Manager of Advancement Services

Position Title:

Manager of Advancement Services

Location:

Big Rapids (Main Campus)

Department:

70201 - Advancement Services

Advertised Salary:

$62,000-$73,000 Salary commensurate with education, experiences, and other requirements. Comprehensive benefit package (health care, vacation, etc.)

FLSA:

Exempt

Temporary/Continuing: 

Continuing

Part-Time/Full-Time:

Full-Time

Union Group:

N/A

Term of Position:

12 Month

At Will/Just Cause:

At Will

Summary of Position:

This position will establish systems and procedures, lead and set direction for the Advancement Services team. The manager is responsible for providing strategic leadership including long and short-term planning in the areas of gift processing, database integrity, reporting, data analysis and system enhancements. Responsibilities include data analysis, auditing data entry, technical and functional support related to the various tools utilized by Advancement. Function as the department’s authority on constituent data, its organization within the University’s centralized database, and its effective use and dissemination. Lead efforts to capture, organize, use and analyze constituent data to achieve department and University objectives.

Position Type:

Staff

Required Education:

A bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Information Systems, Business or a related field.

Required Work Experience:

Three years of full-time work experience using a computerized program for tracking financial and data-driven accounts, including accounting-related work experience. Must have working knowledge of Microsoft products.
Experience with alumni/donor fundraising software or comparable system.

Accounting and constituent data-related experience. 
Experience working with a foundation, a fundraising organization, higher education fundraising and/or planned giving.

Required Licenses and Certifications:

Physical Demands:

• Office Environment

Additional Education/Experiences to be Considered:

Experience in Crystal Reports, SQL and Banner.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

Provides overall leadership and direction for the University Advancement information systems
function. Assists with the UA&M budgets. Develops and implements annual plan for continuous improvement of database and technological systems and services.

Supervises the Advancement Services Team.

Builds and maintains relationships with University Advancement staff to improve service delivery and database functionality.

Establishes and implements all alumni and donor data processing procedures, including accepting and receipting of gifts. Manages access to alumni and donor information, safeguarding the confidentiality of sensitive data. Supervises maintenance of alumni and donor database coding tables.

Consults with vendors to explore new technologies and troubleshoot software issues. Manages data integration between the alumni and donor database and other university data sources.

Researches and implements best practices for University Advancement data systems, and develops goals for department data priorities and continued improvement.

Assesses training needs, approaches, and course materials for University Advancement data systems. Partners with the advancement team to improve and standardize services.

Participates in cross-university committees and work-groups.

Oversees the preparation of donor lists and other requests for donor data.

Reviews and manages divisional data recorded in the University accounting system and the divisional software specific to the advancement operations office, Ferris Foundation, and donor-related activities.

Performs analysis of internal divisional general and non-general fund accounts, including all university donor and Ferris Foundation records.

Completes journal entries, resolves discrepancies, and corrects errors.

Assists department staff regarding financial transactions, annual financial statements, developing departmental budgets, and maintain records according to University retention policies, etc.

Processes administrative and student payroll for University Advancement and Marketing. Prepares information and coordinates the review of records by external auditors.

Exercises judgment and initiative in interpreting policy and guidelines on financial matters. Manages the Chart of Accounts within the donor database to ensure accuracy with the university system, Banner.

Exercises judgment and initiative in interpreting policy and guidelines on financial matters. Extracts, analyzes, and interprets data from fundraising software.

Works as part of an integrated management team to establish overall goals and strategies for increasing private support to the University.

Works closely with IT and Finance departments.

Any other duties assigned within the position classification area.

Performs all duties in compliance with applicable University policies and procedures and state and federal requirements.

Reports directly to the Associate Vice President for Advancement.

Responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of designated information.

Demonstrates an understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially in working relationships with students, faculty, staff and community members.

Marginal Duties/Responsibilities:

Skills and Abilities:

Accurately and efficiently establish and maintain complex accounting records.

Communicate effectively, both orally and in written form.

Sound judgment, the ability to analyze problems and the ability to develop practical cost-effective solutions to solve a variety of problems.

May need to work some evenings and weekends to assist donors, attend events, etc.

Perform computations, record keeping, and disbursement processing using computer-based programs.

Successfully interact with a variety of faculty, staff and a diverse University population including Foundation Board members and the Board of Trustees.

Strong professional, interpersonal, team and leadership skills; tactfulness and flexibility in working with diverse population groups.

Must be detail-oriented, efficient, motivated to learn and flexible to change. Knowledge of alumni/donor database or related development software.

Demonstrated commitment, experience and understanding for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Required Documents:

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Unofficial Transcript 1 

Optional Documents:

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Transcript 1 (REQUIRED): Applicants must attach a copy of unofficial transcript of Bachelors degree. 

Transcript must include: Institution name, applicant name, date degree attained, degree awarded. Finalist will be required to submit an official transcript.

Initial Application Review Date:

05/13/2024

Open Until Position is Filled?:

Yes

Posting Close Date:

Contact Information: 

For inquiries related to this job posting, please contact Ferris State University’s Human Resources Department at (231) 591-2150, Monday – Friday between 8am and 5pm EST, or email us at fsujobs@ferris.edu. 

EEO Statement:

Ferris State University, an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, is committed to enhancing equity, inclusion, and diversity within its community. Ferris offers employment opportunities to qualified candidates seeking careers in a student-focused environment that values opportunity, collaboration, diversity, and educational excellence.  Learn more about the Ferris Mission and community at ferris.edu. The University actively seeks applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and other underrepresented groups. For more information on the University’s Policy on Non-Discrimination, visit: Ferris Non-Discrimination Statement.