Donor Relations and Stewardship Specialist
Top Benefits
About the role
Donor Relations and Stewardship Specialist
Status: Full Time
Hours: Monday - Friday, 35 hours/week
Home Campus: Fennell (hybrid work arrangements available)
Rate of Pay: Payband I (Start Rate: $39.34 per hour)
Posting Date: July 28th, 2025
Closing Date: August 1st, 2025 at 7:00 pm EST
Preference will be given to qualified employees within the Full Time Support Staff bargaining unit, Appendix D (in the role for 6 consecutive months) and RPT employees who have passed probation at Mohawk College.
We believe the rich diversity among our students and the communities we serve should be reflected within our workforce. As educators, we believe it is important to act and show leadership in advancing the principles of reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our community.
The Donor Relations & Stewardship Specialist reports to the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives and works closely with the Mohawk College Foundation Board, College leaders, the Foundation team, internal partners across the College, and external partners to create exceptional donor experiences that result in ongoing investment in the College's strategic priorities.
The Donor Relations & Stewardship Specialist leads collaborations with the Alumni Team to support alumni stewardship programs, collaborates with the fundraising team to lead the development and maintenance of comprehensive recognition and engagement systems that have impact, educate and inspire donors, and instil donor confidence to maintain lasting relationships between Mohawk College, its alumni, benefactors, and community partners. The Specialist oversees donor recognition, donor communications and reporting, donor events and experiences, and other stewardship activities.
What you'll be doing:
Donor Recognition & Stewardship
- Develops and manages the implementation of a successful, integrated stewardship program that encompasses major gift donors, strategic partnerships, and develops and manages the implementation of a stewardship plan for special campaigns.
- In collaboration with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives, the Director, Philanthropy, Senior Advisors, and Senior Development Specialists develops and manages the execution of creative and tailored stewardship programs for every level of donor and especially the College's major and principal donors that incorporates their interests. Supports and integrates with stewardship for gift planning, annual and leadership giving, the scholarship programs, and corporate and foundation programs.
- Manages and updates donor recognition practices (plaques, naming opportunities, etc.) across Mohawk College campuses.
- Works collaboratively with Advancement Services to track donor gifts, stewardship deliverables, and monitors information about giving society members and stewardship preferences.
- Collaborates with the Alumni Team to align alumni stewardship objectives with the overall Foundation Plan.
- Review gift agreements and proposals to ensure obligations and agreements can be fulfilled.
- Collaborates with Advancement Services to establish and administer pledge reminders for annual gifts greater than $25,000 to the College.
- Collaborates with the Director, Philanthropy to develop stewardship strategies for online gifts and new donors.
Planning
- In collaboration with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives, leads the continued growth and sophistication of engagement and stewardship programs that serve to connect alumni and donors with the institution, and with the impact of their giving.
- In partnership with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives, Director, Philanthropy, key members of Senior College Leadership and others across the College, ensures the institution fulfills deliverables as outlined in gift agreements with a long-term view to donor relationship management.
- Creates and manages the implementation of systems to anticipate, schedule, track, and evaluate recognition activities/projects, and assist with establishing policies and procedures to ensure stewardship plans/activities are delivered on time and within budget.
- In consultation with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives and Director, Philanthropy establishes and manages operating plans and objectives for stewardship activities across the College and implements appropriate tracking mechanisms to ensure consistent progress to goals.
- Manages the development of an annual calendar of engagement and stewardship activities and leads the execution of tasks and manages communication across the college regarding stewardship activities.
Donor Engagement & Communications
- Liaises with donors about matters pertaining to their recognition and gift deliverables, for example, confirming naming and event details; also helps to solve any issues pertaining to deliverables and recognition.
- Collaborates with Foundation and central Communications to facilitate and manage the recognition of donors in both print and web-based publications and social channels; contributes donor and gift information for donor reports and facilitates communications with key stakeholders; manages the creation and maintenance of donor lists.
- Manages the preparation of all stewardship correspondence and manages the acknowledgement process including thank you letters, reports, and materials.
- Ensures the development of templates and standard materials for stewardship proposals, including the development of specific messaging and the provision of data on the College's relationship with key donors and partners to assist with providing a full picture of their relationship with the institution.
