Development Associate, Gift Administration

The New School • Tyrone, PA

22d • Onsite

About The Position

At The New School, we redefine the boundaries of education, creativity, and innovation. Founded in 1919 and located in the heart of New York City, we are home to over 9,000 students from over 100 countries, offering more than 135 degree and diploma programs across our renowned colleges, including Parsons School of Design, The New School for Social Research, Eugene Lang college of Liberal Arts, Parsons Paris, and the College of Performing Arts. Our progressive, interdisciplinary approach has earned us recognition as one of the most forward-thinking institutions in the world. The New School invites applications for the position of Development Associate (DA) for Gift Administration within the Department of Development and Alumni Engagement (DAE). The Development Associate will provide essential support to the Director of Gift Administration, with responsibilities including check collection, data entry, and data maintenance. The role will also assist with ad hoc projects assigned by the Advancement Services team, with a particular emphasis on safeguarding the integrity of the institution’s constituent relationship management system (Salesforce). Reporting directly to the Director of Gift Administration, the Development Associate will be responsible for updating donor records and ensuring the accurate and timely processing, recording, and acknowledgment of philanthropic contributions. This position plays a vital role in fostering donor trust and institutional accountability by maintaining precise financial and donor records, supporting compliance with gift policies, and collaborating closely with colleagues across DAE, Finance, and other campus partners.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least one (1) year of demonstrated experience and comfort navigating complex databases and portals and performing data entry with minimal error rate.
• Proven proficiency with Google Suite.
• Proven experience managing complex projects.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, highly organized with excellent customer service skills, while meeting deadlines.
• Ability to multi-task and manage competing priorities.
• Utilize analytical skills, while being a strategic thinker when reviewing data.
• Exercises good judgment and discretion with sensitive and confidential information.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in higher education.
• Familiarity with Salesforce.
• Prior knowledge of fundraising and/or accounting principles and practice.
• Strong writing and proofreading skills.

Responsibilities

• Customer Service and Stakeholder Support Provides a high level of customer service when responding to requests from internal and external stakeholders. Represent the University and the DAE in a positive and professional manner by addressing questions, requests, and concerns received through email, in person, or via the phone hotline. Provides quality service and support to DAE colleagues, institutional partners, and donors in areas including but not limited to gift entry, gift accounting, and stewardship.
• Gift Entry and Data Management Takes a leadership role in gift entry, especially during periods of increased activity; provides gift entry coverage during Director of Gift Administration’s vacation time and other absences. Reviews and checks data standards for gift and biographical information received from other system interfaces. Regularly updates contact, demographic, gift, and biographical information for alumni, donor, parent, and friend records in the Salesforce database. Perform daily proofing of gifts and grants entered on the same day and generate Salesforce reports to actively identify potential administrative errors. Collaborates with the Advancement Services team to verify the accuracy of data entry on a weekly basis.
• Process Improvement and Documentation Assists in maintenance of operating procedure documents to support department activities and increase productivity and quality assurance of gift processing. Works on custom data integrity projects and other development projects as assigned, utilizing an enhanced knowledge and skill sets focused on accurate and timely gift processing. Analyzes and identifies opportunities for process improvements to improve efficiency and data quality. Participates in the evaluation and testing of database updates and improvements, particularly the interfaces between DAE and Finance systems.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration Assist the Assistant Vice President, Advancement Services and/or the Senior Manager, Development Operations as needed on cross-departmental projects.
• Other Responsibilities Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health & Wellness Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Financial Wellness Retirement plan administered by TIAA Qualified Transportation Expense Plan
• Work-Life Balance Paid vacation and sick leave, with accruals starting on your first day Paid holidays and floating holidays Workmode & Telework Policy (if applicable)
• Professional Growth Career advancement and professional development opportunities Access to university programs, lectures, and events featuring world-renowned speakers and organizations Tuition waiver benefit for eligible employees and dependents
• Additional Perks Employee discounts with local vendors and service providers

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level