Senior Director, Advancement Services in Boston, Massachusetts at Suffolk University

Reporting to the Associate VP, Development Operations, the Senior Director of Advancement Services (SDAS) is responsible for the management, administration and integrity of the information in the fundraising database, Raiser’s Edge NXT, and has a critical leadership role in a wide variety of Advancement areas including, but not limited to, the core database and modules, reporting and analytics, training, managing/enhancing tertiary systems and connectivity, customer support, workflow, data and account setup and audits, database rights and security, business needs analyses, data mining, special projects, and policies and procedures. S/he will oversee gift processing, receipting and acknowledging, management of biographical, professional and prospect-related data. S/he will be responsible for serving all of the schools and central administration regarding their information needs for fundraising and alumni communications. As needed, s/he will represent Advancement by serving on University committees and task forces, especially in regards to matters involving data and technology. The SDAS works closely with Suffolk University colleagues across the campus including, but not limited to, Finance, the Center for Career Equity, Development, and Success, ITS, Office of Marketing and Communications, Registrar, Public Affairs, the three Schools and various academic offices and departments.

Primary Responsibilities:

Serves as the most senior manager of the function and the staff comprising the Advancement Services team

Manages a team of five FTE staff: two Associate Directors, a Senior Gift and Reporting Specialist, one Data Coordinator and student workers

Principal database administrator for the 150,000 record Raiser’s Edge NXT database, the University’s alumni and fundraising database management system.

Responsible for data entry and data appends, gift processing and acknowledgments, list and report production, data mining, customer support, data and account set-up and audits, policies and procedures, goal setting/benchmarking and system integrity and functioning.

Serve as Advancement’s administrative and technical lead and the development of new business processes in Raiser’s Edge NXT.

Participates in national Advancement Services and application user groups and listservs to keep abreast of developing technologies and best practices

Lead Advancement Services Liaison to ITS, Finance, Registrar, Institutional Research, Public Affairs and the Center for Career Equity, Development, and Success

Responsible for serving all of the schools and central administration with their information needs for fundraising and alumni communication.

Engages in monthly and regular reconciliation meetings and discussions with Finance

Evaluate, provide guidance, and edit fund creations for most gift agreements and amendments.

Partners with ITS office for various technical database administrative and substantive enhancement initiatives.

Manages and perform tasks that establish and enhance data integrity

Establish standards for, and monitor the integrity of, the information contained in Advancement’s fundraising database system and help determine how to translate data into usable, actionable information for the formation and execution of fundraising strategies.

Lead and manage the Advancement Services department with the goal of increasing the quantity and quality of data maintained while constantly striving to achieve new efficiencies

Responsible for core database and modules’ data integrity, user accounts, rights and security audits

Perform regular audits of system data including demographic, prospect management and fundraising–if necessary add additional/modified procedures and manage training;

determine appropriate placement of data, coding, mapping and uploading working in conjunction with Advancement, ITS and (other University colleagues in the case of CORE data)

Leads effort to create, analyze and distribute lists and reports to support fundraising initiatives and alumni outreach.

Responsible for creating, generating and improving queries, exports, lists and reports for use by senior management, Advancement staff, treasurer and business office colleagues, external constituencies, including trustee and development committees as requested. Export, shape and analysis of a broad diversity of Raiser’s Edge data including gift and pledge transactions, demographic, prospect management; and activities/events information

Coordinate with Advancement team to ensure that all staff have access to necessary database information and tools and how to best use our data to fulfill their various business needs

Manage use of tertiary systems to extract a maximum amount of data from the ADV database

Lead efforts and work closely with Advancement colleagues and vendors on all data issues and enhancements related to tertiary systems, including, but not limited to Omatic, Runner Technologies, Iwave, and Accudata.

Responsible for creating and implementing Policies, Procedures, Audits, Industry Standards and Office Training

In conjunction with the Assoc. VP and VP for Advancement, design policies for system use that meet CAE, IRS regulations and the Advancement Office’s business needs

Continually assess and manage Advancement Services’ workflow, customer support operations, and policies and procedures

Monitor user compliance, IRS regulations and make recommendations as necessary.

Take initiative and lead information management projects to ensure access to Raiser’s Edge NXT data and demonstrate strong proactive communication regarding data and database issues

Manage the training of Advancement staff on basic report generation and perform more complex reporting requests and personally manages all requests. Train and mentor other Advancement Services staff on all report-related responsibilities

Requirements/Qualification:

• Bachelor’s degree plus additional technical training in systems and fundraising protocol
• Master’s Degree in a related field desirable
• At least eight (8) years of progressive Advancement database systems management experience
• Desirable qualifications include experience with complex relational databases that serve the higher education fundraising environment, thorough knowledge of the Raiser’s Edge fundraising database, and proficiency using Tableau and other data visualization tools.
• Advanced level of working knowledge and understanding of fundraising policies and guidelines including IRS, CASE and CAE reporting guidelines
• Advanced computer skills including designing complex queries and user-friendly exports and reports and proficiency with MS Office applications.
• Demonstrated ability to develop training materials, teach and administer policy guidelines
• Ability to develop and document reporting procedures and policies.
• Demonstrated management and leadership experience in a complex organization
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, a great commitment to customer service and the ability to interact with executive level users and a wide variety of communication/work styles
• Ability to review and edit gift and fund agreements and amendments.
• Flexibility initiating and responding to changing priorities and situations.
• Demonstrated ability to interact with both internal and external constituents with demonstrated integrity and a spirit of enthusiasm for the University.
• Understanding of and appreciation for the mission and goals of the University.
• Demonstrated experience working with diverse populations and a strong commitment to help developing and implementing the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies and goals
• A high level of diplomacy, tact and confidentiality.
• Ability to work weekends and evenings as assigned.
• Eagerness to perform additional duties as assigned and assist with special projects as assigned.

Suffolk University provides salary ranges as a good faith estimate of what it reasonably expects to pay for a role at the time the position is posted. The actual salary offered to the selected candidate will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to, the position’s scope and responsibilities, the candidate’s experience, education, training, and applicable legal requirements. The listed pay range reflects base salary only and does not include additional benefits or compensation.

Suffolk University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. The University strives to recruit, develop and retain faculty and staff committed to educational excellence, the robust exchange of ideas, and engage in membership in a diverse and inclusive community.