Development Operations Specialist

Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS); Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Barbershop Harmony Society invites a Development Operations Specialist to lead the operational backbone of its new development program. You will manage donor data, ensure compliant gift processing, and deliver reliable reporting across a modern tech stack.

The role emphasizes building processes from the ground up, collaborating with the Director of Philanthropy, CFO/COO, and cross-functional teams to drive data-driven fundraising strategy at BHS headquarters in Nashville.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in donor database management or development operations (5+ years preferred).
• Hands-on Salesforce administration experience; familiarity with NPSP or Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud; Salesforce Administrator certification a plus.
• Experience with data mapping, validation, and quality assurance.
• Strong analytical, reporting, and problem-solving skills with close attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and support a fast-paced fundraising environment.
• Commitment to BHS’s mission, values, and donor-centered philosophy.
• Experience designing and implementing new systems, processes, or CRM configurations—not solely administering established ones.
• Demonstrated ability to translate data into plain-language insight for leadership and volunteer boards.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary administrator for BHS’s Salesforce-based development CRM.
• Maintain data integrity through consistent standards, coding structures, segmentation fields, and governance practices.
• Own and optimize integrations across the development technology stack (Salesforce, Fundraise Up, iWave, Gratavid, Instrumentl).
• Develop and maintain dashboards, reports, and automated processes that support fundraising and stewardship.
• Maintain linkage between membership and donor records, including chapter/district affiliations and duplicate resolution.
• Administer designated gifts, including program-restricted, memorial, and endowment contributions, with proper fund coding.

Skills

Salesforce Administration

Data governance

Donor data management

Reporting & analytics

Project coordination

Tools

Salesforce

Fundraise Up

iWave

Gratavid

Instrumentl

Job description

Position Summary

The Development Operations Specialist builds and oversees the systems, processes, and data infrastructure that power the Barbershop Harmony Society's philanthropic strategy. BHS launched its first in-house philanthropy department in January 2026, and this role carries a rare mandate: to design the operational backbone of a development program from the ground up rather than inherit one. The Development Operations Specialist ensures accurate donor records, consistent and compliant gift processing, high data integrity, and reliable reporting across a modern development technology stack - and translates that data into insight that shapes fundraising strategy.

This is a build-oriented role. The successful candidate will be as comfortable designing a process that does not yet exist as executing one that does.

The Development Operations Specialist works closely with the Director of Philanthropy, CFO/COO, Philanthropy Officer, Legacy Gifts Officer, and Fundraising Campaigns & Donor Engagement Officer, as well as cross-functional partners in finance, IT, membership, marketing, and events. The role also supports the operational and reporting relationship between BHS and Harmony Foundation International, a Type I Supporting Organization of BHS.

BHS serves approximately 14,000 members across 650 chapters and districts throughout North America. Gifts flow through multiple channels and designations: unrestricted, program-restricted, chapter- and district-designated, memorial, endowment, and planned, making clean data architecture and disciplined fund coding essential to the department's credibility.

Key Responsibilities

CRM Administration & Data Integrity

• Serve as the primary administrator for BHS’s Salesforce-based development CRM.
• Maintain data integrity through consistent standards, coding structures, segmentation fields, and governance practices.
• Own and optimize integrations across the BHS development technology stack, including Salesforce (CRM), Fundraise Up (donation platform), iWave (wealth screening), Gratavid (personalized video acknowledgment), and Instrumentl (grant management). Serve as the primary point of contact for platform vendors and support escalations.
• Develop and maintain dashboards, reports, and automated processes that support fundraising and stewardship.
• Maintain reliable linkage between BHS membership records and donor records, ensuring accurate identification of member versus non-member donors, chapter and district affiliation, and duplicate resolution across systems.

Designated and Restricted Gift Administration

• Administer the operational mechanics of designated giving, including chapter- and district-directed gifts, program-restricted gifts, memorial and tribute gifts, and endowment contributions.
• Maintain accurate fund coding so that every restricted dollar is traceable from receipt through disbursement or expenditure.
• Coordinate with Finance on the disbursement schedule and reconciliation of pass-through gifts to chapters, districts, and subsidiaries.
• Support accurate reporting to chapters and districts on gifts designated to them.

Gift Processing, Acknowledgment & Compliance

• Oversee daily gift processing across all channels, including cash, credit, securities, ACH, recurring gifts, and non-cash assets.
• Ensure timely and accurate donor acknowledgments in compliance with IRS rules and BHS policies.
• Document donor intent, restrictions, pledges, and endowment-related instructions.
• Coordinate with the CFO/COO and Finance team on monthly reconciliation, annual audit support, Form 990 schedule preparation, and financial reporting.
• Support compliance with state charitable solicitation registration requirements, donor privacy and data protection standards, payment data security obligations, and applicable Canadian requirements.
• Maintain the data logic and reporting that determines donor recognition eligibility across BHS recognition programs, including President's Council, Ambassador of Song, Legacy of Harmony, and Keep A Melody Ringing. Produce accurate recognition rosters and honor rolls for publication, events, and permanent display.
• Manage the full lifecycle of recurring and sustainer giving, including enrollment, card-updater and expiration monitoring, failed-payment recovery, upgrade and reactivation workflows, and retention reporting.

