Associate Director, Philanthropic Communications

Summary

The Associate Director of Philanthropic Communications is a writing position within the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs (OIAAA) that imagines, creates, and produces a variety of written fundraising communications materials to inspire donor support for Baylor College of Medicine.

This position will focus on writing cases for support, proposals, grants, and writing for areas that support institutional giving priorities within the OIAAA, such as corporate partnerships, major gift prospects, alumni affairs and planned giving.

Internal title is Senior Communications Associate; working title is Associate Director, Philanthropic Communications.

Job Duties

• Research, write, and edit compelling, persuasive and inspiring traditional fundraising communications materials, employing storytelling and development-standard practices, including solicitations, cases for support, gift proposals, donor presentations, and other select print and digital donor materials.
• Lead process of submission of grant solicitations through online portals, as necessary, according to the funder’s specs, requirements and timeline.
• Assume a writing beat portfolio of College divisions and departments along with other team writers, developing subject-matter expertise in assigned beat areas.
• Serve as a trusted resource and proactive communication strategist for frontline fundraisers, assisting with their development of effective, persuasive materials and communications.
• Make changes and edits accurately to existing pieces, often incorporating changes from multiple parties simultaneously.
• Serve as first-line proofer for fundraising materials for fact, grammar, punctuation, AP Style, tightness and storytelling clarity, and provide editorial suggestions on copy produced by colleagues.
• Internalize and evangelize across the OAAA team brand, style and messaging guidelines with the rest of the writing team.
• Collaborate with colleagues in Annual Giving, Alumni Affairs, Planned Giving, Digital Communications, Donor Relations, Creative Services, Individual, Corporate and Foundation Giving and Data Strategy and Analytics as well as Baylor leadership, faculty and other Baylor stakeholders.
• Conduct thoughtful interviews with internal and external constituents, as appropriate, to effectively tell the College’s story.
• Performs other job duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree. Four years of relevant experience may substitute for degree requirement.
• Four years of relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree
• Four years of experience in non-profit development writing
• Experience working in higher education / academic medicine
• Demonstrated track record with respect to detail orientation and accuracy
• Expert in AP Style, grammar, punctuation and storytelling technique
• Meticulous, organized, and detail-oriented approach to work
• Demonstrated success working as a member of a team and developing effective working relationships with staff
• Ability to prioritize, coordinate, and manage own work and make recommendations to the senior director to solve problems independently, effectively and creatively
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Skilled in nonprofit and development writing, with a knowledge of communication and marketing best practices
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a strong attention to detail
• Ability to write and edit compelling, clear, and accurate content for diverse audiences
• Strong interview skill and an ability to easily interact with diverse subjects
• Ability to adapt writing style (voice, length, and tone, for example) to satisfy different objectives
• Skilled in and ability to research content and generate effective copy through interviews, internet resources
• Knowledge of and skilled in AP style; strong adherence to grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules
• Skilled in helping translate copy ideas into visuals working with the OAAA design team

Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action / Equal Access Employer.

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