Details Department: Philanthropy ServicesSchedule:  Full Time, Monday-FridayLocation:  Remote with approximately 30% travel requiredSalary:  $126,962.96 - $215,837.00 (per year)Eligible for an annual bonus incentive
Benefits

Paid time off (PTO)
Various health insurance options & wellness plans
Retirement benefits including employer match plans
Long-term & short-term disability
Employee assistance programs (EAP)
Parental leave & adoption assistance
Tuition reimbursement
Ways to give back to your community

 

Benefit options and eligibility vary by position. Compensation varies based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, performance, location and salary range at the time of the offer.

Responsibilities

Summary: The Senior Director of Development Communications is a visionary and collaborative leader responsible for architecting and leading the communication strategies that drive philanthropic engagement and accelerate fundraising success across a complex and diverse portfolio of entities, including the Ascension Foundation, Ascension Living, Community Health Ministries, and Dispensary of Hope.

Reporting to the Vice President of Foundation Communications and Impact, and as a senior leader on the Ascension Philanthropy Services team, this role sits at the nexus of strategic vision, high-stakes storytelling, and sophisticated donor stewardship.

The Senior Director serves as a principal communications advisor and partner to executive leadership and colleagues for philanthropic activity, translating mission, programs, and impact into compelling, multi-channel narratives that inspire transformational, seven-figure giving and cultivate enduring relationships with high-net-worth donors and partners. This leader is responsible for building the complete ladder of philanthropic communications that secure gifts across a matrixed portfolio of entities requiring highly tailored and varied strategies, methods and tactics that cover all gift levels, fundraising programs and donor audience segments.

Core Responsibilities:

Strategic Communication & Collaborative LeadershipArchitect and oversee the execution of a comprehensive, enterprise-wide fundraising communication strategy that ensures brand coherence and message alignment across a diverse portfolio of entities and fundraising channels, in partnership with Philanthropy Strategy leaders.Serve as the chief strategist and content architect for all major donor-facing materials, providing expert counsel to ensure alignment with fundraising goals, particularly for multi-year, comprehensive campaigns.Partner with executive leadership and program teams to frame and articulate complex, multi-million dollar investment opportunities that resonate with sophisticated individual donors, institutional funders, and philanthropic partners.Drive the integration of communications into all philanthropic revenue plans, ensuring strategies are tailored for all audience segments and giving levels, with a strong emphasis on principal, major, annual, and planned giving from individuals, foundations and corporationsServe as the lead brand steward for philanthropy, maintaining and enhancing the identity of each distinct entity within the portfolio while ensuring a unified and powerful overarching message.Mentor and guide communications and development colleagues and oversee a range of freelance and agency support staff, fostering a culture of excellence, creativity, and collaboration across the enterprise.Partner with the Senior Director Philanthropy Strategy and Director of Development Operations to ensure communications are aligned with donor data, segments, channels, entity fundraising strategies and goals, donor preferences, and giving history Advanced Content Development & Executive Counsel
Direct the conceptualization and creation of high-impact content to maximize philanthropic outcomes in partnership with the Philanthropy Strategy leaders, including compelling cases for support and all derivatives therefrom, including: principal and transformational gift proposals, major gift proposals, annual and mid-level request letters (digital and mail), campaign collateral, bespoke stewardship reports, progress reports, videos, online resources and executive messaging.Translate multifaceted data and intricate concepts into emotionally resonant storytelling that moves the most discerning audiences to action.Provide executive-level communications coaching to senior leaders and board members, crafting tailored fundraising messages, talking points, and briefing materials for critical donor interactions.Oversee the entire lifecycle of communications production, ensuring a superior standard of quality, design, and impact that reflects the significance of the investment.Develop quality standardized fundraising collateral suites for each entity in the portfolio, maximizing fundraising efficiency and ROI.Collaborate with and manage high-level creative partners, including designers, videographers, and communications consultants, to bring the strategic vision to life.Enterprise Project Leadership & ManagementDevelop and champion a sophisticated infrastructure for editorial standards, message review workflows, approvals, and digital asset management across multiple teams and entity brands.Define and track advanced KPIs and performance metrics for all communications initiatives, delivering insightful analysis and data-driven recommendations to inform future strategy and demonstrate ROI.Oversee communications budgets, complex project timelines, and external vendor contracts, ensuring optimal allocation of resources.
Requirements

Education:

High School diploma equivalency with 5 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required, with 2 of those years being in leadership/management OR Associate's degree/Bachelor's degree with 3 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required, with 2 of those years being in leadership/management.
Additional Preferences

Requirements:

7-10+ years of progressive experience in fundraising communications, with a significant portion in a large, complex and matrixed nonprofit, healthcare, or higher education environment.Demonstrated, career-defining success in leading communications for multi-year, nine-figure ($100M+) comprehensive fundraising campaigns is required.Proven experience managing communications strategy across a portfolio of distinct brands or service lines within a complex, multi-entity organization.Bachelor's degree required; Master’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field is strongly preferred.

Key Attributes:

A proven track record of architecting and leading communications strategies that drive philanthropic action at the highest levels, from annual giving to principal and transformational gifts.Exceptional executive presence with the ability to influence and build trust with senior leaders, board members, and high-net-worth individuals.A sophisticated understanding of donor psychology, philanthropic trends, and the unique motivations of major and principal gift donors.Superior writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with an innate ability to synthesize highly complex information with clarity, nuance, and heart.Exceptional political savvy and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to navigate complex, matrixed organizations and foster collaboration.Highly strategic, with the ability to manage multiple high-stakes projects simultaneously while maintaining meticulous attention to detail.Committed to equity, inclusion, and the values of Ascension.

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Why Join Our Team

Ascension associates are key to our commitment of transforming healthcare and providing care to all, especially those most in need. Join us and help us drive impact through reimagining how we can deliver a people-centered healthcare experience and creating the solutions to do it. Explore career opportunities across our ministry locations and within our corporate headquarters.

 

Ascension is a leading non-profit, faith-based national health system made up of over 134,000 associates and 2,600 sites of care, including more than 140 hospitals and 40 senior living communities in 19 states.

 

Our Mission, Vision and Values encompass everything we do at Ascension. Every associate is empowered to give back, volunteer and make a positive impact in their community. Ascension careers are more than jobs; they are opportunities to enhance your life and the lives of the people around you.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Ascension provides Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, lactation, breastfeeding, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, all as defined by applicable law, and any other legally protected status or characteristic in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.

 

For further information, view the  EEO Know Your Rights (English) poster or EEO Know Your Rights (Spanish) poster.

 

As a military friendly organization, Ascension promotes career flexibility and offers many benefits to help support the well-being of our military families, spouses, veterans and reservists. Our associates are empowered to apply their military experience and unique perspective to their civilian career with Ascension.

 

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Please note that Ascension will make an offer of employment only to individuals who have applied for a position using our official application. Be on alert for possible fraudulent offers of employment. Ascension will not solicit money or banking information from applicants.

 

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