Director, Advancement Gift Processing

How You’ll Contribute

The Advancement team identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards individuals, as well as foundation, government and corporate partners who invest in the Society to drive impact through science, technology, education, exploration, and storytelling. The team collaborates across the Society to build transformative and impact-driven strategic partnerships. The team also produces global events that deepen connections and leverage the Society’s power to convene, and directs robust annual, major and planned giving programs empowering the Society with a broad base of public support.

Reporting to the Vice President, Advancement Operations and working with a dynamic, interdependent, and collaborative team, the Director, Advancement Gift Processing is responsible for leading management, strategy, and optimization of all Advancement gift processing as well as ensuring that all processing is compliant with internal and external data privacy and gift recording policies, procedures, and regulations, including institutional, association, state, federal and international regulations and laws.

Your Impact

Responsibilities Include

Advancement Gift Processing (70%)

• Lead and oversee the timely and accurate processing and recording of the Society’s gifts and pledges, and the appropriate acknowledgment and receipt of gifts.

• Ensure compliance with all gift processing policies.  Ensure that gift protocols, procedures and policies are up to date and meet industry best practices.

• Ensure delivery of high-quality results and excellent customer service by cultivating a culture where effective teamwork, collaboration, accountability and innovation are expected, recognized and rewarded. Lead by example regarding appropriate risk-taking, cross-organizational cooperation, and clear standards of conduct.  

• Ensure consistent and formal gift processing training procedures are documented, implemented and routinely reviewed and updated.  Provide cross training to team members to ensure adequate coverage, accurate and consistent information and timeliness.

• Continually seek to identify and implement innovative strategies and processes to improve efficiency and accuracy of gift processing.

• Participate in upgrades and enhancements to Advance systems to ensure it supports gift recording.

• Manage the Society’s relationship with our caging and cashiering vendor.

• Serve as a point of expertise on gift processing matters including excellent knowledge of IRS and other gift reporting, recording and acknowledgement rules, regulations and processes.

• Develop, maintain and report out on metrics monitoring the productivity of gift processing staff, accuracy of data entry and trends in gift processing.

• Responsible for policy compliance and the maintenance of a strong internal control environment within the department in regard to cash handling, the processing and recording of gifts and gift accounting.

Advancement Representation and Enterprise Integration (30%)

• Lead and oversee the maintenance of full and proper documentation of all Advancement gift processing and processes.

• Lead department gift processing expertise and liaise between multiple departments to align gift processing data into the broader organizational enterprise. Serve on appropriate committees to achieve this goal and advocate for Advancement and its gift processing needs.

• Working closely with other members of the Advancement Operations team, as well as Finance and other key Society stakeholders, set up and configure targeted solutions, such as merchant processing, digital wallets, caging and cashiering, business intelligence solutions, and third party donor acquisition and engagement platforms, to ensure the integrity of solution services and consistency and accuracy of solution integrations across Advancement.

• Collaborate with the Society’s Finance team on the creation of new funds, gift acceptance and reconciliation to the general ledger.  Support regular audit reviews of our records and operating practices and develop and implement solutions that meet IRS legal, donor, accounting and systems requirements.

What You’ll Bring 

Educational Background

Bachelor’s degree preferred; advanced degree or professional certifications a plus.

Minimum Years and Type of Experience   

10+ years as a non-profit gift processing professional.  3+ years of people management experience.

Necessary Knowledge and Skills

• Strong background in gift administration and biographical records management, financial analysis, and non-profit fundraising

• Proficiency in applying IRS and data entry guidelines to gift entry and gift tracking systems

• Collaborative approach and sound judgment in working with teams across the Society

• Strong personal and professional integrity.

• Must possess a high level of initiative, with a creative, flexible, and solutions-oriented approach within a complex, fast-paced, and high-performing team.  

• Recognizes concerns and implements an  innovative approach  when generating new ideas and solutions

• Exceptional organizational, planning, prioritization, collaboration, communication, and interpersonal skills.  

• Management experience and talent for mentoring and empowering staff towards excellence.  

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with any of the following systems: Blackbaud Raiser's Edge, Engaging Networks, or similar systems.  Experience with digital merchant services such as Vantiv, digital wallets such as Paypal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and targeted solution integrations such as Double the Donation and Okta a plus.

• Ability to advise and follow a budget and supervise vendors.

Supervision 

2 Direct Reports

Salary Information

National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position is $123,500 - $136,500.

In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment; flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave; 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31; paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits; learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy; employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.

Job Designation

Remote - Our Remote designation includes staff who must work in another location in the U.S. or abroad, such as our regional leads for our Education and International teams or regional fundraisers in Advancement. Staff may also be designated as Remote by their supervisors (with approval by the Senior Team lead) because of their job duties, and are afforded this status when it is beneficial to NGS, their respective team, and the employee.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position. We are looking for someone with relevant skills and experience, not a checklist that exactly matches the job description. We want to help you grow and in return, you help us grow into a stronger, more inclusive organization.