Wesleyan University’s Office of Advancement (ADV) builds lifelong relationships with alumni, parents, and friends, and engages them in support of Wesleyan’s educational mission and financial goals. The Advancement team fosters pride in the Wesleyan community and develops support for university initiatives through outreach activities, including development and fundraising, alumni and parent relations, and on-and off-campus events. Wesleyan is currently in the public phase of a $600 million comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Reporting to the Director of Donor Relations, the Donor and Campaign Communications Specialist drives the creation of a wide range of high impact written communications that advances Wesleyan’s fundraising priorities. This role blends sharp writing, strong relationship building, and disciplined project management skills—partnering across campus to shape clear, compelling drafts, refine messaging, and deliver polished materials on deadlines.  The work directly supports cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts, helping donors understand Wesleyan’s ambitions and inspiring them to invest in its future.

This is not a back-office, isolated writing role. It is a high energy, collaborative position at the center of campaign activity, working closely with fundraisers, academic partners, and campus leaders as Wesleyan advances its most ambitious campaign to date. Success here depends on human conversations, sound judgment, and the ability to draw out meaning from people by actively listening, asking smart questions, and shaping emerging ideas into narratives that are clear, digestible, and compelling. As this work is rooted in relationships and cultural fluency, an on-campus presence is essential for developing a deep understanding of Wesleyan’s people, priorities, and initiatives.

Responsibilities:

• Draft and produce fundraising proposals, one-pagers, solicitation letters, donor profiles, and other high-level campaign-related materials, partnering with the President’s office, faculty, staff, and administrators throughout the University to develop compelling and accurate cases for support.
• Build relationships with front line fundraisers to understand their cultivation strategies and create compelling materials that advance donor conversations.
• Format proposals and other donor materials using basic design tools to ensure polished presentation and adherence to institutional style guidelines.  
• Manage end to end workflows for donor communications, including maintaining tracking tools, organizing completed work, and ensuring deadlines are met.
• Coordinate as needed with University Communications and Advancement Communications teams on shared projects to ensure cohesive messaging, branding, and timelines.
• Write personalized correspondence including acknowledgments, congratulatory notes, condolence letters, and other bespoke communications for the President, VP for Advancement, and other members of senior leadership.
• Actively track major gift activity by participating in fundraisers meetings and collaborating with Advancement colleagues to forecast communication needs and adjust workflow accordingly.
• Monitor University news, initiatives, and events to ensure relevance and strategic alignment of all written materials.
• Create Advancement reports and related materials as needed for the Board of Trustees and Campaign Executive Committee.
• Staff donor-facing events such as dedications, Homecoming/Family Weekend, Reunion & Commencement, and campaign events.
• Maintain consistency of voice, style, tone, and accuracy across all materials, upholding the highest professional standards of format, clarity, and presentation.
• Other duties as assigned.

This position requires regular on-campus presence, a minimum of three days per week.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years of experience producing substantial professional written work and managing multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Strong writing and editing skills, including the ability to adapt voice and tone based on audience and format, and adhere to institutional branding guidelines.
• Proven project management skills include organizational and planning abilities,with a track record of managing multiple concurrent projects, prioritizing effectively, and meeting deadlines.
• Proficiency with intermediate level Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel skills.
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Photoshop, and Express, with the ability to edit and format materials accurately and efficiently.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and independently within a diverse environment and interact respectfully with individuals of different backgrounds, including donors, faculty, students, and staff.
• Ability to consistently model the highest standards of professionalism through collaborative teamwork, initiative, critical thinking, sound judgment, consistent high-quality output, and timely follow-through.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education and fundraising.
• Experience in grant writing or development writing.
• Familiarity with Affinaquest, Salesforce, or other CRM platforms.

Position is open until filled. For full consideration please apply by February 1, 2026 when first review of applications will begin.

Compensation: $52,400-$61,300

Work Location: Hybrid

All offers to external applicants are contingent on the candidate’s completion of a pre-employment background check screening to the satisfaction of Wesleyan University.

Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, political belief, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or non-position-related criminal record. We welcome applications from women and historically underrepresented minority groups. Inquiries regarding Title IX, Section 504 or any other non-discrimination policies should be directed to Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, Title IX and ADA/504 Coordinator.

Wesleyan University complies with the Clery Act and maintains records of campus crime statistics and security policies. Copies of Wesleyan University’s Clery Act Report are available on request and online at https://www.wesleyan.edu/publicsafety/clery.html.

Experience is taken into consideration in the determination of salary offers.  For more information visit https://www.wesleyan.edu/hr/handbook/compensation-practices/index.html

Wesleyan offers a broad range of employee benefits and development opportunities, including comprehensive group insurance plans, wellness programs and incentives, generous paid time off and retirement plans, flexible work schedules, employee and dependent tuition programs for those who qualify.  

Detailed information on the benefits of working at Wesleyan is located at: https://wesleyan.edu/hr/careers/prospective-resources.html.