Assistant Director, Advancement Operations

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Assistant Director, Advancement Operations supports the Harris School of Public Policy Advancement team and reports jointly to the Senior Director of Alumni Relations and the Director of Development. The role supports project management, data management, communications, event operations, fundraising writing, gift acknowledgment, volunteer and annual giving programs, and reporting and analysis. Harris Advancement builds lifelong relationships with alumni, parents, and friends to advance the school’s strategic objectives and encourage intellectual, social, professional, and financial engagement. The Assistant Director serves as a Phoenix CRM power user, maintains constituent and prospect records, develops reports, and coordinates fundraising and event operations. The position also creates digital communications, supports donor stewardship and solicitation materials, and helps manage volunteers and graduate student assistants. The role requires a solid understanding of fundraising operations and includes identifying project or event budget and staffing needs, supporting colleagues during vacancies, and performing other related duties as needed. This is a hybrid role with three days in person each week. The position is scheduled for 37.5 hours per week and may require evening and weekend work as needed, as well as travel to campus or other locations for University business.

Requirements

College or university degree in a related field.
Two to five years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Strong verbal and writing skills and high attention to detail.
Flexibility and adaptability in a quickly changing environment.
Emotional intelligence and ability to work collaboratively in a team setting.
Willingness to serve as a brand ambassador for the Harris School of Public Policy and the University of Chicago.
Ability to foster partnerships across teams.
Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, University operations and Advancement technology tools, including Phoenix, HubSpot, Cvent, Microsoft Windows, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe products including design software, and project management software.
Willingness and ability to travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business.
Willingness and ability to work evenings and weekends as needed.
Personal initiative and excellent organizational skills.
Ability to prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with attention to detail.

Nice To Haves

Experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, or a similar discipline.
Experience with fundraising, database management, or contact management.
Experience working with volunteers.
Experience with event logistics management.

Responsibilities

Manage projects across Advancement programs, including event technology initiatives and projects that improve management operations.
Use the Phoenix CRM to extract and analyze data and maintain constituent records.
Create and implement an annual data management calendar to keep alumni and donor records current.
Maintain accurate CRM records of communications-related activity.
Enter contact reports, prospect strategies, and proposals on behalf of the Dean and Harris leadership.
Manage the full event cycle for Advancement events, including Cvent registration forms and event websites, RSVP reporting, registration changes, and attendee tracking.
Oversee production of event materials, including nametags and seating materials, and oversee onsite registration and event operations.
Design, write, and deploy email communications in HubSpot, including invitations, newsletters, stewardship materials, and solicitations.
Develop content for the Advancement pages of the Harris website and manage graduate student assistants who maintain website data.
Coordinate fundraising-related written materials, including donor correspondence, acknowledgments, prospect strategy briefings, event remarks, talking points, and gift proposals.
Manage the gift acknowledgment process for alumni, parents, and friends, including personalized messages on behalf of the Dean and Advancement leadership.
Oversee a weekly gift acknowledgment deployment schedule and use technology to improve timeliness and efficiency.
Collaborate with colleagues to execute volunteer and annual giving programs, including Inspire and giving day.
Prepare custom and ad hoc reports supporting planning and operational decisions across events, volunteer programs, annual giving, and donor and prospect management.
Synthesize data on fundraising progress, pipeline, and prospect pool, and organize materials related to fundraising and campaign operations.
Pursue professional development that enhances job performance and build networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.
Support business activities during staff vacancies, ad hoc projects, or as otherwise assigned.
Identify budget requirements and staffing needs on a project or event basis.
Plan somewhat complex volunteer and support group activities, recruit members, and provide guidance and support to leadership activities.
Perform other related work as needed.