Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Oversight * Establish and oversee philanthropic communications strategy, editorial standards, and messaging frameworks used across Advancement and partner units. * Provide clear editorial direction and final content guidance for donor-facing materials, ensuring consistency in tone, accuracy, and impact. * Supervise and mentor two full-time senior communications strategists, supporting professional development, performance management, and strategic alignment across teams. * Contribute to oversight and coordination of division-wide communications initiatives to ensure philanthropic messaging is aligned and cohesive.
• Major Gift Communications * Serve as the primary communications partner to the development team for high-level donor engagement and solicitations. * Write and produce compelling campaign collateral, proposals, and donor-facing materials that reflect institutional priorities and philanthropic impact. * Lead implementation and execution of the Advancement Gift Communications Plan, including coordination with CSU/UBSC partners and management of messaging, approvals, and publication processes for gifts above $1M. * Collaborate with college and unit partners to support and review communications for gifts below $1M, providing strategic writing, editing, and design guidance as needed.
• Donor Impact and Philanthropic Storytelling * Contribute to planning and writing for the Philanthropy Annual Report, donor-focused e-newsletters, and presidential fundraising communications. * Develop and refine donor-centered narratives that highlight philanthropic impact, student success, and UNT’s long-term vision. * Proactively identify storytelling opportunities connected to campaign priorities, donor interests, and institutional momentum. * Partner with the creative team to develop testimonials, stories, and print and digital materials that reflect UNT’s philanthropic brand and values.
• Project Management, Production, Analytics and Reporting * Manage timelines and workflows for major gift proposals, donor communications, and key fundraising initiatives. * Coordinate internal reviews and approvals, including donor approvals when required, ensuring accuracy and adherence to policy. * Maintain organized archives of proposals, donor stories, and philanthropic content to support efficiency and reuse. * Develop reports that evaluate reach, effectiveness, and opportunities for improvement. * Apply data-informed insights to refine strategy, strengthen storytelling, and support fundraising outcomes over time.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration * Work closely with Advancement leadership, fundraisers, UBSC, CSUs, and communications colleagues to align donor messaging with strategic priorities. * Provide strategic communications guidance for planned giving and corporate/foundation relations efforts. * Offer writing consultation, messaging input, and best-practice guidance to development officers and fundraising teams across colleges and units.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Business Administration, Public Relations, or a related field, and six years of progressively responsible professional experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Preferred

• Preferred Qualifications * Experience in higher education philanthropy is preferred; candidates with development communications or nonprofit fundraising experience may also be considered based on the strength of their overall application and interview. * Familiarity with CASE standards for donor recognition and stewardship. * Experience working with fundraising databases, project management tools, or content management systems.

Benefits

• Benefits For information regarding our Benefits, click here.