Program Manager - Advancement

University Circle Alliance; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

University Circle Alliance is seeking a detail-oriented Program Manager to support fundraising activities, donor communications, stewardship, and grant applications. The role reports to the Director of Advancement and collaborates with internal teams, donors, grantors, sponsors, and stakeholders.

The position emphasizes accuracy, responsiveness, and teamwork, with responsibilities for meeting deadlines, coordinating schedules, and maintaining databases and reporting requirements to advance the

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 2 years of professional experience in program management and/or office administration.
• Proficient in Raiser's Edge Fundraising Software.
• Excellent knowledge of spreadsheets, data management and word processing tools (MS Office, Excel, Word, etc.).
• Exceptional written communication and strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
• Demonstrated reliability and consistent follow-through.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain a master grant and sponsorship tracking system with deadlines, reporting requirements, and funding timelines.
• Maintain donor contact records, including profiles, histories, giving, and engagement activities.
• Oversee the annual giving campaign calendar and track donor engagement and campaign progress.
• Process gifts, reconcile finances, and generate gift acknowledgments.
• Produce donor mailing and recognition listings.
• Support fundraising reporting, queries, lists, exports, and coding for donor relations.
• Manage full grant lifecycle and coordinate with finance on budgets.
• Coordinate special fundraising events and donor appreciation gatherings; handle logistics and volunteers.
• Maintain donor interactions, event attendance, and grant submissions in the fundraising database.
• Collaborate across departments to gather data for grant reporting and promotional materials.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Project management

Customer service

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

Raiser's Edge Fundraising Software

MS Office (Excel/Word)

Job description

University Circle Alliance (UCA) is the steward, advocate, and convener for one of the nation's most dynamic urban neighborhoods. Home to world-class educational institutions, healthcare systems, arts and cultural organizations, businesses, and neighborhoods, University Circle is where innovation, opportunity, and community converge.

University Circle Alliance works to strengthen the district through place management, public safety partnerships, community engagement, planning, public space activation, economic development, and strategic initiatives that enhance quality of life for residents, workers, students, and visitors. While we manage the place itself, we are responsible for fostering a sense of belonging that extends beyond our formal boundaries. Our values are Collaboration, Community, and Character.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Program Manager for the department provides critical administrative and programmatic support for UCA’s fundraising activities, donor communications, stewardship, and grant applications.This person will report to the Director of Advancement, working closely with various internal teams, donors, grantors, sponsors and other stakeholders.This individual serves as a key point of contact for grant-related inquiries, providing responsive and professional support to staff, donors, and community partners. They will be responsible for coordinating meetings and events, managing schedules and deadlines, maintaining databases and tracking systems, and supporting organizational recordkeeping and reporting requirements.

The successful candidate thrives as part of a team that values integrity, open communication, and empathy.They will bring an eagerness to learn, a strong attention to detail, a willingness to take ownership of tasks both big and small, and an ability to remain flexible and adapt to change.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Create and maintain a master grant and sponsorship tracking system, monitoring application deadlines, submission status, reporting requirements, funding timelines, and overall progress for each pledge, grant and sponsorship opportunity.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date donor contact records, including donor profiles, communication histories, giving records, and engagement activities.
• Manage the annual giving campaign calendar and tracking systems, monitoring donor engagement, contributions, campaign progress, and achievement of fundraising goals.
• Manage gift processing, including gift entry, financial reconciliation and reporting, and gift acknowledgment.
• Manage and produce all donor mailing and recognition listings.
• Support the Philanthropy team’s production of reports, queries, lists, exports, and coding to facilitate donor relations and stewardship.
• Manage the full grant lifecycle, tracking deadlines and collaborating with the finance team to monitor grant budgets.
• Coordinate special fundraising events and donor appreciation gatherings. Manage event logistics, vendor relations, and volunteer coordination.
• Maintain accurate records of donor interactions, event attendance, and grant submissions in fundraising database.
• Collaborate with all other departments to gather data for grant reporting and promotional materials.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

KEY AREAS OF FOCUS

The Advancement Program Manager serves as the operational backbone of the advancement team, ensuring that fundraising activities are well-organized, timely, and executed with attention to detail. This role manages donor records, gift processing, reporting, scheduling, and departmental systems, helping create efficient processes that support informed decision-making. The Program Manager also provides administrative support for the Philanthropy committee and any fundraising initiatives.

Donor Engagement

The Advancement Program Manager plays a key role in cultivating a positive and welcoming experience for donors, prospects, and civic partners. They help coordinate donor communications, stewardship activities, special events, tours, and recognition efforts that deepen engagement and build long‑term support for UCA. Working closely with the Director of Advancement and President's Office, the Program Manager helps ensure that donors feel informed, appreciated, and connected to the organization's mission and impact. The right person feels comfortable calling donors and interacting with them at events.

The Advancement Program Manager works across departments to gather information, coordinate fundraising priorities, and support organizational storytelling. By building strong relationships with colleagues throughout UCA, they help translate programs, initiatives, and impact into compelling content for donors, grantmakers, and other supporters. This role serves as a connector within the organization, helping ensure that advancement efforts are aligned with organizational goals and reflect the full breadth of UCA's work.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree preferred and/or relevent experience
• Minimum 2 years of professional experience in program management and/or office administration
• Proficient in Raiser’s Edge Fundraising Software
• Excellent knowledge of spreadsheets, data management and word processing tools (MS Office, Excel, Word, etc.)
• Exceptional written communication and strong interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail
• Demonstrated reliability and consistent follow-through
• Customer service oriented with strong collaboration skills
• Ability to balance multiple projects, meet strict grant deadlines, and handle event logistics

GENERAL INFORMATION

University Circle Alliance offers a comprehensive compensation package that balances competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, a flexible work schedule, and a strong focus on employee engagement and well‑being. Benefits supported by UCA include medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, paid time off and generous sick leave, and retirement benefits.

UCA is dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace that thrives on diversity. We acknowledge that this journey is continuous, and we are committed to an ongoing process of inclusion. As an equal opportunity employer, we stand against discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law. Our commitment is to nurture an environment where all employees can flourish and bring their unique perspectives and experiences to the forefront.We believe that people matter in the goals that we aim to accomplish.

A Note from the President:

Job descriptions are meant to bring clarity of what will be expected, so that you know if this is a good fit for you.While the work of philanthropy is highly professional and there are many best practices that are gained through experience, there are also skills that align with the profession.In this case, we are looking for a person that first and foremost believes in our work.This person will be unabashed in their desire to raise support for our efforts.Next, they love managing systems and thrive in the detailed world of data and deadlines.Critically important is that this person enjoys working with a team. That collaborative spirit will strengthen the content that is shared with all of our supporters.If you believe that you truly possess these qualities, then lets discuss what it may look like for you to join this teamMaybe you haven’t done everything listed above, but you know you can, and you have a passion for this work.That’s where I want to start with the person to assume this position.I believe that we can approach the work creatively, and maybe from a different starting point than traditional roles, because this is not a traditional organization.