Gift Operations Specialist

Bethel University; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plans

Generous time off

Job summary

Bethel University in Arden Hills, MN seeks a Gift Operations Specialist to process charitable gifts, maintain donor data, and support compliance and reporting. The role emphasizes accuracy in recording gifts, timely acknowledgments, and collaboration with the Business Office and Advancement team.

Ideal candidates bring a foundation in accounting, finance, or data analytics, plus curiosity and meticulous attention to detail to optimize gift workflows and data quality within Salesforce.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business, data analytics, or a related field.
• 1–2 years of professional experience in a CRM-driven environment such as fundraising, advancement services, donor relations, operations, or financial management.
• Experience with Salesforce (NPSP or Nonprofit Cloud) or comparable CRM.

Responsibilities

• Process and record charitable contributions in the CRM and financial systems.
• Generate timely acknowledgments and tax-compliant receipts.
• Maintain donor records, profiles, and fund designations with precision.
• Coordinate fund/GL setup in partnership with Business Office and stakeholders.
• Produce and support reconciliations and reporting for gifts and donor data.

Skills

Attention to detail

Data analytics

CRM data management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business, data analytics, or related field

Tools

Salesforce

Nonprofit CRM (NPSP)

Job description

About this position

Bethel University is a leader in Christ-centered higher education with approximately 4,700 students from 50 states and 32 countries enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and adult education programs. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Bethel offers bachelor's and advanced degrees in nearly 100 fields. Educationally excellent classroom-based and online programs equip graduates to make exceptional contributions in life-long service to God and the world.

Bethel University’s Christ-centered mission includes a commitment to equal educational opportunity and equal employment opportunity. Bethel does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, status with regard to public assistance, familial status, or age in its admissions, educational programs, or employment practices.

About the role

As Bethel's Gift Operations Specialist, you’ll play an important role in helping Bethel’s mission come to life. Every gift to Bethel represents a donor’s investment in students and the University’s Christ-centered mission. You’ll make sure those gifts are processed accurately, recorded appropriately, acknowledged promptly, and managed with the care and integrity they deserve.

This is a role where numbers, technology, and problem-solving come together. You’ll work in Salesforce and other financial systems, process a wide variety of charitable gifts, maintain accurate financial and donor records and partner closely with the colleagues in the Business Office and on the Advancement team. You’ll also have opportunities to identify ways to make processes more efficient, improve data quality, and use technology to reduce manual work.

You don’t have to be a seasoned gift-processing expert to be successful. We’re looking for someone with a strong foundation in accounting, finance, business, data analytics, or a related field who is curious, detail-oriented, eager to learn, and excited to become an expert in the systems and processes that support charitable giving.

Most importantly, you’ll be part of a Christ-centered university community where your work is connected to something bigger than the numbers. At Bethel, employees are part of a mission-driven community committed to serving students, supporting one another, and using their gifts and talents to make a difference.

If you’re analytical, organized, curious, and energized by working with numbers and systems—and you want your work to have a meaningful purpose we’d love to hear from you.

This is an in-person role in Arden Hills, MN with a starting salary range of $60,000 to $65,000.

What you'll do

Gift Management & Acknowledgement (50%)

Serve as the lead for processing and recording all charitable contributions (check, cash, credit card, stock, DAF, crypto, matching gifts, grants, sponsorship, pledges, estate/planned gifts, etc.) on a daily basis.Generate timely acknowledgments and tax‑compliant receipts, engaging with external donors and constituents to provide support in their giving.Create, maintain, and update donor records, constituent profiles, and fund designations with care and precision.Manage all gift designation records in the CRM, including coordination of new fund/GL setup with the Business Office and relevant stakeholders.Respond to internal questions about gift crediting, coding, and processing policy.Act as the central point of quality control for gift data, resolving exceptions and ensuring consistent crediting and coding

Data Integrity & Reporting (20%)

Monitor and validate giving data for accuracy, consistency, and compliance with IRS and university standards.Assist with regular and ad hoc reporting for fundraising performance, donor activity, and giving trends.Generate pledge reminders, year-end statements, and routine update reports for campus partners and academic leaders.

Financial Collaboration & Compliance (15%)

Serve as the primary liaison between Advancement and the Business Office on all gift-related financial matters, including fund setup, financial coding, reporting, and reconciliation communication.Partner with the Business Office to ensure proper fund setup, financial coding, and routine reconciliation of gifts and the general ledger.Support documentation and audit prep for charitable contributions and donor records.

Process Analysis and Optimization (10%)

Serve as the subject‑matter expert for gift workflows within Salesforce.Partner with the Salesforce Solutions Analyst to improve automation, reduce manual entry, and enhance the donor experience through form and process design.Develop internal documentation, workflows, and training materials for Advancement gift entry procedures.

Department and Organizational Support (5%)

Support emerging departmental needs and initiatives by taking on additional responsibilities as priorities evolve.Contribute to additional initiatives and projects as needed to advance university priorities.

Qualifications

Required Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business, data analytics, or a related field—or equivalent experience.

Preferred Training

Training or certification in Salesforce, fundraising operations, financial analysis, or process improvement.

Required Experience

1–2 years of professional experience in a CRM‑driven environment such as fundraising, advancement services, donor relations, operations, or financial management. Demonstrated comfort working with financial data, including an understanding of basic accounting concepts such as fund accounting, general ledger structure, and reconciliation. Exposure to process documentation, systems troubleshooting, or collaborative problem solving.

Preferred Experience

Experience with Salesforce (especially NPSP or Nonprofit Cloud) or comparable CRM. Prior involvement in gift processing, fundraising analytics, or financial reconciliation. Experience supporting internal users with reporting, data interpretation, or process improvement.

Additional Responsibilities:

Bethel’s mission is to educate and equip students to lead lives of impact through transformative academics in a Christ-centered community. Bethel’s employee community plays a central role in developing our students as whole and holy persons. To carry out this mission, Bethel uses the foundation of our guiding documents, the Affirmation of Faith, Community Covenant, and Key Policies. Bethel expects all employees to actively participate in creating our Christ-centered community by agreeing with and abiding by our core beliefs in the Affirmation of Faith and supporting all other beliefs as Biblical, responsible, and thoughtful approaches while avoiding dissension and divisiveness. Employees teach and mentor students and help one another uphold our Community Covenant commitments. As a result of these expectations, all University employees act as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ by actively partnering with the University to carry out its mission and foster Bethel’s Christ-centered covenant community.

Other Duties:

Bethel University reserves the right to add or omit duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the University or its leadership. Additional tasks or duties required of the position, will be communicated to the incumbent with specificity to ensure the employee may perform their role with complete understanding. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed; it is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Sponsorship Restrictions:

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Travel:

This position does not require travel.

Work Environment:

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as desktop and/or laptop computers, photocopiers and smartphones.

The work environment involves working for a suburban, Christian university in which all employees are expected to have a demonstrated commitment and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a commitment to the mission and values of the University, and an agreement to abide by all University policies.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. The job requires extended periods of sitting and traversing the Bethel Campus on a regular basis. Reasonable accommodations may be made to ensure people are able to perform the essential functions.

The mental and physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Expected Hours of Work:

Typically, days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, with the expectation to work specific schedules and hours as identified and communicated by management. On a limited occasion, evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand. This is a 40 hour per week, 12 months per year position.

Benefits

Bethel is committed to offering meaningful benefits to our employees including health insurance, retirement plans, and a generous time off package. Learn more about these offeringshere.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time

The pay range for this role is:

60,000 - 65,000 USD per year(Bethel University)