Inside Higher Ed
Summary
The Director of Philanthropy Operations is responsible for the creation, management, and oversight of the integrated support system that enables our philanthropic front‑line to effectively seek financial support for East Texas A&M University. This includes Philanthropy Operations, Research, Gift Accounting, and Prospect Strategy. The Director will serve as the primary liaison for gift and donor records, gift accounting, and implementing an institution‑wide comprehensive donor relations and stewardship program.
Duties & Responsibilities
Keep abreast of industry trends and effectively utilize data to evaluate and interpret constituent needs and behaviors. Recommend new tools, processes, services, or new methods to engage constituents.
Develop and maintain a technology plan to ensure the Philanthropy & Engagement team has effective technological resources.
Forecasting Analytics
Track important key performance indicators related to donor engagement and team effectiveness.
Forecast return on investment for appeals and programs based on internal and external benchmarks.
Prospect Development
Identify, research, and analyze prospects for major gift cultivation and solicitation.
Consult directly with development officers and campus executives to identify and qualify major donor prospects who have the propensity and capacity to support key initiatives and campaigns for the University.
Plan and manage creative strategies to identify sources of major gifts ($25,000+) private support using creative research techniques and electronic searching methodologies.
Prospect Management
Oversee the process for identifying prospective donors and assist development directors in managing relationships by optimizing portfolios, supporting the moves management process, and ensuring target prospects are moving through the pipeline effectively.
Track development officers and team progress by providing and enhancing dashboards to ensure fluid and active engagement of prospects.
Gift Acceptance and Processing
Ensure gift acceptance and gift processing policies support the active solicitation of approved gift types including appreciated securities, gifts of real and personal property, mineral rights, cash gifts, matching gifts, bequests and other planned gifts, and retirement plan designations.
Champion processes related to gift processing and coding to ensure timely receipt and receiption.
Oversee the creation and implementation of a campus‑wide philanthropic naming opportunity catalog.
Donor Relations
Create and drive donor stewardship programs, events, and oversee written materials to aid in educating, cultivating, engaging, and recognizing donors at all levels.
Implement processes that ensure donor wishes are upheld for all philanthropic restricted funds.
Business Process Improvement
Utilize Raiser’s Edge functionality (e.g., reports, reminders) to instill discipline and accountability in business processes (e.g., moves management).
Develop new and improve current processes to manage data requests with a goal of automation to improve workflow and responsiveness with internal stakeholders.
Create a data integrity and management strategy to continually improve data quality and implement associated metrics.
Governance
Develop and enforce policies and procedures to ensure the integrity of the Philanthropy & Engagement database.
Develop and manage audit processes and exception reporting to ensure data integrity.
Build collaborative relationships with Philanthropy & Engagement and other university data holders for strategic and effective uses of data.
Manage authorization and data access controls to ensure data security.
Ensure data complies with IRS regulations and CASE guidelines, as well as University and System policies.
Functional
Manage the University’s users of Raiser’s Edge, including communication and reinforcement of best practices, review and maintenance of processes and documentation, partnership with stakeholders to solve problems efficiently, and provision of regular training opportunities.
Serve as the subject matter expert regarding software tool functionality and tool integration.
Utilize workflow management tools to streamline data management processes.
Act as first point of contact for staff with questions and liaison to vendors and technology services for troubleshooting issues.
Minimum Requirements
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in an applicable field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience / Knowledge / Skills: Six (6) years of related experience in data collection and analysis, highly skilled in the use and manipulation of large data sets in Excel, experience with current Microsoft applications, excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills, strong customer service orientation and sense of teamwork, possess both technical skills and business acumen.
Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others; organize and prioritize work, be proactive, take initiative, resolve problems, follow through, and manage multiple priorities to ensure goals are met in a timely manner.
Licensing/Professional Certifications: None
Physical Requirements: None
Other Requirements: None
Preferred Education / Skills / Experience
Degree in business analytics, computer science, or relevant certifications in analytics.
Knowledge in the integration and development of applications.
Experience in Prospect Research and Management.
Experience in higher‑education fundraising.
Experience using Raiser’s Edge, NXT, Banner and working with Web Focus reports.
Supervision Of Others The Director will oversee the Philanthropy Operations team, which currently includes the Funds Manager for all philanthropic restricted funds, the Manager of Gift Processing, the Assistant Director of Stewardship, and two graduate assistants. Student workers also provide support and are managed on an ad‑hoc basis.
