Data & Raiser's Edge Specialist

Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary•South Hamilton, MA

About The Position

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is seeking a Data & Raiser’s Edge Specialist to strengthen the systems, data, reporting, and operational processes that support the Seminary’s Advancement efforts. The role is the primary internal resource and administrator for Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, responsible for accurate, consistent, secure donor and prospect information and effective database use. The Specialist oversees Advancement Services operations, including gift processing, reporting, acknowledgments, and related support functions. The position supervises the Advancement Services Coordinator and recruits, trains, schedules, and supervises student workers as appropriate. It establishes workflows and data standards, supports staff with database procedures, and continually evaluates processes for improved efficiency and donor service. The position manages gift and prospect records, coordinates gift reconciliation with Finance, maintains documentation and audit trails, and develops reports, dashboards, and analysis for Advancement staff, Seminary leadership, and the Board of Trustees. It also supports prospect research, donor portfolio and pipeline management, fundraising strategy, campaigns, annual giving, major gifts, stewardship, and Board reporting. The Specialist collaborates across Advancement, Finance, Marketing and Communications, and other departments, and is expected to uphold the Seminary’s mission, vision, and values and abide by its Statement of Faith and Community Life Statement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Three to five years of experience in advancement services, development operations, CRM/database management, fundraising analytics, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience working with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge or a comparable fundraising CRM.
Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy, consistency, and integrity.
Strong CRM knowledge and demonstrated expertise in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge.
Ability to analyze fundraising data, identify trends and opportunities, and translate findings into clear recommendations and actionable information.
Ability to provide direction, training, feedback, and accountability to staff and student workers.
Excellent organizational and project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet recurring reporting deadlines.
High ethical standards and ability to handle confidential donor, financial, and personal information appropriately.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including ability to explain technical information and data insights to non-technical colleagues.
Ability to collaborate across Advancement, Finance, Marketing, and Seminary leadership with a service-oriented approach.
Commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and willingness to abide by the Seminary’s Statement of Faith and Community Life Statement.

Nice To Haves

Relevant graduate degree preferred.
Advanced Excel/Google Sheets and reporting skills are strongly preferred.
Experience with gift processing, donor data management, reporting, and reconciliation preferred.
Experience supervising staff or student workers preferred.
Experience with prospect research and wealth-screening tools preferred.
Experience in nonprofit, higher education, or Christian higher education preferred.
A cover letter explaining interest in the position is preferred.

Responsibilities

Supervise and direct the Advancement Services Coordinator and supervise student workers as appropriate.
Recruit, train, and schedule Advancement student workers as appropriate.
Establish workflows, priorities, expectations, and procedures for Advancement Services activities.
Ensure gift processing, data entry, reporting, acknowledgments, and other Advancement support functions are accurate and timely.
Review processes and recommend improvements to efficiency and service.
Train and support Advancement staff and student workers in database procedures, data standards, and appropriate Raiser’s Edge use.
Serve as the primary administrator and internal resource for Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge.
Maintain accurate donor, prospect, gift, pledge, and contact records, including data-entry, documentation, coding, and record-maintenance standards.
Review database records for duplicates, incomplete information, inconsistencies, and other data-quality issues.
Improve Raiser’s Edge workflows, functionality, and reporting, and coordinate with Blackbaud or other vendors and technical resources to address system issues.
Protect the confidentiality and security of donor information.
Oversee gift processing, including gifts, pledges, recurring gifts, tribute gifts, soft credits, and other transactions.
Establish gift-entry, coding, documentation, acknowledgment, and reconciliation procedures; work with Finance to reconcile Advancement and financial records.
Identify and resolve gift-processing discrepancies or delays, maintain appropriate documentation and audit trails, and monitor timely donor acknowledgments.
Develop reports and dashboards on fundraising activity, donor engagement, giving trends, portfolio performance, and other Advancement needs.
Track fundraising indicators such as donor retention and acquisition, LYBUNT/SYBUNT, giving trends, major-gift activity, and pipeline health.
Provide accurate data for fundraising initiatives and support revenue forecasting and goal setting through data analysis.
Identify donor database trends, gaps, and opportunities and communicate them to Advancement leadership; explain complex data to non-technical audiences.
Support prospect research and donor intelligence, maintain prospect information, conduct research and wealth screening as needed, and prepare research profiles and briefing materials.
Identify potential donor upgrades and major-gift opportunities based on donor data and giving patterns, and record relevant information in Raiser’s Edge.
Maintain donor and prospect portfolio records, track pipeline movement and cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activity, and provide portfolio-management data to gift officers and leadership.
Develop reports that identify portfolio gaps, opportunities, overdue activity, and prospects requiring follow-up.
Support establishment and monitoring of measurable fundraising goals and KPIs.
Partner with Major Gifts, Annual Giving, Marketing and Communications, Finance, and other departments to maintain accurate and consistent Advancement information.
Provide data-driven recommendations for fundraising strategy and resource allocation; support campaign planning, giving initiatives, stewardship, and Board reporting.
Participate in Advancement meetings and contribute data and analysis to decision-making.
Help develop policies and procedures for Advancement data management, gift processing, and reporting, and recommend improvements to systems and processes.