The Director, Donor Communications in Institutional Advancement at Meharry Medical College will collaborate with colleagues across advancement, communications, and Meharry's five schools to develop compelling messaging to secure the resources needed to advance the College's mission. This will include developing communications and messaging to support Campaign 150, the College's $350 million capital campaign, which is scheduled to close in 2026, the 150th anniversary of Meharry.
Reporting to the Senior Associate Vice President, Institutional Advancement, the Director, Donor Communications will serve as the department's primary storyteller, creating a variety of communications tailored to specific audiences, events, and channels. The Director, Donor Communications will work with colleagues across academic and administrative departments to understand Meharry's programs and funding priorities to convey the impact of philanthropy and create distinct and cohesive communications.
Daily Operations
Oversee the planning and implementation of development communications and messaging for Meharry.
Partner with Meharry's communications and marketing team to elevate the awareness of the College among different donor and prospective donor audiences.
Think through, research, and write engaging, accurate communications suited to the needs of specific audiences and situations, on deadline.
Create case statements, website/email/social media copy, video scripts, appeal letters, magazine and newsletter articles, brochures, speeches, and advertisements.
Edit copy written by department members, freelancers, and other contributors to improve sense, style, accuracy, grammatical correctness, and adherence to Meharry's editorial guidelines and messaging.
Although primarily focused on proposal development and print projects, this Associate Director will also post written content to websites and other digital platforms (such as the email system) as requested.
Draft correspondence and talking points for the Senior Vice President, Institutional Advancement and other senior leadership (which may include the President and CEO, for donor-facing meetings and presentations) as needed.
Develop deep content knowledge on Meharry's vision, programs, and funding priorities across campus.
Directly manage professional staff members who have responsibility for digital donor engagement.
Build a strong network of collegial partnerships with communications, advancement and departmental representatives both within Institutional Advancement and across the College, such as directors, faculty, officers and other communications staff, to consult on messaging strategies that inspire giving and coordinate communications projects.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Required Skills
Five to seven years of fundraising communications or related transferable experience required, preferably with proven success working in a major fundraising or communications function in higher education.
Previous experience building digital marketing and communication strategy (a high-level understanding of leading practices and metrics in web design, video production, social media, and email)
Demonstrated design skills and experience working Adobe Creative Suite.
Excellent management, planning, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
Demonstrated understanding of current trends in fundraising and communications.
Experience in copy writing and content creation as a staff writer on an in-house creative services team or with an agency.
Ability to be a persuasive advocate for Meharry's priorities and present information in a clear and compelling manner to a variety of constituencies, primarily in writing.
Ability to use current desktop office technologies proficiently and to adapt to and use future technologies.
Sound judgment, tact and ability to handle highly confidential information.
Strong initiative and attention to detail.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Ability to handle multiple tasks under deadline pressures in a high-volume office.
Authentic appreciation for the role that Meharry Medical College plays as a premier medical college and a Historically Black College and University institution.
Required Education and Experience
A Bachelor's degree is required. A Master's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience would be an advantage.
