Advancement Operations Specialist

Society for Science•Washington, DC

3d•$61 - $69•Hybrid

About The Position

Society for Science is seeking an Advancement Operations Specialist to support its Advancement team and serve as the operational link between Advancement and Finance. The role ensures gift revenue is accurately recorded, reconciled, and reported across both systems. Its scope includes gift processing, fund coding, monthly reconciliation, and grant financial reporting for a portfolio of more than 30 active institutional grants. The position calls for strong attention to detail, technical accuracy, systems fluency, analytical and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work across departments in a fast-paced environment. It offers a path to a higher-level position for a Specialist who performs strongly and develops technical, operational, and relationship-management capabilities. The Specialist processes and documents gifts, issues compliant receipts, maintains donor and gift data, supports financial reconciliation and reporting, and coordinates grant financial reports with Institutional Giving and Finance. The role also documents procedures, supports staff training, and contributes to improvements in gift-to-finance workflows. The position is based at Society for Science's Washington, D.C. headquarters and follows a hybrid schedule requiring at least two days a week in the office. Standard hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, with core hours from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Light travel and occasional evening or weekend work are required for major events such as ISEF. The salary range is $61,800–$69,400.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
One to three years of experience in nonprofit advancement operations, gift processing, or a finance support role in a nonprofit setting.
CRM or database experience; Microsoft Dynamics is preferred, with Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, or an equivalent system accepted.
Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, for financial data management and reporting.
Strong attention to detail and a track record of accuracy in data entry and financial record-keeping.
Ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously and flag issues proactively.
Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial data to non-finance colleagues.
Demonstrated affinity for the mission of Society for Science.
Ability to develop rapport with colleagues and external clients.
Ability to use hands and fingers regularly to operate a computer and other office equipment.
Willingness to undertake light travel and occasional evening or weekend work to support major events such as ISEF.
Employees coming into the office and attending Society events must meet the Society's COVID-19 vaccine requirement, subject to exceptions for religious beliefs or medical reasons.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting grant financial reporting for foundation, corporate, or government awards.
Familiarity with fund accounting principles and nonprofit chart of accounts structures.
Exposure to CASE reporting standards or AFP ethical guidelines for gift processing.
Experience with workplace giving programs, including CFC or state giving campaigns.
Experience in growing or restructuring advancement operations.

Responsibilities

Process incoming cash, check, credit card, wire transfer, stock, in-kind, and pledge-payment gifts in Microsoft Dynamics, recording accurate donor, fund, amount, date, and restriction data.
Assign fund codes in alignment with Finance's chart of accounts and resolve coding discrepancies before they reach the general ledger.
Manage pledge schedules and installment tracking, generate reminders, and match payments to pledge records.
Process gift adjustments, reversals, and corrections with appropriate documentation and authorization.
Manage the matching-gift submission and tracking process.
Generate IRS-compliant gift receipts within established turnaround standards.
Maintain documentation for quid pro quo gifts, stock contributions, in-kind gifts, and other non-cash giving requiring special acknowledgment language.
Maintain accurate donor recognition data, including naming preferences, recognition levels, and cumulative giving totals.
Support year-end tax documentation and coordinate receipting for payroll deduction and workplace giving programs, including the Combined Federal Campaign and state campaigns.
Stay current on IRS regulations, CASE standards, and AFP guidelines affecting gift recording, receipting, and reporting.
Serve as the primary Advancement liaison to Finance on gift-related matters, including fund establishment, restricted fund tracking, and donor commitment and payment reconciliation; provide backup to the Director of Advancement Operations when needed.
Prepare monthly reconciliations between the Advancement CRM and Finance general ledger, investigate variances, and resolve them with Finance under the Director's oversight.
Produce monthly and quarterly gift revenue reports for Advancement leadership that align with Finance's financial statements, maintaining reporting continuity during the Director's absence.
Coordinate with Institutional Giving and Finance to produce financial reports for foundation and corporate grants across more than 30 active awards and sponsorships, including multi-year grants with complex restrictions.
Maintain the grant financial reporting calendar and meet deadlines in accordance with established workflow SLAs.
Support preparation of grant budgets for new proposals in collaboration with Institutional Giving and Finance.
Draft grant award memos for Director, Institutional Giving review and ensure financial data is accurate and fund codes are active before distribution.
Maintain Microsoft Dynamics data quality by merging duplicate records, correcting miscoded gifts, and resolving incomplete or missing gift documentation.
Develop and maintain gift-processing procedure documentation and support training of Advancement staff on gift entry and data standards.
Contribute to process improvements that reduce manual work and increase accuracy across the gift-to-finance pipeline.
Maintain a repository of advancement operational resources and templates for team use.