Development Operations Assistant

Helen Keller Intl

Job Announcement

Development Operations Assistant

(New York, NY)

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities that are striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition, and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we ensure every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

Background

Development Operations is an integral unit of Helen Keller’s entrepreneurial Growth and Branding Group which is responsible for raising some $25 million annually in unrestricted and restricted support from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Our donor-centered approach advocates for our organization to our donors, and for our donors to our organization. We emphasize the lifetime value of donor gifts and invest in building long-term relationships. We also foster a culture of philanthropy within the organization that competitively positions us within the not-for-profit marketplace.

The Philanthropy Operations and Performance team is seeking a Development Operations Assistant to underpin the Growth and Branding Group mandate to raise funds and increase the visibility of Helen Keller’s programs.

Functional Relationships

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Philanthropy Operations and Performance, who supports the fuller Growth and Branding group, the Development Operations Assistant is part of the Donor Analytics team and will work directly with other Growth and Branding colleagues.

The Growth and Branding Group is structured in such a way that the work of each unit supports and reinforces the work of every other unit. Regular communication and a spirit of teamwork among colleagues, both hierarchically and laterally, are essential to make this structure thrive.

Key Responsibilities

• The Assistant will update the donor database and perform related operational tasks to ensure timely, accurate, and efficient processing and tracking of donations from multiple sources; and provide tactical support for donor cultivation events.
• Execute all aspects of gift processing, which includes gift keying, logging, and batching; mass gift file preparation and imports; pledge recording and tracking; and assisting our Development Operations Officer to prepare transaction upload files for our finance department’s database;
• Maintain/update donor records in a precise and timely manner, which includes donor address changes, constituent coding updates, adding donor research, action, task, attendance, and correspondence notes, and processing returned mail and NIXIE list;
• Integrate daily web gift and constituent records across platforms; troubleshoot issues as they arise;
• Monitor caging vendor’s work: review images and data entry from caging vendor for quality/accuracy, determine if follow-up donor actions are needed/requested and refer out or handle as appropriate;
• Provide excellent customer service: monitor incoming call line and email inbox for customer inquiries; assist donors and prospects with concerns and requests;
• Help prepare and send letters for gift acknowledgement/receipts, donor solicitation, cultivation, tributes, pledge reminders, and other special mailings;
• Perform routine quality control tasks and processes to ensure clean and complete data; create and complete data hygiene processes as assigned;
• Organize archives and files for physical and digital donor correspondence and other fundraising related documents and assets;
• Create, prepare, and distribute the daily income report, as well as other revenue, donor trends, attendance, tracking, and critical fundraising reports;
• Act as a database power-user, proposing improvements to processes and making recommendations to take advantage of database features;
• Provide technical guidance and support to department staff; advise on best practices for fundraising systems, processes, and data capture;
• Interact with team members using our task and project management software;
• Create and update protocols for all processes under your purview; and
• Back-up other functions in the Donor Analytics team, and special projects as needed and assigned.

Qualifications

• Education and Experience: College degree plus a minimum 2 years of administrative work experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience, preferably in fundraising, development operations, advancement services, customer service or related field, particularly in a nonprofit environment.
• Familiarity with Raiser’s Edge/RENXT and Luminate is a bonus.
• Excellent oral and written communications and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and liaise effectively with colleagues and vendors and work well within a team environment. Must demonstrate ability to provide excellent donor services via phone and email with professional confidence.
• Accuracy and attention to detail a must; sensitivity when working with highly confidential information and ability to maintain complete discretion at all times; must adhere to Donor Bill of Rights.
• Proven ability to plan and manage a variety of tasks and high work volume: must work well under pressure, prioritize, meet strict deadlines plus show flexibility, and solve problems creatively.
• Excellent computer skills and aptitude to learn and adapt are essential. Solid Excel skills and experience with databases including query, export, and import tools are a bonus, but capacity to learn these processes is critical.
• Demonstrated aptitude for analyzing and interpreting data and systems: ability to identify areas to increase efficiency a plus.
• US work authorized.
• Position requires a hybrid work schedule, with at least one day per week or as requested onsite at Helen Keller’s New York City location.

Expected Behaviors

As a member of the Hellen Keller Family, each employee is expected to:

• Help develop and maintain an environment that welcomes and develops a diverse workforce.
• Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included.
• Support employees’ evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Helen Keller family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we serve.
• Follow Helen Keller Code of Conduct helping to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
• Adhere to the Organizational Core Values, which includes rigor, integrity, courage and compassion.

Compensation

The midpoint of the salary range for this position is $64,000 with a minimum of $53,000 and a maximum of $74,667. Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, and professional specialty.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to HKI.Recruitment@hki.org noting the job title in the subject line. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

In the spirit of the extraordinary ability and vision of our founder, Helen Keller Intl fosters an environment of fairness and belonging for our workforce.

Helen Keller Intl is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.