Development Assistant, Gift Planning

University of Colorado • Denver, CO

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The CU System Office of Advancement provides excellent customer service, strategy, expertise, and efficiency to our partners on CU’s campuses and at the University of Colorado Foundation. We support CU’s fundraising and engagement goals through advancement operations that include constituent research and development, data management, business intelligence, technical architecture, annual giving, planned giving, gift administration, marketing and communications, IT, budget and finance, and more. We believe that a healthy office culture is foundational to our success. We create this by bringing together a diverse team of colleagues and infusing our core values—Work Together, Think Big, Be Good and Have Fun—into our work every day. The Development Operations Assistant serves as an essential administrative partner to the Office of Gift Planning within the University of Colorado System Advancement team. This role provides proactive, detail-oriented support to a collaborative and high-performing team focused on donor engagement and planned giving. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Operations, Gift Planning, the Development Operations Assistant manages a wide range of tasks including meeting logistics, data entry, database maintenance, correspondence, and donor documentation. The position requires strong organizational skills, discretion, and the ability to handle contending priorities while maintaining a high level of integrity and service to internal and external customers. This role reports to the Assistant Director of Operations, Gift Planning and is exempt from the State of Colorado Classified Staff System.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education, or equivalent professional experience (professional experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis)
• One (1) year of equivalent experience
• Knowledge of programming support standard processes.
• Excellent written and communication skills, interpersonal skills, and strong personal initiative.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Ability to apply independent judgement for limited matters that fall outside of process or defined scope.
• Ability to work independently with minimal oversight and management for day-to-day work.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Ability to be flexible and willingness to adapt in a fast-paced work environment.
• Ability to run and modify reports from multiple software applications.
• Ability to work independently to manage concurrent tasks and responsibilities, and to take care of changing priorities, while maintaining personal efficiency.
• Skilled in and ability to use Microsoft Office products including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to learn about gift planning and fundraising, and their associated processes.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in or understanding of a non-profit or higher education environment.
• Experience working in customer service and/or an operations-oriented role.
• Experience using donor database software, such as Salesforce, or similar software.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support for members of the Gift Planning team, such as staffing the main phone line, document management, maintaining office supplies, preparing routine and non-routine correspondence, and acting as a first point of contact for internal and external colleagues.
• Assist with email inbox management; respond directly or coordinate with others to ensure appropriate, professional, and timely responses to internal and external constituents.
• Performs clerical and administrative tasks in a timely manner including, but not limited to, scheduling meetings and appointments for the gift planning team, calendar management, expense reports, invoice payments, travel arrangements.
• Completes data entry for development officer activity including support on contact reports and proposal management.
• Track, allocate and submit expense reports and requests for reimbursement in a timely manner for own incurred expenses as well as all supported colleagues.
• Onsite and day-of meeting support. Secure and complete all logistical needs for in-person meetings led by gift planning including but not limited to: room reservation, parking reservations, food orders, room setup/cleanup, helping to set up basic A/V, material preparation and printing, taking of minutes when appropriate.
• Works with Assistant Director of Operations and Executive Director as a strategic partner to help them be as efficient as possible, always acting in a proactive manner.
• Assist with and/or facilitate the Agile Scrum framework, ensuring the team follows agile project management practices and principles.
• Support the Assistant Director of Operations with the inputting and exporting of information from the fundraising database to support the Gift Planning Team.
• Processes donor gifts, pledges and estate documentation including routing and tracking forms and supporting appropriate acknowledgments.
• Coordinates information with the CU Foundation and across the CU System, as needed.
• Mail gift agreements, donor gifts, communications materials and other items at the request of the supported staff.
• Support Assistant Director of Operations and Gift Planning Specialist and Discovery Officer with help related to marketing, estate administration, gifts-in-kind and stewardship as needed.
• Update donor database and SharePoint site to ensure that most current and relevant information is available.
• Research and resolve issues or discrepancies regarding gifts and gift funds.
• Support efforts to update and manage historic gift records.
• Assist with marketing efforts within the department: website updates, running reports, submitting reports to database, helping to run the lead referral process.
• Assist with stewardship efforts within the department: crafting acknowledgements and sending gifts, running reports, handling data, and supporting events.
• Assist with training, webinars, in-person events or similar activities.
• May be asked to work after hours and/or weekends for donor related functions/events periodically.
• Assistance with special projects.

Benefits

• No-cost or low-cost medical & dental plan options, some inclusive of IVF assistance.
• Disability, Life, Vision Insurance options.
• Multiple retirement planning options including a mandatory 401(a) plan where CU contributes 10% of your gross pay, a 401k or 403b plan and a 457 deferred compensation plan.
• Pre-tax savings plans, such as Health care and Dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• Ample sick and vacation leave, along with at least 12 paid holidays.
• A dedicated week off for winter break.
• 6 weeks of parental leave to adjust to the joys of parenthood.
• A tuition benefit program for you and/or your dependents.
• Free RTD EcoPass and free onsite parking at our 1800 Grant Street Office.
• Many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree