Susan Watkins

Susan Watkins

Creative communications professional with expertise in copy writing, speech writing, development communications, feature writing. Team player with ability to develop compelling words that inform, persuade, inspire, entertain and tell a story.

IMPACT: The Magazine of the UCF Foundation, University of Central Florida, Orlando - January 2016 to Present
IMPACT Magazine is produced three times a year by UCF Advancement to celebrate the university's donors and the impact they have on UCF, its students, faculty and programs. See a sample issue here.

January 2021-present
Managing Editor
As managing editor, I write, assign and curate copy, coordinate photo shoots and secure photo usage, work closely with magazine designer on look and feel, liaise with the mail house on print distribution, and manage the electronic delivery of digital version.

May 2017-January 2021
Contributing/Staff Writer
As contributing writer, I conducted interviews with donors, alumni and friends of UCF to spotlight the impact of gifts to the university and performed other duties as assigned by the managing editor. 

UCF Foundation | UCF Advancement, University of Central Florida - November 2005 to Present
The UCF Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that enhances the mission and vision of the University of Central Florida through its many fundraising activities. 

November 2021-present
Associate Director of Advancement Communications 
As associate director, I create and manage content for the UCF Foundation website (ucffoundation.org) and am responsible for its maintenance, craft and develop philanthropic messaging for giving campaigns and initiatives, develop talking points and speeches for fundraising leadership at cultivation and celebration events, compose communication to our highest-level donors on behalf of the UCF President’s Office. This is in addition to serving at the Managing Editor of IMPACT (see above) and job responsibilities noted in Assistant Director entry (below). 

May 2012-November 2021
Assistant Director of Advancement Communications
As assistant director, I write donor and alumni stories relevant to the donor community for IMPACT Magazine, the UCF Foundation Annual Report, UCF Today, the university's online news blog and the alumni e-newsletter. I create philanthropic messaging for giving campaigns and develop collateral for our college-based fundraisers. I review and edit communication materials developed by staff members and draft speeches, one-pagers and program talking points for Foundation leadership and others. I collaborate with campus-wide communicators to identify and write college-based donor stories. During this time, I also created collateral for IGNITE, the Campaign for UCF, a multi-year comprehensive campaign that concluded in 2016. In addition, I am the sole point of contact for the UCF Foundation website, which includes regular maintenance and troubleshooting, posting stories, updating content and forms for our legal team and boards, building giving pages and event registration pages.

 March 2011-May 2012
Coordinator, Advancement Communications
As communications coordinator, I wrote stories for UCF Today, the university's online news blog, created a weekly employee newsletter, assisted in writing talking points for university leadership, including (now former) President John C. Hitt. 

November 2007-March 2011
Coordinator, Specialized Gifts 
As specialized gifts coordinator, I wrote acknowledgment letters on behalf of CEO to high-level donors, created quarterly in-house employee newsletter for Information Technology Services and Operations Departments. 

November 2005-November 2007
Coordinator, Annual Fund
As annual fund coordinator, I wrote direct mail letters to targeted constituent groups, with focused messages and images, developed general and college-specific content for Annual Fund’s quarterly mailing, worked with University Marketing on creation of promotional materials, including developing concept, writing and editing copy.

EDUCATION

MA, Media Studies New School for Social Research, NYC

BA, Communications Queens College, City University of NY, Flushing, NY