Assistant Development Officer, Principal Gifts

Trustees of University of Pennsylvania; United States; On-site; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Pennsylvania is seeking an Assistant Development Officer, Principal Gifts to join the Senior philanthropy team. The role will plan and implement processes to manage donor engagement for Principal Gifts and collaborate with gift officers and administrative staff to develop standards and best practices for day-to-day operations.

The position focuses on data integrity within Principal Gifts, serving as a liaison for communications, reporting, prospect management and Gifts Management,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; 1–2 years experience in fast-paced office environment or equivalent.
• Excellent oral and written communication; strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Familiarity with donor management databases and reporting is preferred; Salesforce experience helpful.

Responsibilities

• Plan and implement an overall strategy of processes to streamline day-to-day efficiencies for the Principal Gifts Program.
• Create and manage processes to track prospect strategies, solicitations, and activities in database for robust reporting of team progress.
• Serve as team liaison to peers across Engagement and Strategy, Penn's twelve schools and seven centers, Alumni Relations, Major Gifts, and Reports.

Skills

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Assistant Development Officer, Principal Gifts

Job Profile Title

Assistant Development Officer A

Job Description Summary

Working under the direction of the Senior Philanthropy Officer, Principal Gifts, the Assistant Development Officer (ADO) will plan and implement an overall strategy of processes, to help internally manage donor engagement of prospects managed by Principal Gifts. The ADO will partner with gift officers and administrative staff to develop and implement standards and best practices for day-to-day operations within Principal Gifts. The ADO will manage data integrity within Principal Gifts, as well as serve as liaison and team lead for communications, reporting, prospect management, prospect research and Gifts Management.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Working under the direction of the Senior Philanthropy Officer, plan and implement an overall strategy of processes and programs, to streamline day-to-day efficiencies for the Principal Gifts Program.
• Create and manage processes to track prospect strategies, solicitations, and activities in database to that enable robust reporting of team progress.
• Serve as team liaison to peer roles at Engagement and Strategy, Penn's twelve schools and seven centers, Alumni Relations, Major Gifts, Reports, Data Analytics and Reporting.
• Manage data integrity of the Principal Gifts portfolio in database, including prospect research, pipeline entries, campaign coding, etc.; serve as team lead for Compass (Salesforce) discussions and implementations.
• Maintain primary responsibility for the tracking and management of gift data including the retrieval of data and production and analysis of reports. Produce gift-related donor outreach as needed, including pledge reminders and donor summaries.
• Serve as team lead in organizing bi-weekly meetings: prioritize scheduling and socialize presentations with campus partners; oversee successful execution and follow-up.
• Provide organizational support, including customized reports for other team meetings, donor touch points and presentations, retreats, select board meetings managed by PRN team, as needed.
• In close coordination with Engagement & Strategy Team, assist with production of donor-facing events.
• Assist with preparing development visit and event briefings for Penn leadership, as needed.
• Navigate priority projects through to completion, working collaboratively with many colleagues in many areas of development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 1 to 2 years of relevant experience in fast-paced office environment, preferably in higher education and/or institutional development or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Enthusiasm, initiative, resilience, and a pioneering spirit. A willingness to dig in and contribute to a team-orientated environment. Ability to work independently, but collaboratively as part of a goal-oriented team. Excellent oral and written communication, interpersonal skills. Excellent organization/project management skills, ability to manage ambiguity and change, and a strong attention to details.
• Exceptional computer skills and data literacy required: familiarity with donor management databases, report writing aptitude, etc.
• Strong proficiency in preparation of numeric- and text-laden spreadsheets, Power Point, Excel, etc.
• Experience with Salesforce preferred but not required.
• Capability to handle c