Reporting and Best Practice
- In collaboration with the Foundation team, contributes to the effort to ensure gift agreements are monitored, and that a process is in place to ensure that the terms are fulfilled, issues are identified and managed, and communications with the donor(s) are appropriately managed.
- In collaboration with Advancement Services, supports information tracking processes regarding acknowledgement, recognition, on-going communications, and continued cultivation of past and current major donors to enhance their relationship with the College and increase the likelihood of continued contributions.
- In collaboration with Advancement Services, ensures that stewardship and reporting requirements are met; analyzes and manages progress towards established goals; recommends adjustments as required to meet targets.
- Provides external industry knowledge, monitors trends in the philanthropic environment and encourages the use of best practices, sharing latest ideas and a consistent and disciplined approach to continuous improvement.
Donor Events and Engagement Opportunities
- Collaborates with Foundation, Alumni Engagement, Events, and Communications teams to create stewardship and donor relations events that advance donor involvement, cultivation and stewardship for major gifts and include meaningful follow-up.
- Collaborating with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives and Director, Philanthropy, develops, guides, and manages special stewardship events such as gift announcements.
- Creates and curates tours for prospective and existing donors, including correspondence with internal and external partners, design, and execution.
Other duties as assigned.
What you'll bring to the role:
- A 3-year diploma/degree in a related discipline or equivalent combination of education and experience. CFRE designation is considered an asset, or diploma/certificate in philanthropy, and/or non-profit management would be a strong asset.
- 5+ years of progressive philanthropy and/or stewardship and/or donor relations experience is required, preferably in a post-secondary or non-profit environment.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
- Excellent writing, communication, analytical and research skills required to convey clear and concise information within the context of fundraising/stewardship/donor relations.
- Demonstrated extensive knowledge of fundraising and stewardship marketing and communications, excellent reporting and writing skills, and knowledge and experience producing digital media (including social media content).
- Demonstrated experience with donor and engagement report development and event management; creating donor impact reports, and annual reports.
- Ability to work comfortably in a highly collaborative, high-performing environment, and manage competing interests.
- Sound judgement, tact, and diplomacy.
- Experience with major gift fundraising programs, donors, and volunteers
- Knowledge of Raiser's Edge software is required.
- Demonstrated commitment and understanding of human rights, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
- The ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse students, employees, and communities.
What we offer:
- Defined Benefit pension plan (CAAT) with contributions matched by Mohawk College.
- 93% top up of maternity and parental leave pay for 52 weeks.
- Progressive vacation plan starting with 15 vacation days plus annual holiday closure.
- Access to Employee Family Assistance Program including counselling services, financial literacy services, nutrition advice and more.
- Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, paramedical services (massage therapy, acupuncture, naturopath, psychotherapy and psychology), short-term and long-term disability.
- Ability to take courses at a reduced rate for employees and dependents.
To find out more about working at Mohawk College, please visit https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/about-mohawk/careers-at-mohawk
We are committed to reconciliation and nurturing an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible (IDEA) environment for everyone who learns and works at Mohawk College. We welcome applications from racialized persons, women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.
The College is committed to fostering inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection processes. If you require accommodation during any stage of the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources.
To learn more about Mohawk College's commitments, please visit the Mohawk College strategic plan webpage: https://www.strategicplan.mohawkcollege.ca/
About Mohawk College
Mohawk College educates and serves 30,000 full-time, part-time, apprenticeship and international students at three campuses and two City School locations at the Eva Rothwell Resource Centre and the Central Public Library in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The college has ranked first among all Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area colleges in student satisfaction for seven consecutive years and first in graduate satisfaction for the past five years. Mohawk ranks 15th among all colleges in Canada for applied research activity and has been named among Canada’s greenest employers and the region’s top employers for the past three years.
Mohawk offers 164 postsecondary programs and is one of the largest trainers of apprentices in Ontario, providing training to more than 4,000 apprenticeship students annually at the Marshall School of Skilled Trades & Apprenticeship in Stoney Creek, Ontario.
Since its founding in 1967, more than 115,000 students have graduated from Mohawk College.