Reporting, Analytics & Insights

• Create and maintain reports on fundraising performance, trends, segmentation, retention, and donor pipeline activity.
• Provide actionable data analysis to support campaigns, donor journeys, and leadership decisions.
• Prepare reports for Board committees, leadership, and the Gift Acceptance Committee as needed.
• Define, maintain, and report the organization's donor participation rate — the percentage of BHS members who make a philanthropic contribution annually — as a primary organizational performance measure, with segmentation by chapter, district, tenure, and giving level.
• Coordinate wealth screening and prospect research operations, including screening file preparation, results ingestion, capacity and affinity scoring, and portfolio assignment support for the fundraising team.

Campaign and Event Giving Operations

• Build and test campaign and designation pages in Fundraise Up, including matching-gift mechanics, chapter and district sub-pages, and peer-to-peer structures.
• Provide real-time operational support during high-volume giving moments such as International Convention, Midwinter Convention, Harmony University, and the National Barbershop Quartet Day of Giving, including live totals, leaderboards, and issue triage.
• Execute post-campaign data tagging, reconciliation, and results reporting within defined turnaround windows.

Operational Infrastructure & Process Development

• Design, document, and maintain standard operating procedures for gift administration, data hygiene, recurring gift management, designation handling, and CRM use, building these from the ground up where they do not yet exist.
• Document and refine processes that support donor lifecycle management and team efficiency.
• Serve as the internal expert and trainer for development systems, data standards, and workflows, building the team's fluency and self-sufficiency over time.
• Maintain records for documented planned gifts and estate expectancies in support of the Legacy Gifts Officer, and maintain endowment fund records, distribution histories, and donor reporting in coordination with Finance and Harmony Foundation International.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with fundraising staff to support segmentation, campaigns, stewardship, and donor communications.
• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to ensure data-driven messaging and targeted outreach.
• Coordinate with Membership, Events, Customer Service, and IT to ensure data consistency across systems.

Ethics, Confidentiality & Stewardship Standards

• Maintain strict confidentiality and adhere to all donor privacy and data protection standards.
• Uphold ethical practices and ensure compliance with BHS Gift Acceptance Policy and Endowment Policy.
• Model BHS’s values of respect, integrity, inclusivity, and mission-driven service.

Training & Professional Development

• Participate in training related to Salesforce administration, data governance, reporting, and nonprofit CRM best practices, as appropriate to the role.

Qualifications

Required

• Significant experience in donor database management, gift processing, or development operations (5+ years preferred).
• Demonstrated hands-on Salesforce administration experience required. Experience with Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) or Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud strongly preferred; Salesforce Administrator certification a plus.
• Experience with data mapping, validation, and quality assurance.
• Strong analytical, reporting, and problem-solving skills with close attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and support a fast-paced fundraising environment.
• Commitment to BHS’s mission, values, and donor-centered philosophy.
• Experience designing and implementing new systems, processes, or CRM configurations — not solely administering established ones.
• Demonstrated ability to build reports and dashboards that non-technical colleagues actually use, and to translate data into plain-language insight for leadership and volunteer boards.
  

Preferred

• Experience with Fundraise Up or a comparable modern donation platform (Classy, Givebutter, RaiseDonors) strongly preferred. Familiarity with iWave, Instrumentl, Gratavid, or similar prospect research, grant management, and donor engagement tools.
• Familiarity with planned giving, endowment administration, or gift policies.
• Experience developing SOPs or managing cross-departmental workflows.
• Experience in a federated or chapter-based membership organization where funds flow between a national office and local affiliates. Knowledge of or genuine curiosity about the barbershop community is welcome but not required — we will teach you the art form; we cannot teach you data discipline.
• Comfort working in a newly formed department where priorities evolve, and the judgment to build durable systems under time pressure without cutting corners on data integrity.

Workplace, Travel & Schedule Expectations

• This position is based at BHS Headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, and works on-site during regular business hours. Relocation to the Nashville area is required before start.
• Travel to BHS events is required approximately 2–4 times annually, including International Convention, Midwinter Convention, and Harmony University. These are extended-day, high-activity events.
• Availability to support time-sensitive periods, including month-end and year-end close, calendar year-end giving, and major campaign and giving-day moments, which may occasionally require evening or weekend hours.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the role with or without reasonable accommodation, including extended periods of computer-based work.