Stewardship Program Manager, Medical Advancement Group

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)*, the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is looking for a talented Stewardship Program Manager. The Stewardship Program Manager will oversee the gift acknowledgment program, serving as a project lead for stewardship initiatives, managing the tribute notification program and assisting in the execution of the Tier-Based impact reporting program. This position is a hybrid role and will require you to work in the office at least two days weekly.

Who is WFAA?
The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is a private, nonprofit corporation that encourages individuals and organizations to make gifts to the university and to connect with the UW. In 2014, the UW Foundation merged with the Wisconsin Alumni Association® to better serve a growing population of UW alumni and donors. We believe that private support grows out of good relationships between campus leaders, faculty and program staff who need support, and the alumni and friends who want to invest in UW–Madison. We provide important engagement opportunities to link UW–Madison alumni to each other and to their alma mater, building a strong community of Badgers.

Diversity and Inclusion:

Just as the university community benefits from differing viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences, inclusion and diversity are imperative for the success of our mission. WFAA values people and the differences that they bring to the organization, and creates an environment in which all staff members and constituents feel respected and have opportunities to thrive.  

Manage Acknowledgment Process:

• Administer the leadership acknowledgment process for the Dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health and CEO of UW Health. Responsibilities include generating bi-monthly gift reports from the Gift and Fund Management Hub, requesting development notes, merging letters, customizing copy, and routing letters for approvals and signatures.
• Draft leadership acknowledgment letter templates and refresh/update content on a bi-annual basis.
• Send out monthly recurring gift initiation thank you cards.

Project manager for Key Stewardship Initiatives:

• Schedule planning meetings and document action items.
• Produce and maintain project timelines to ensure deadlines are met and deliverables are completed on schedule.
• Partner with internal and external partners to advance projects to completion.
• Current initiatives include, but are not limited to the following:
  • Faculty Staff Giving Campaign
  • SMPH Investiture
  • Cause based impact reports (kids, transplant, patient assistance)
  • Healthcare Heroes
  • Loyal Giving Stewardship
  • Valentine’s Day Card
  • Wisconsin Medicine Holiday Card

Tier-Based Impact Reporting Program Execution:

• Assist with proofing and editing beneficiary responses.
• Layout responses in Canva.
• Assist with assembling and mailing reports to donors.

Manage Wisconsin Medicine memorial/tribute Notification Program: 

• Review data reports and send out bi-weekly tribute letters.
• Serve as point of contact staff and donor inquiries.
• Partner with central stewardship team on policies and best practices.

SMPH Faculty Investiture Celebration Support:

• In addition to project management responsibilities, order medallions and plaques for honorees and prepare for presentation.

Serve as the Thankview Lead: 

• Create and execute Thankview campaigns.
• Share best practices on video recording and copy for email campaigns.

Serve as Canva Lead:

• Use existing templates to create reports or other stewardship pieces.
• Serve as a Canva subject matter expert by sharing tips and best practices.
• Work with WFAA marketing to request new templates and imagery.

Donor Recognition Support:

• Add/edit/update naming opportunities in GiftMap platform.
• Write copy for space naming opportunities to be used in GiftMap.
• Periodically conduct donor signage audits within existing SMPH/UW Health facilities.
• Work with SMPH/UW Health Facilities to order and install donor recognition signage.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Pay invoices and track expenses against the annual budget.
• Write copy for donor gratitude communications.  
• Write donor biographies to be added WiSH scholarship platform.
• Actively contribute input on current initiatives and share best practices from peer organizations.

Required Qualifications:

• 2+ years’ experience in project management, stewardship, donor relations, or a related area.
• Proficient in MS Office, particularly Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Other Qualifications:

• Excellent organizational, critical thinking, and project management skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Skilled at proactively solving problems and offering solutions              
• Strong customer service mentality
• Self-starter, able to successfully coordinate multifaceted projects, timelines, competing priorities, and duties both independently and in collaboration with other people involved.
  Exceptional relationship building skills with both internal and external constituents
• Ability to work effectively in a decentralized environment with high complexity
• Some experience with designing creative visual content using programs like Canva is desired.
• Familiarity with constituent relationship management software and Thankview
• Experience with writing communications for donor gratitude

WFAA is committed to provide our employees with an environment that is inspiring, creative and respectful.  We offer competitive pay and an excellent benefits program, which includes a 10% 401k contribution after 1 year of service!

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer *The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is the “doing business as” name of the merged organization comprising the University of Wisconsin Foundation (supportuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.