Donor Relations and Stewardship Specialist
Top Benefits
About the role
Donor Relations and Stewardship Specialist
Status: Full Time
Hours: Monday - Friday, 35 hours/week
Home Campus: Fennell (hybrid work arrangements available)
Rate of Pay: Payband I (Start Rate: $39.34 per hour)
Posting Date: July 28th, 2025
Closing Date: August 1st, 2025 at 7:00 pm EST
Preference will be given to qualified employees within the Full Time Support Staff bargaining unit, Appendix D (in the role for 6 consecutive months) and RPT employees who have passed probation at Mohawk College.
We believe the rich diversity among our students and the communities we serve should be reflected within our workforce. As educators, we believe it is important to act and show leadership in advancing the principles of reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our community.
The Donor Relations & Stewardship Specialist reports to the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives and works closely with the Mohawk College Foundation Board, College leaders, the Foundation team, internal partners across the College, and external partners to create exceptional donor experiences that result in ongoing investment in the College's strategic priorities.
The Donor Relations & Stewardship Specialist leads collaborations with the Alumni Team to support alumni stewardship programs, collaborates with the fundraising team to lead the development and maintenance of comprehensive recognition and engagement systems that have impact, educate and inspire donors, and instil donor confidence to maintain lasting relationships between Mohawk College, its alumni, benefactors, and community partners. The Specialist oversees donor recognition, donor communications and reporting, donor events and experiences, and other stewardship activities.
What you'll be doing:
Donor Recognition & Stewardship
- Develops and manages the implementation of a successful, integrated stewardship program that encompasses major gift donors, strategic partnerships, and develops and manages the implementation of a stewardship plan for special campaigns.
- In collaboration with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives, the Director, Philanthropy, Senior Advisors, and Senior Development Specialists develops and manages the execution of creative and tailored stewardship programs for every level of donor and especially the College's major and principal donors that incorporates their interests. Supports and integrates with stewardship for gift planning, annual and leadership giving, the scholarship programs, and corporate and foundation programs.
- Manages and updates donor recognition practices (plaques, naming opportunities, etc.) across Mohawk College campuses.
- Works collaboratively with Advancement Services to track donor gifts, stewardship deliverables, and monitors information about giving society members and stewardship preferences.
- Collaborates with the Alumni Team to align alumni stewardship objectives with the overall Foundation Plan.
- Review gift agreements and proposals to ensure obligations and agreements can be fulfilled.
- Collaborates with Advancement Services to establish and administer pledge reminders for annual gifts greater than $25,000 to the College.
- Collaborates with the Director, Philanthropy to develop stewardship strategies for online gifts and new donors.
Planning
- In collaboration with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives, leads the continued growth and sophistication of engagement and stewardship programs that serve to connect alumni and donors with the institution, and with the impact of their giving.
- In partnership with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives, Director, Philanthropy, key members of Senior College Leadership and others across the College, ensures the institution fulfills deliverables as outlined in gift agreements with a long-term view to donor relationship management.
- Creates and manages the implementation of systems to anticipate, schedule, track, and evaluate recognition activities/projects, and assist with establishing policies and procedures to ensure stewardship plans/activities are delivered on time and within budget.
- In consultation with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives and Director, Philanthropy establishes and manages operating plans and objectives for stewardship activities across the College and implements appropriate tracking mechanisms to ensure consistent progress to goals.
- Manages the development of an annual calendar of engagement and stewardship activities and leads the execution of tasks and manages communication across the college regarding stewardship activities.
Donor Engagement & Communications
- Liaises with donors about matters pertaining to their recognition and gift deliverables, for example, confirming naming and event details; also helps to solve any issues pertaining to deliverables and recognition.
- Collaborates with Foundation and central Communications to facilitate and manage the recognition of donors in both print and web-based publications and social channels; contributes donor and gift information for donor reports and facilitates communications with key stakeholders; manages the creation and maintenance of donor lists.
- Manages the preparation of all stewardship correspondence and manages the acknowledgement process including thank you letters, reports, and materials.
- Ensures the development of templates and standard materials for stewardship proposals, including the development of specific messaging and the provision of data on the College's relationship with key donors and partners to assist with providing a full picture of their relationship with the institution.
