrating its centennial, seeks a strategic, relationship-oriented fundraiser to serve as Associate Director of Leadership & Parent Giving. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Philanthropy, the Associate Director will manage a portfolio of leadership-level donors and parent prospects.
The Associate Director will cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts, strengthen the Parents Council, and build a pipeline of future major-gift donors in support of the College’s priorities as it enters its second century. The role works closely with Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Alumni Relations, and campus partners across the College.
Essential Duties Summary | Essential Responsibilities
Leadership Giving and Portfolio Management Manage a portfolio of leadership-level donors and prospects, emphasizing annual commitments of $1,000 or more and opportunities to increase support. Develop and execute individualized qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies; conduct regular in-person and virtual donor meetings. Solicit and close leadership-level and multiyear pledges, including five- and six-figure commitments, in partnership with Major Gifts colleagues. Establish annual revenue and activity goals with the Associate Vice President for Philanthropy and track progress toward them. Identify prospects ready for larger commitments and coordinate transitions to Major Gifts colleagues. Coordinate leadership-level solicitations with the Annual Giving team, including donor communications and appeals aimed at leadership donors. Strengthen retention, reactivation, and acquisition of leadership donors, including Westlands Society members; plan Westlands Society events and produce the Impact newsletter. Maintain timely, accurate donor records, strategies, and proposals in Blackbaud
Parent Giving and Parents Council Develop and implement a comprehensive parent giving strategy for current parents and families. Build relationships with parents capable of making meaningful annual and major gifts; tailor solicitations to their interests and institutional priorities. Serve as the primary Advancement liaison to the Parents Council, coordinating meetings, communications, engagement, and philanthropic participation. Partner with College leadership to recruit and retain Council members and strengthen volunteer leadership. Collaborate with campus colleagues to create meaningful opportunities for parent engagement.
Stewardship, Events, and Donor Preparation Plan and manage annual parent and leadership stewardship events (approximately 4–6 per year), including regional Summer Send-Offs in collaboration with the Dean’s office. Develop briefing materials, including talking points and donor profiles, to prepare the President and Advancement leadership for events and individual donor meetings. Attend donor cultivation events, regional gatherings, parent programs, and other Advancement activities.
Required Qualifications | Required Bachelor’s degree and at least five to seven years of relevant fundraising or donor-relations experience. Demonstrated success personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors. Ability to independently manage a donor portfolio and deliver against measurable fundraising goals. Excellent relationship-building, writing, communication, organizational, and collaborative skills. Experience with donor databases or CRM systems; ability and willingness to travel.
Preferred Qualifications | Preferred Higher education or secondary school advancement experience, especially parent philanthropy or leadership annual giving. Experience working with volunteer councils or advisory groups. Familiarity with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT or a comparable platform, and with an online giving and events platform such as GiveCampus. Comfort using data and reporting tools to analyze giving trends and inform donor strategy.
EEO Statement | Sarah Lawrence is an equal opportunity employer. Please see our Nondiscrimination Policy. For information on Sarah Lawrence College, our curriculum, teaching methods, and philosophy of education, please see our website at: https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/.
Salary | $90,000 - $95,000
Position Type | Full Time
Job Description | Position Overview
Sarah Lawrence College, now celebrating its centennial, seeks a strategic, relationship-oriented fundraiser to serve as Associate Director of Leadership & Parent Giving. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Philanthropy, the Associate Director will manage a portfolio of leadership-level donors and parent prospects.
The Associate Director will cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts, strengthen the Parents Council, and build a pipeline of future major-gift donors in support of the College’s priorities as it enters its second century. The role works closely with Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Alumni Relations, and campus partners across the College.
Essential Duties Summary | Essential Responsibilities
Leadership Giving and Portfolio Management Manage a portfolio of leadership-level donors and prospects, emphasizing annual commitments of $1,000 or more and opportunities to increase support. Develop and execute individualized qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies; conduct regular in-person and virtual donor meetings. Solicit and close leadership-level and multiyear pledges, including five- and six-figure commitments, in partnership with Major Gifts colleagues. Establish annual revenue and activity goals with the Associate Vice President for Philanthropy and track progress toward them. Identify prospects ready for larger commitments and coordinate transitions to Major Gifts colleagues. Coordinate leadership-level solicitations with the Annual Giving team, including donor communications and appeals aimed at leadership donors. Strengthen retention, reactivation, and acquisition of leadership donors, including Westlands Society members; plan Westlands Society events and produce the Impact newsletter. Maintain timely, accurate donor records, strategies, and proposals in Blackbaud
Parent Giving and Parents Council Develop and implement a comprehensive parent giving strategy for current parents and families. Build relationships with parents capable of making meaningful annual and major gifts; tailor solicitations to their interests and institutional priorities. Serve as the primary Advancement liaison to the Parents Council, coordinating meetings, communications, engagement, and philanthropic participation. Partner with College leadership to recruit and retain Council members and strengthen volunteer leadership. Collaborate with campus colleagues to create meaningful opportunities for parent engagement.
Stewardship, Events, and Donor Preparation Plan and manage annual parent and leadership stewardship events (approximately 4–6 per year), including regional Summer Send-Offs in collaboration with the Dean’s office. Develop briefing materials, including talking points and donor profiles, to prepare the President and Advancement leadership for events and individual donor meetings. Attend donor cultivation events, regional gatherings, parent programs, and other Advancement activities.
Required Qualifications | Required Bachelor’s degree and at least five to seven years of relevant fundraising or donor-relations experience. Demonstrated success personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors. Ability to independently manage a donor portfolio and deliver against measurable fundraising goals. Excellent relationship-building, writing, communication, organizational, and collaborative skills. Experience with donor databases or CRM systems; ability and willingness to travel.
Preferred Qualifications | Preferred Higher education or secondary school advancement experience, especially parent philanthropy or leadership annual giving. Experience working with volunteer councils or advisory groups. Familiarity with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT or a comparable platform, and with an online giving and events platform such as GiveCampus. Comfort using data and reporting tools to analyze giving trends and inform donor strategy.
EEO Statement | Sarah Lawrence is an equal opportunity employer. Please see our Nondiscrimination Policy. For information on Sarah Lawrence College, our curriculum, teaching methods, and philosophy of education, please see our website at: https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/.
Salary | $90,000 - $95,000
Position Type | Full Time
Posting Detail Information
Posting Number | S00479P
Open Date |
Close Date |
Open Until Filled | No
Special Instructions to Applicants |
Open Date |
Close Date |
Open Until Filled | No
Special Instructions to Applicants |
Supplemental Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
- What is the highest level of education attained?
- GED
- High School Diploma
- Associates Degree
- Bachelors Degree
- Masters Degree
- PHD
- How many years of experience do you have in this type of position?
- 0-1
- 1-3
- 3-5
- 5-7
- 7+
Documents Needed To Apply
Required Documents
- CV/Resume
- Cover Letter
Optional Documents
1 Mead Way, Bronxville, NY 10708
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