Director of Gift Acceptance for Advancement Services - The Catholic University of America

Posting Title:Director of Gift Acceptance for Advancement ServicesOverview:

The Director of Gift Acceptance for Advancement Services serves as the University's primary resource in maintaining gift acceptance policy. S/he ensures that the University’s gift acceptance practices are compliant with University policy, federal law, state laws and IRS regulations.  S/he is responsible for maintaining the integrity, consistency, and accuracy of CUA’s donor information, and developing and managing efficient procedures to ensure that Finance (in the Controller’s Office) and Gift Acceptance (in Advancement Services) can be regularly reconciled. The University’s ability to identify, cultivate and solicit gift revenue from donors and prospective donors is directly related to the effective maintenance of the donor information, including biographical and giving data. The University relies on accurate and timely gift entry for short term and long-term financial projecting.

 

The projected salary or hourly pay range for this position which represents the full range of anticipated compensation is: $95,000-$115,000.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, document, manage and oversee the gift acceptance process from beginning to end, which includes intake of gift and pledge documentation, including, but not limited to: checks, cash, online contributions, gift agreements, DAF Intentions, and notification of planned gifts including bequests.  The Director is expected to have a high level of expertise in determining proper entry and counting protocols for all gift types, relying on CASE and GAAP standards and the University’s database definitions. S/he will direct others in fulfilling this responsibility.
• Serve as an expert on Catholic University gift acceptance and counting policies, in particular those that pertain to pledge acceptance and gift documentation requirements, as well as industry counting and documentation standards (CASE). Respond to gift officer questions, requests for policy determinations. The Director will triage requests for policy exceptions by gathering pertinent information and create recommendations for the Associate Vice President’s and/or Vice President’s consideration. Provide training for advancement staff.
• Develop and manage a reliable, and auditable system for regular submission of gift data to Finance and verify the accurate preparation of daily deposits made to the Finance office. Partner closely with Advancement Services/IT colleagues and finance staff in the Controller’s office to develop transmission mechanisms that support accurate and timely provision of gift data to finance.
• The Director will create and implement a suite of reliable quality control protocols so that errors and omissions can be identified and addressed in the normal course of business. S/he will perform quality assurance review of data input including troubleshooting and reviewing exception and error reports to ensure consistent and accurate entry of data in accordance with data standards.
• Create, implement, document, and maintain gift processing procedures. Work with Finance to request new funds.  Create and update fund records in the donor database as needed. Maintain gift-related data in the donor database. Write procedure documentation.
• Serve as an internal expert on Catholic University gift acceptance and counting policies, in particular those that pertain to pledge acceptance and gift documentation requirements, as well as industry counting and documentation standards (CASE). Respond to questions, requests for policy determinations and requests for policy exceptions. Recommend updates and amendments to the policy when needed. Establish standard operating procedures and practices to implement policy as determined by management.
• Partner closely with the Advancement IT staff to design, and produce annual revenue and cash report and campaign progress reports. Develop, document, and maintain record retention policies for gift and fund related documentation and backup.
• Participate in monthly, quarterly and annual reconciliation with Finance Office – responsible for producing necessary reports, and coordinating any gift adjustments or reallocations that may be required. 
• Work with Asst. VP of Strategic Information Management to serve in a project lead role and act as subject matter expert to fulfill internal and external audit requests.
• Oversee gift acceptance processing staff.
• Maintain accurate and current knowledge of CASE gift acceptance standards and applies knowledge in determining accurate entry procedure.
• Other job-related duties and projects as assigned by the Asst. VP of Strategic Information Management. 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree 
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in the maintenance of large constituent databases. 
• At least two (2) years’ of supervisory/management experience. 
• Strong knowledge of CASE and GAAP. 
• Knowledge of general accounting principles, business communication and office procedures.
• Familiarity with general office equipment, computer usage, and internet search engines. 
• Experience with MS Office Suite of tools especially Excel.
• Expert depth knowledge of database functionality, features, screens, tables, and fields. 
• Training and self-study of course curriculum and the ability to pass exam(s) and receive certification(s) on the University’s alumni/development database.
• Solid clerical, communication, and organizational skills. 
• Ability to establish internal procedures and systems. 
• Proven ability to convey concepts and procedures in a training situation.
• Must be able to prioritize, handle multiple projects simultaneously, work well under pressure and meet deadlines. 
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy is a must. 
• Ability to work proactively, take initiative and work independently. 
• Ability to make decisions as required in the absence of the AVP of Strategic Information Management.