Donor Services Specialist

Your Role

As the Donor Services Specialist, you will serve as the anchor of the Advancement team’s work to cultivate and grow meaningful relationships with Strathmore’s donors and prospects. This role offers hands-on experience across all areas of fundraising, with opportunities for professional growth. If you are eager to build a career in nonprofit fundraising and thrive at the intersection of data, operations, and donor relationships, this role is your foundation.

Gift Processing & Data Management

• Ownership of daily gift processing in Tessitura, Strathmore’s CRM. Process contributions and pledges, collaborating with gift officers to ensure accuracy.
• Manage contributions across various charitable giving vehicles and payment methods, such as matching gifts, donor advised funds, stock, in-kind, and electronic funds transfer.
• Coordinate list uploads and email communications through the Double the Donation platform.
• Act as a Tessitura superuser by handling tasks like updating donor accounts, reconciling data, processing gift adjustments, and making sure funds, campaigns, and source codes are current.
• Partner with Strathmore’s Database Administrator to maintain the integrity of donor data, troubleshooting issues and coordinating the annual fiscal year changeover.
• Liaise with the Tessitura Network to improve Advancement workflow needs and issues.
• Generate and review different reports and lists, such as the weekly contribution reports and recognition lists.
• Launch automated digital acknowledgements, with an emphasis on efficiency and accuracy.
• Maintain process documentation to establish and reinforce operational continuity and sustainability.
• Analyze current workflows and implement ways to streamline manual and repetitive tasks.
• Support the exploration and potential launch of a monthly giving program, including ongoing operations if implemented.
• Participate in training to stay current on system capabilities and fundraising best practices.
  
  

Financial Operations & Compliance

• Track fundraising progress against budgeted goals, leverage Tessitura Analytics to surface trends and support strategic planning.
• Act as the department liaison to the Finance team for check logs, monthly reconciliations, and general advancement accounting responsibilities.
• Generate and review different reports and lists, such as the weekly contributions reports and recognition lists.
• Organize and maintain all gift documentation, donor files, and departmental records.
• Support the Finance team during the annual audit by supplying requested materials.
• Work with Gift Officers to create and send monthly pledge reminders.
• Prepare the Vice President of Advancement’s monthly credit card statement in Concur, gathering receipts from the team and applying appropriate expense coding.
  
  

Communication & Collaboration

• Coordinate the timely preparation and mailing of donor acknowledgements, ensuring the correct language is used.
• Assist the Individual Giving Manager on direct mail, from list preparation through mailing.
• Serve as the VP of Advancement's Moves Manager, working together on the setup and ongoing maintenance of individualized Tessitura plans.
• Provide responsive and professional customer service to donation-related inquiries.
• Support gift officers with drafting agreements and the signing process through completion.
• Represent the Advancement team at donor-facing events and serve in the team rotation of hosting the Comcast Circles Lounge for Strathmore-Presents performances.
• Track, manage, refresh, and order Advancement team supplies.
• Support the Advancement team with administrative tasks and special projects as they arise.
  
  

As a Strong Candidate, You Are

• A spirited thinker who anticipates needs, contributes creative ideas, and proposes solutions with sound decision-making.
• Resourceful and self-directed, with a track record of investigating and resolving complex questions independently.
• A confident communicator, able to write and speak clearly and effectively across a range of audiences, with a willingness to ask questions.
• Conscientious, organized, and detail-oriented, with experience preventing and catching errors before they occur.
• Flexible in approach and demeanor, comfortable adapting to the shifting demands of a fast-paced environment.
• Curious and committed to continuous learning and staying current on industry best practices.
• Highly discreet and professional, with the ability to handle confidential information with integrity.