Associate Director, Advancement Operations

Are you an experienced database manager with a passion for collaboration, streamlining processes and analyzing data? Make an impact at our innovative school and community organization!

St. James is a faith-based educational community deeply rooted in transformative loving relationships.

Located in the Allegheny West neighborhood of Philadelphia:

• The School serves students and families who are most in need, providing a full scholarship to every student. Students benefit from small class sizes, an extended day, robust music programs, extensive social-emotional support, and an 11-month school year (Sept - July)
• The Graduate Support Program is a lifelong commitment to every child. It prepares students for future success and supports them along the way – through high school, college, careers, and beyond.
• The Welcome Table designs community actions and creates spaces for members of the school and broader community to address essential needs and experience a community of sharing.
• The Church of St. James the Less seeks to be a place to encounter God, build community and grow personally with weekly mass and worship services.

The Associate Director, Advancement Operations is a critical new position responsible for managing all operations, reporting, and data analysis functions for St. James’ fast-paced, growing Advancement Office, which raises $6M annually. This role is non-exempt, and includes the following key responsibilities:

• Managing and improving the effectiveness of fundraising databases, primarily Raiser’s Edge.
• Processing all gifts and data entry, handling approximately 2,000 gifts per year.
• Collaborating with the Advancement Team to provide ongoing support and education on effective database use.
• Managing nuanced donor and revenue reports/data analysis needs for a growing Advancement Department.
• Serving as the key liaison with Finance to ensure revenue is coded accurately.
• Conducting research on current and prospective donors.
• Utilizing data strategy to make data-informed decisions and recommendations that guide the successful growth of the department.

The ideal candidate:

• Possesses strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Excels at extracting key insights from technical data.
• Is patient and meticulous.
• Embraces a "data nerd" mindset with a passion for numbers and analytics.
• Is highly process-oriented and detail-focused.
• Demonstrates the ability to identify gaps and propose effective solutions.
• Maintains accuracy in all tasks.
• Is a continuous learner who stays updated on new technologies and trends.
• Is proactive and self-motivated.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Strong track record of advancement operations/database management experience
• Advanced in Raiser’s Edge or equivalent CRM database
• Advanced in Microsoft Office, especially Microsoft Excel

Key Responsibilities:

Database Management (50%)

• Act as the database administrator, developing and implementing strategies to enhance the database’s effectiveness for all aspects of the advancement process (e.g., cultivation, stewardship, solicitation).
• Process all types of gifts (e.g., check, stock, credit card) and ensure accurate entry into Raiser’s Edge according to standard protocols.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director, Donor and Volunteer Engagement to ensure timely donor acknowledgment.
• Ensure database accuracy, integrity, and maintenance through regular audits and clean-up routines; continuously improve data procedures.
• Train and educate the Advancement team on Raiser’s Edge best practices.
• Develop and maintain an operational procedures manual, ensuring adherence by all users.
• Manage the pledge reminder process to ensure timely pledge fulfillment.
• Build and support list creation and segmentation (queries, exports, etc.) for various fundraising and engagement efforts.
• Manage user access across the organization, including rights, training, and ongoing support.

Data Analysis, Reporting, and Compliance (25%)

• Generate dashboards and reports to assess department successes, trends, and growth opportunities.
• Prepare and maintain financial reports to track annual fundraising goals.
• Monitor and communicate key data insights to the Advancement Team for informed decision-making, including fundraising and communication metrics (e.g., key performance indicators, email campaign open and click rates).
• Serve a key role in ensuring organizational compliance for St. James’ participation in the EITC/OSTC Tax Credit Programs; partner with School House Team to gather student data needed for scholarship eligibility.

Business Operations (10%)

• Serve as the key liaison with auditors and the Finance team during the annual audit, providing all required details and reports related to revenue.
• Ensure accurate recording of all revenue and prepare donation reports for bank deposits.
• Collaborate with the Finance team to ensure proper recording of gift revenues; provide year-to-date and monthly reconciliation reports.
• Implement processes and procedures to support Advancement efforts.
• Maintain data hygiene across all products.

Prospect Identification and Research (10%)

• Conduct prospect research, share key findings with the team, and assist in developing donor outreach strategies.
• Perform wealth screenings, create prospect and donor profiles, and provide referrals into the Advancement team prospect pipeline.
• Stay updated on fundraising priorities and use prospecting tools to identify potential donors whose interests align with St. James’ strategic goals.
• Provide analytical support for fundraising operations, including segment analysis, A/B testing, and upgrade strategies, with recommendations for improvement.

E-Marketing Support (5%)

• Support e-marketing campaigns by providing accurate data for segmentation, targeting, and personalization based on donor behavior and preferences.
• Ensure effective integration between Raiser’s Edge and other communication tools (e.g., Race Sign Up, Constant Contact, ThankView).

Additional Duties

• Serve as the primary relationship manager for all development operations products (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Constant Contact), including recommending the annual budget for these products and negotiating competitive renewal pricing.
• Required participation in common life at St. James School (e.g., lunch, Mass, House Meetings, etc.).

At St. James, our benefits package demonstrates our commitment to support every faculty/staff member’s mind, body, and soul. We provide:

• Medical and dental insurance (95% premium covered by St. James)
• Defined contribution plan for retirement (St. James contributes from 5% up to 9%)
• Fertility & family-forming benefits through Maven
• Life insurance through Church Life Insurance Corporation
• Eligible for 0% hardship loans (after one year of service)
• Professional development and continuing education funds
• A total of 40+ paid days off annually
• Wellness Benefit covers expenses for gym membership (Kroc Center, Philadelphia or Planet Fitness)
• Spiritual and religious resources (e.g. spiritual direction, theological study)
• Free lunch available daily

Equal Opportunity Employer:

St. James is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. St. James seeks to have the best available person in every job. St. James School policy prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, marital status, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment. All unlawful discrimination is expressly prohibited.

Commitment to Anti-Racism Education:

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

St. James School is committed to partnering with others to dismantle systemic racism and to build antiracist, multicultural diversity within our school community and beyond. Through teaching a more complete and unbiased history, St. James School will arm students, graduates and employees with the tools and knowledge to better engage in complex issues like systemic racism and privilege and to hopefully solve them rather than contribute to them.