Additional Information This position would be possible for remote work. All positions are security‑sensitive; applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures.
Equal Opportunity / Affidavit Statement Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Duties & Responsibilities
Keep abreast of industry trends and effectively utilize data to evaluate and interpret constituent needs and behaviors. Recommend new tools, processes, services, or new methods to engage constituents.
Develop and maintain a technology plan to ensure the Philanthropy & Engagement team has effective technological resources.
Forecasting Analytics
Track important key performance indicators related to donor engagement and team effectiveness.
Forecast return on investment for appeals and programs based on internal and external benchmarks.
Prospect Development
Identify, research, and analyze prospects for major gift cultivation and solicitation.
Consult directly with development officers and campus executives to identify and qualify major donor prospects who have the propensity and capacity to support key initiatives and campaigns for the University.
Plan and manage creative strategies to identify sources of major gifts ($25,000+) private support using creative research techniques and electronic searching methodologies.
Prospect Management
Oversee the process for identifying prospective donors and assist development directors in managing relationships by optimizing portfolios, supporting the moves management process, and ensuring target prospects are moving through the pipeline effectively.
Track development officers and team progress by providing and enhancing dashboards to ensure fluid and active engagement of prospects.
Gift Acceptance and Processing
Ensure gift acceptance and gift processing policies support the active solicitation of approved gift types including appreciated securities, gifts of real and personal property, mineral rights, cash gifts, matching gifts, bequests and other planned gifts, and retirement plan designations.
Champion processes related to gift processing and coding to ensure timely receipt and receiption.
Oversee the creation and implementation of a campus‑wide philanthropic naming opportunity catalog.
Donor Relations
Create and drive donor stewardship programs, events, and oversee written materials to aid in educating, cultivating, engaging, and recognizing donors at all levels.
Implement processes that ensure donor wishes are upheld for all philanthropic restricted funds.
Business Process Improvement
Utilize Raiser’s Edge functionality (e.g., reports, reminders) to instill discipline and accountability in business processes (e.g., moves management).
Develop new and improve current processes to manage data requests with a goal of automation to improve workflow and responsiveness with internal stakeholders.
Create a data integrity and management strategy to continually improve data quality and implement associated metrics.
Governance
Develop and enforce policies and procedures to ensure the integrity of the Philanthropy & Engagement database.
Develop and manage audit processes and exception reporting to ensure data integrity.
Build collaborative relationships with Philanthropy & Engagement and other university data holders for strategic and effective uses of data.
Manage authorization and data access controls to ensure data security.
Ensure data complies with IRS regulations and CASE guidelines, as well as University and System policies.
Functional
Manage the University’s users of Raiser’s Edge, including communication and reinforcement of best practices, review and maintenance of processes and documentation, partnership with stakeholders to solve problems efficiently, and provision of regular training opportunities.
Serve as the subject matter expert regarding software tool functionality and tool integration.
Utilize workflow management tools to streamline data management processes.
Act as first point of contact for staff with questions and liaison to vendors and technology services for troubleshooting issues.
Minimum Requirements
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in an applicable field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience / Knowledge / Skills: Six (6) years of related experience in data collection and analysis, highly skilled in the use and manipulation of large data sets in Excel, experience with current Microsoft applications, excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills, strong customer service orientation and sense of teamwork, possess both technical skills and business acumen.
Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others; organize and prioritize work, be proactive, take initiative, resolve problems, follow through, and manage multiple priorities to ensure goals are met in a timely manner.
Licensing/Professional Certifications: None
Physical Requirements: None
Other Requirements: None
Preferred Education / Skills / Experience
Degree in business analytics, computer science, or relevant certifications in analytics.
Knowledge in the integration and development of applications.
Experience in Prospect Research and Management.
Experience in higher‑education fundraising.
Experience using Raiser’s Edge, NXT, Banner and working with Web Focus reports.
Supervision Of Others The Director will oversee the Philanthropy Operations team, which currently includes the Funds Manager for all philanthropic restricted funds, the Manager of Gift Processing, the Assistant Director of Stewardship, and two graduate assistants. Student workers also provide support and are managed on an ad‑hoc basis.
Additional Information This position would be possible for remote work. All positions are security‑sensitive; applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures.
Equal Opportunity / Affidavit Statement Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer.
#J-18808-Ljbffr