Director of Advancement Services

Purpose:

The Director of Advancement Services is responsible for the strategic direction of the Advancement Services team and works closely with other directors of Institutional Advancement (IA) and key Advancement personnel to provide insight and analysis for all data, systems, and technology decisions. The Director has oversight and management responsibility for our CRM, data integrity and compliance, gift accounting, biographical records, reporting, and reconciliation with Finance and the University’s auditors. The Director leads the identification, maintenance, assessment, and management of Advancement’s CRM (Blackbaud’s Raisers Edge/ NXT), as well as all associated tech platforms and their vendor relationships and contracts. The Director maintains several strategic partnerships with campus community members, including Information Systems and Services, Finance, Marketing, Registrar, Purchasing, and Admissions. The Director reports directly to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and is a member of the Advancement leadership team.

Duties:

Operations Oversight and Direction for Advancement Services:

• Understand and advocate for the tools and personnel necessary to lead a 21st-century Advancement Services team.
• Responsible for developing advancement’s technology strategic plan in partnership with senior leadership.
• Sets and communicates prioritization for ongoing Advancement Services tasks and project work.
• Guide and direct staff through training, processing, and handling constituent data; supervises 1-3 advancement services team members.
• Using independent judgment and discretion, plan budgets resources, formulate policy, develop procedures, and provide direction in the daily operations of IA.
• At the direction of the VP, serve as primary contact for regular operational purposes with other campus offices, including Finance and Marketing departments.
• Create and maintain formal documentation of Advancement operating/gift acceptance policies and procedures.
• Using independent judgment and discretion, plan budgets resources, formulate policy, develop procedures, and provide direction in the daily operations of IA.
• At the direction of the VP, serve as primary contact for regular operational purposes with other campus offices, including Fiscal and Marketing departments.
• Create and maintain formal documentation of Advancement operating/gift acceptance policies and procedures.

Database-Donor Records Management:

• Create and administer Blackbaud Raisers Edge database reports to address advancement needs. Must be willing to learn new CRM modules and effectively cross-train team members.
• Oversight for the preparation of donor receipt letters, donor recognition or impact letters, and related correspondence.

• Responsible to track progress against goals for all team key performance indicators.
• Working with the Advancement team, construct the necessary lists, reports, and tracking tools to support fundraising efforts including data/benchmarking.
• Serve as the check-point for quality control for all records, reports, lists and data.
• Manage data collection and response to industry data surveys (e.g., VSE, NEAR, US News & World Report, Vassar FACT Book, etc.).

Collaboration and Customer Service

• Oversee Advancement Services participation in the annual audit, ensuring timely provision of needed documentation and reports.
• Develops and maintains very positive and professional customer service attitude.
• Other duties as assigned.

Primary Contacts:

All Institutional Advancement staff; President and Presidents Administrative Assistant, Board Trustees, MSJ alumni, donors, and other members of the University community; Fiscal, Marketing, ISS, and Institutional Research departments

Supervision Exercised:

Direct supervision of 1 - 3 IA staff.

Supervision Received:

Works under the general direction of VP of Institutional Advancement

Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree required

Experience:

At least ten (10) years of experience in the advancement services or related technical field and a nuanced understanding of this role in the success of Institutional Advancement

A demonstrated ability and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Skills, Attributes:

Customer Service:

• Deep understanding of gift processing
• Strong understanding of Mount St. Joseph’s Gift Acceptance Policy; our internal and external policies, procedures, and guidelines; relevant state and federal laws, including IRS rules and regulations; and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and Council for Aid to Education (CAE) standards and guidelines
• Work closely with the Gift Planning, Individual Giving, and the Grants team on proper coding, tracking, and reporting on bequests, trusts, foundations, donor advised funds, and digital currencies.
• Exhibit a "donor/customer first" orientation in providing exceptional service in all responsibilities and interactions demonstrating versatility in handling people and situations
• Adapt willingly and quickly to changing priorities, responsibilities, and customer needs and expectations; anticipate and identify customer needs
• Demonstrated ability to recognize, appreciate and serve culturally diverse populations, special needs, and others

Teamwork:

• Strong senior-level project management experience with a track record of leading technology and business process improvement initiatives
• Collaborate well with others; help ensure IA group collaboration, cohesion, and psychological safety
• Communicate proactively and respectfully to ensure deadlines are met and high quality of work

Communication:

• Develop and nurture an effective, productive, and respectful rapport and working relationship with students, faculty, staff co-workers, and various campus and community constituencies maintaining an appropriate level of professionalism
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal and organizational skills, a sense of humor, flexibility, and creativity
• Demonstrate strong written, telephone, and electronic communication skills and strengths
• Excellent copy-editing skills required; attention to detail is essential
• Clear communication skills and strategies for sharing technical information with the Advancement division simply and directly

Technical:

• Experience with CRM conversions, assessment, and data management best practices
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel
• An understanding of data visualization platforms, Tableau and/or Power BI.
• Knowledge of office bookkeeping/accounting and proven success in budget management.
• Ability to quickly learn, interpret, and apply a variety of policies and procedures.
• Computer skills in CRM/database management; Raiser's Edge experience preferred

Initiative:

• Takes immediate and independent action when necessary assuming initiative for creative problem solving
• Accomplishes tasks with follow through to completion

Work Environment, Physical Demands:

Working some nights and evenings required; computer data input; multiple concurrent tasks with service interruptions; strict confidentiality; detailed work.

To apply, please upload the cover letter, resume, and contact information with three professional references via Paycom.
A review of resumes will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
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Mount St. Joseph University is an Equal Opportunity Employer