Reporting and Best Practice
- In collaboration with the Foundation team, contributes to the effort to ensure gift agreements are monitored, and that a process is in place to ensure that the terms are fulfilled, issues are identified and managed, and communications with the donor(s) are appropriately managed.
- In collaboration with Advancement Services, supports information tracking processes regarding acknowledgement, recognition, on-going communications, and continued cultivation of past and current major donors to enhance their relationship with the College and increase the likelihood of continued contributions.
- In collaboration with Advancement Services, ensures that stewardship and reporting requirements are met; analyzes and manages progress towards established goals; recommends adjustments as required to meet targets.
- Provides external industry knowledge, monitors trends in the philanthropic environment and encourages the use of best practices, sharing latest ideas and a consistent and disciplined approach to continuous improvement.
Donor Events and Engagement Opportunities
- Collaborates with Foundation, Alumni Engagement, Events, and Communications teams to create stewardship and donor relations events that advance donor involvement, cultivation and stewardship for major gifts and include meaningful follow-up.
- Collaborating with the Director, Strategic Advancement Initiatives and Director, Philanthropy, develops, guides, and manages special stewardship events such as gift announcements.
- Creates and curates tours for prospective and existing donors, including correspondence with internal and external partners, design, and execution.
Other duties as assigned.
What you'll bring to the role:
- A 3-year diploma/degree in a related discipline or equivalent combination of education and experience. CFRE designation is considered an asset, or diploma/certificate in philanthropy, and/or non-profit management would be a strong asset.
- 5+ years of progressive philanthropy and/or stewardship and/or donor relations experience is required, preferably in a post-secondary or non-profit environment.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
- Excellent writing, communication, analytical and research skills required to convey clear and concise information within the context of fundraising/stewardship/donor relations.
- Demonstrated extensive knowledge of fundraising and stewardship marketing and communications, excellent reporting and writing skills, and knowledge and experience producing digital media (including social media content).
- Demonstrated experience with donor and engagement report development and event management; creating donor impact reports, and annual reports.
- Ability to work comfortably in a highly collaborative, high-performing environment, and manage competing interests.
- Sound judgement, tact, and diplomacy.
- Experience with major gift fundraising programs, donors, and volunteers
- Knowledge of Raiser's Edge software is required.
- Demonstrated commitment and understanding of human rights, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
- The ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse students, employees, and communities.
What we offer:
- Defined Benefit pension plan (CAAT) with contributions matched by Mohawk College.
- 93% top up of maternity and parental leave pay for 52 weeks.
- Progressive vacation plan starting with 15 vacation days plus annual holiday closure.
- Access to Employee Family Assistance Program including counselling services, financial literacy services, nutrition advice and more.
- Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, paramedical services (massage therapy, acupuncture, naturopath, psychotherapy and psychology), short-term and long-term disability.
- Ability to take courses at a reduced rate for employees and dependents.
To find out more about working at Mohawk College, please visit https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/about-mohawk/careers-at-mohawk
We are committed to reconciliation and nurturing an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible (IDEA) environment for everyone who learns and works at Mohawk College. We welcome applications from racialized persons, women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.
The College is committed to fostering inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection processes. If you require accommodation during any stage of the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources.
To learn more about Mohawk College's commitments, please visit the Mohawk College strategic plan webpage: https://www.strategicplan.mohawkcollege.ca/
About Mohawk College
Mohawk College educates and serves 30,000 full-time, part-time, apprenticeship and international students at three campuses and two City School locations at the Eva Rothwell Resource Centre and the Central Public Library in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The college has ranked first among all Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area colleges in student satisfaction for seven consecutive years and first in graduate satisfaction for the past five years. Mohawk ranks 15th among all colleges in Canada for applied research activity and has been named among Canada’s greenest employers and the region’s top employers for the past three years.
Mohawk offers 164 postsecondary programs and is one of the largest trainers of apprentices in Ontario, providing training to more than 4,000 apprenticeship students annually at the Marshall School of Skilled Trades & Apprenticeship in Stoney Creek, Ontario.
Since its founding in 1967, more than 115,000 students have graduated from Mohawk College.