Sr Fundraising Technology Specialist

University of Colorado • Denver, CO

3d • $74,000 - $80,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr Fundraising Technology Specialist supports the University of Colorado’s Office of Advancement in maximizing the effectiveness of fundraising and marketing technology tools and platforms that support annual giving and related digital marketing efforts. This role focuses on helping Advancement teams and campus partners leverage existing platforms, adopt new functionality, improve operations, and sustain consistent use of tools and processes over time. This position develops functional expertise in how CU’s core annual giving and digital marketing technologies operate in practice, including platforms such as GiveCampus, reporting dashboards and analytics tools (e.g., Cognos and DonorCentrics), Kindsight’s Ascend Salesforce CRM, Marketing Cloud, and related engagement technologies. While the role is not expected to serve as a deep technical expert, it is responsible for understanding platform capabilities, identifying gaps between current utilization and available functionality, and supporting opportunities to improve adoption, processes, documentation, and operational effectiveness. The Sr Fundraising Technology Specialist serves as a business-side partner between fundraising professionals and technical colleagues to support user adoption and sustainment, documentation, best practices, onboarding, and ongoing training efforts to help ensure Advancement technologies are used consistently, efficiently, and effectively across the CU Advancement community. The role also supports structured processes for platform-related requests, translating business needs related to functionality, reporting, data, and analytics, and coordinating with service delivery and technical colleagues on enhancements.

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)
• Three (3) years’ experience supporting user adoption and ongoing use of tools or platforms through documentation, process improvement, training, operational support, or related sustainment activities.
• Three (3) years’ experience working with multiple stakeholder groups and coordinating efforts across teams, departments, or functional units.
• Two (2) years’ professional experience in annual giving, fundraising operations, advancement services, digital marketing, training, nonprofit operations, higher education, or related operational support environments.
• Strong knowledge of technology used in marketing, communications, and fundraising or nonprofit operational environments.
• Ability to develop a strong understanding of how CU’s annual giving and digital marketing tools are used, including identifying gaps between current usage and available functionality.
• Skill in supporting user adoption, sustainment, and effective utilization of tools and platforms following implementation or enhancements.
• Ability to identify gaps between current use and available functionality and translate those gaps into actionable recommendations for improvement.
• Strong ability to develop and maintain clear documentation, guidelines, best practices, and processes that support consistent and efficient operations.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership skills, including the ability to collaborate effectively across campuses and functional teams.
• Ability to support user adoption and change management efforts related to tools, platforms, and process enhancements.
• Data literacy and comfort working with reports, dashboards, and analytics concepts.
• Ability to translate technical functionality, data, reporting, and analytics topics between business and technical colleagues in a clear and structured manner.
• Organized and detail-oriented work style with the ability to track and coordinate work within shared workflow management tools (e.g., Monday.com)
• Problem-solving mindset and ability to assist with troubleshooting requests related to tools and platforms while recognizing when to escalate issues to technical experts.
• Comfort identifying practical opportunities to leverage AI-enabled functionality and tools to improve workflows and operational outcomes.

Nice To Haves

• Five (5) years’ professional experience as indicated above
• Three (3) years’ experience translating user needs into clear requirements, recommendations, or next steps for partners supporting data, reporting, analytics, or technical configuration activities.
• Familiarity with one or more of the platforms referenced, such as GiveCampus, Salesforce (Kindsight Ascend CRM), Double the Donation, Cognos, DonorCentrics, Marketing Cloud, or similar reporting, fundraising, and engagement platforms.
• Experience acting as a business-side coordinator or operational partner for shared tools or platforms, including supporting standards, documentation, usage expectations, and user adoption efforts.
• Experience supporting post-launch improvement efforts for tools or platforms, including enhancements, process improvements, training plans, or documentation updates.
• Experience supporting structured intake and prioritization of platform-related requests in collaboration with partners, communities of practice, or governance groups.
• Experience levering AI-enabled tools or functionality in a professional setting to support operational workflows, engagement efforts, or process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a thorough understanding of how CU’s core annual giving and digital marketing tools and platforms function and how the CU Advancement user community leverages them; these include: GiveCampus, Data analytics reports and dashboards, including Cognos, Tableau and Donor Centrics, Salesforce (Kindsight Ascend CRM), Marketing Cloud, Double the Donation, Email accessibility and creation tools.
• Enable and support the use of existing but underutilized features within annual giving and digital marketing tools and platforms.
• Assess gaps between current utilization of tools and platforms and their available capabilities to identify opportunities to improve usage, configuration, processes, training, or documentation.
• Stay informed on new and upcoming features within core tools and platforms, including AI-related functionality, by coordinating with vendor liaisons or account representatives.
• Identify opportunities to leverage existing AI-enabled functionality within approved tools and platforms to support operational effectiveness and user experience.
• Coordinate limited testing or piloting of new features and functionality.
• Assist users with troubleshooting requests related to tools and platforms.
• Act as the business side partner for how shared, System driven annual giving and digital marketing tools and platforms are used in practice.
• Understand how campuses use tools and platforms differently and identify where shared standards or centralized practices may help prevent fragmentation.
• Translate users’ functionality, data, reporting, and analytics needs between business colleagues and relevant technical colleagues.
• Maintain a structured intake process for tool- and platform-related requests in collaboration with service delivery and technical colleagues.
• Track and maintain work requests and operational activities within shared workflow management tools to improve visibility and organization.
• Contribute to roadmap discussions and coordinate with relevant service delivery, business analysis, and technical colleagues regarding enhancement priorities and operational needs.
• Develop recommendations for feature prioritization and roadmap planning based on stakeholder input.
• Reinforce shared expectations for how tools and platforms are used and support the integration of new features into existing workflows.
• Maintain documentation of current processes and policies developed through shared governance.
• Develop and maintain guidelines and best practices for using current tools and platforms.
• Identify and document manual or interim processes that are being used as “band-aids” in the absence of longer-term improvements.
• Promote shared standards and consistent practices for System driven platforms, where appropriate, while allowing for campus variability.
• Support efforts to improve data, reporting, and analytics across relevant tools and platforms.
• Support long-term adoption and sustainment efforts related to tools and platforms, partnering with training and communications colleagues as needed.
• Support change management and user adoption efforts related to new features, processes, and platform enhancements.
• Support onboarding and refresher training for tool and platform users.

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%25 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. This includes 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: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree