Advancement Services Specialist

York House School • Full-time • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • C$ 75k - C$ 85k / year • 1d ago

Advancement Services Specialist

Full Time - Regular Contract

About York House School

It all began on the corner of Granville and 28th where seven fearless women welcomed 17 students to the very first York House School in 1932. Nearly a century later, thousands of students have found their unique path and purpose at YHS. Our School has since grown into one of Canada’s leading independent schools for girls. Today, we serve approximately 700 students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12.

At York House School, our Vision is clear: seeing the world as it is, and imagining what it could be, we aspire to create a transformational experience for students who are empowered to reshape the future.

Our Mission

We are dedicated to creating an environment that elevates the mind, celebrates uniqueness, inspires creativity, and encourages discourse.

Why Join Us?

At York House School, we’re fostering a learning environment where creative exploration, courageous conversation and deep intellectual engagement are equally celebrated. This bold approach requires a highly skilled, diverse and energetic team of committed faculty and staff. Please check out our Spark Strategic Plan to learn more.

If you are passionate about education, excited by the opportunity to inspire future leaders, and eager to be part of a vibrant, forward-thinking community, we would love to hear from you.

About this role

Reporting to the Executive Director of Advancement, the Advancement Services Specialist assists in the coordination of all school fundraising activities and is responsible for the administration of the Raiser’s Edge NXT Database, including timely gift processing and acknowledgments. The Advancement Services Specialist requires a strong fluency in Raiser’s Edge NXT, a high degree of skill with technology and the ability to manage and integrate data across multiple software platforms. Reporting will include data extrapolation, manipulation, and data mining for a variety of purposes, including financial reporting, donor impact reports and prospect research.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Responsible for the administration, maintenance, integrity, and accuracy of the Raiser’s Edge NXT database.
Oversees data management in Raiser’s Edge NXT, including gift recording and processing (donations, gift-in-kind, sponsorships); charitable tax receipting (in accordance with CRA regulations); acknowledgments; general constituent data entry; generating queries; tracking moves management; activity dashboards; monthly/annual donation reports; and lists for various purposes, including appeals, communications, events, mail-outs, etc.
Maintains monthly and annual pledge schedules in Raiser’s Edge NXT, prepares and shares pledge reminders with donors.
Contributes to prospect management through generating prospect/donor research and identification, confidential constituent profiles, and briefing notes for the Executive Director of Advancement / Head of School.
Assists with the execution and delivery of comprehensive donor, stewardship, volunteer/community recognition programs and online fundraising campaigns through the school website.
Generates queries and reports from the database, which include the evaluation of advancement-related performance, activities, and trends, such as statistical reports on giving, parent/alum participation, donor pipelines, and other key performance indicators used for decision making and planning.
Responsible for managing and importing/exporting data for segmentation and campaign mailings, emails, donor lists, phone-a-thons, and school events (including but not limited to galas, donor receptions, Parents’ Association functions).
Provides Raiser’s Edge NXT training and user support to YHS staff as required along with other online platforms/donation-related processes to ensure consistency and develop competency.
Reviews and keeps up-to-date policies, procedures and workflows for database management.
Serves as the primary liaison on behalf of the Advancement Team with the Finance department.
Provides financial reports including month-end, fiscal year-end reconciliation, and supports audit-related activities between Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge in collaboration with the Finance department.
Collaborates with multiple school departments as part of the data working group (i.e., Finance, Admissions, Information Technology, HR) to ensure that all data is accurately transposed from one system to another (i.e., Education Edge captures student records that feed into Financial Edge for billing, Core database for all constituent information on myYHS that feeds into Raiser’s Edge NXT).
Monitors profile updates in Core weekly and makes updates to Raiser’s Edge NXT and Education Edge.
Collaborates with the YHS Parents’ Association and other volunteer groups to support their events and initiatives in areas such as gift-in-kind processing and tax receipting.
Responsible for ongoing maintenance of Raiser’s Edge NXT including the continuing redevelopment of processes, procedures, and design hierarchy to create consistency and ensure data integrity and quality.
Corresponds with the Marketing & Communications and Information Technology departments regarding any changes/problems, or updates regarding Raiser's Edge NXT database management and upkeep (e.g. donation pages on website).
Researches, plans, and helps to prepare for software upgrades as applicable.
Keeps abreast of industry standards and best practices by monitoring trends in the philanthropic sector with a focus on major gifts and prospect research, privacy legislation, CRA and alternative giving methods (e.g. stock gifts, UnionPay) and implements findings, where relevant.
Assist the Executive Director of Advancement in maintaining Advancement processes, policies, procedures and gift and sponsorship agreements.
Participate in school programmes and activities where needed to support the work of the Advancement and Alum Relations (AAR) team and school committees as requested.
Leads continuous improvement initiatives.
General administrative duties such as school event support/logistics, etc.
Acts as an alternate contact for phone inquiries as required.
Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Demonstrated analytical ability and thorough knowledge of both Advancement processes and database systems.
Excellent organizational skills, including superior attention to detail, time management, and the ability to multi-task and be proactive/efficient in a fast-paced environment.
Adaptable and flexible, with the ability to effectively prioritize in a changing environment.
Delivers high standards of customer service and builds strong relationships in support of the school’s strategic priorities.
A proactive self-starter who takes initiative.
Proven ability to exercise tact, discretion, and good judgment when dealing with confidential and sensitive information/matters.
Demonstrates strategic and creative thinking, with a commitment to continuous learning and improvement of skills, systems, and processes.
Good judgment and excellent problem-solving abilities.
High level of professionalism, with an ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Builds strong relationships and works effectively in a team environment with a diverse range of stakeholders, including employees, parents, alum, volunteers, and the public.
Welcoming and approachable demeanour, with a professional presence.
Knowledge of developing prospect pipeline reporting and gift tracking processes.
This position involves occasional evening and event-based commitments, requiring a flexible approach to working hours.

Qualifications

Three to five years of database administration experience, including demonstrated expertise in contact management and database administration.
Completion of post-secondary education (degree, diploma, certificate) required.
Advanced knowledge of Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge NXT fund development database and familiarity with Blackbaud’s On Products (primarily Core database, on Message).
Intermediate to advanced ability working with database management or Information Systems.
Knowledgeable in compliance requirements (i.e., PIPEDA, CASL, CRA, PCI).
Intermediate to advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint) as well as proficiency with Mac, Google Docs, and Gmail, and particularly advanced skills in using spreadsheets.
Demonstrated experience conducting mail merges.
Previous experience in an independent school/academic environment and a background in fundraising are preferred.
Familiarity with Crystal Reports (or equivalent) is an asset.

This recruitment is being led by Gerard Search on behalf of York House School.

Application deadline: We are accepting rolling applications until the position is filled.

Check the status of the search process here

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