Associate Director, Advancement Services

Job no: 494768
Work type: Regular
Location: Los Angeles
Categories: Salaried

Title: Associate Director, Advancement Services

Department: Institutional Advancement Mgmt.

Duration: Indefinite

Employment Status: Exempt, Full-Time

Job Summary

Reporting to the Senior Director, Advancement Services the Associate Director, Advancement Operations plays a key leadership role in managing gift processing, gift accounting, and data integrity within the College's advancement services team. The Associate Director oversees all aspects of charitable giving, including cash, stock, DAFs, and other non-cash contributions-ensuring compliance with IRS regulations, CASE guidelines, and institutional policies. The Associate Director works closely with the Business Office to reconcile fundraising data, maintain donor intent, and support financial reporting. The Associate Director will manage the Advancement CRM (Salesforce Education Cloud), optimizing its configuration and providing training to ensure effective use across teams. Through collaboration and oversight, the role supports efficient, accurate operations that enhance donor stewardship and fundraising strategy.

Job Duties
•  30% - Advancement Database Management - Serve as a subject matter expert in Classy and Salesforce Education Cloud's gift management tools, overseeing CRM data accuracy, annual data cleanup, and reconciliation with the Business Office. Manages the document system used for gift administration, including receipting, pledge documentation, and acknowledgments. Leads annual database maintenance and setup to ensure accurate and timely gift processing. Participates in the CRM Design Working Group to support and implement process improvements related to gift operations. Administers key Salesforce features for gift management, including Opportunities, Gift Commitments, Transactions, Batches, Classy integration, and receipting. Develops and maintains gift operations documentation and trains staff using a train-the-trainer model. Collaborates with the data team on cleanup projects and seasonal maintenance and troubleshoots data issues in partnership with ITS and CRM teams. Establishes data hygiene standards and oversees gift entry adjustments to ensure accuracy and compliance with protocols. - (Essential)
•  25% - Gift Lifecycle Management - Oversee the full gift lifecycle, ensuring the efficient processing and documentation of complex gifts, such as securities, donor-advised funds, planned gifts, IRA rollovers, and matching gifts. Collaborates with Finance, Legal, and Planned Giving teams to maintain compliance with policies and regulations. Manages gift data integrity, develops business process workflows, and implements automation tools to streamline gift processing and receipting across online and offline platforms, including Classy and planned giving software. Actively contributes to the Fund Administration Committee, offering expertise to guide decision-making. Leads the team in identifying and addressing gifts that require additional information or support, working with key stakeholders-including gift officers, senior leadership, and the President's office-to ensure timely resolution. Ensures adherence to the College's policies on designations, campaigns, source codes, and soft credit rules, maintaining compliance with industry standards. Designs and delivers custom reports and dashboards for stakeholders, providing insights into gift processing and administration. Collaborates with the Business Office on fund creation and designation management, ensuring accurate tracking and alignment with user experiences on platforms like Classy. - (Essential)
•  15% - Gift Processing - Supervises the entry of all gifts, commitments, and receipting, ensuring accuracy and timely processing in compliance with IRS regulations, CASE standards, and College policies. Provides customer service and guidance to donors and Institutional Advancement colleagues on gift processing, commitments, and fund administration. Manages gift commitment processes, including pledge entry, payment schedules, reminders, and adherence to write-off/write-down protocols. Authors, updates, and delivers gift processing documentation and in-app guidance within the Salesforce platform. Identifies opportunities for process improvements and regulatory compliance, presenting recommendations to the Senior Director of Advancement Services, VP of Institutional Advancement, and the Business Office. - (Essential)
•  15% - Reporting - Collaborates with the Business Office to complete daily, monthly, and year-end gift reconciliation reports, ensuring alignment between fundraising data and financial records in accordance with FASB and NACUBO standards. Prepare the annual VSE report for CASE and other required reports for the IRS. Works with the Manager of Salesforce Administration and Senior Director of Advancement Services to prepare fundraising reports for the Budget & Finance Office, Board of Trustees, and College leadership (Dean and President). Defines reporting requirements and designs reports for gift entry and administration, using them to ensure accurate and timely gift processing, receipting, and data setup for fundraising tables and finance feeds. Utilizes reporting to internally audit the gift entry process and monitor data hygiene for gift and constituent updates. - (Essential)
•  15% - Administrative Responsibilities - Manages the gift processing team, including full-time staff, temporary employees, and/or student workers, depending on staffing needs and budget. Submits budget requests for the Gift Processing department. Engages in annual professional development and maintains active involvement with organizations such as CASE, AFP, NACUBO, and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP) to stay informed on industry best practices and standards. - (Essential) Minimum Qualifications
•  Bachelor's degree in business administration, Nonprofit Management, Accounting, Finance or equivalent combination of education and experience.
•  Prior membership and training through CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education), the AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals), Associate for Advancement Services Professionals (AASP), CGP (National Association of Charitable Gift Planners) or NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers).
•  Six years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising operations, with a focus on financial processes including cash and non-cash giving and gift accounting.
•  Six years of experience administering fundraising operations using an advanced CRM, preferably Salesforce. Two years of supervisory experience.
•  Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google drives/folders/forms, Adobe Acrobat, Web Editing, and social media applications or any combination of productivity programs applicable to position responsibilities.
•  Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and thorough; skilled at anticipating and preventing potential problems and handling a wide variety of tasks with efficiency and accuracy.
•  Strong commitment to a quality work product.
•  Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate verbally, in writing and electronically.
•  Effective interpersonal skills as evidenced in the ability to collaborate with a variety of constituencies.
•  Demonstrated commitment to justice, equity, inclusion & diversity.
•  Demonstrated skill in adapting to and performing work effectively in high-volume, high accountability, confidential environment with multiple and changing priorities.
•  Effective organizational, logistical, time management and planning skills with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks/projects simultaneously, prioritize and fulfill the functions of an office in a timely manner.
•  Ability to self-motivate and work independently.
•  Ability to provide effective leadership and training, and to work effectively and professionally across functions, disciplines, levels, and with diverse groups.
•  Ability to analyze, synthesize and organize data, and present findings in a comprehensible manners for different audiences.
•  Knowledge of contemporary leadership and management methods to ensure employee success and achievement, and demonstration of related and applicable skills as evidenced by the ability to effectively direct, assess and evaluate performance of direct reports.
•  Ability to effectively design, define, describe and document job functions, responsibilities, tasks, and required qualifications associated with supervised positions, and the demonstrated skills in assessing candidates' experience, knowledge, skills and abilities when hiring for vacant positions, ensuring the best choice of candidate.
•  Ability to provide employee development, training and opportunities for direct reports to demonstrate performance achievement and success, recognizing performance of both above standards and needs improvement and respond accordingly. Skilled at communicating feedback verbally, in writing and electronically; and documenting performance via introductory and annual performance appraisals.
•  Skilled in developing and determining corrective employment/performance/behavioral strategies, as needed. Demonstrated ability to design and execute performance improvement plans, conducting disciplinary action and/or determining the appropriateness of employment continuation. Preferred Qualifications
•  Advanced degree or certification in accounting, non-profit management . click apply for full job details