Senior Director of Advancement Services

CP01 Chatham University; United States; On-site; USD 81,000 - 109,000; Full time

Job summary

Chatham University is seeking a Senior Director of Advancement Services to lead gift processing, data management, reporting, prospect research and donor relations. Reporting to the Vice President for Advancement, this role will build an integrated donor experience and drive analytics to support fundraising and alumni engagement.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree and at least five years in advancement services or related functions, with strong leadership, strategic planning, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in advancement services, development operations, donor relations, prospect research, or related advancement functions.
• Experience overseeing gift processing, data management, reporting, stewardship, and advancement operations.
• Experience with prospect research, portfolio management, and donor analytics preferred.
• Experience supervising staff and managing projects across multiple functions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
• Experience with advancement CRM systems and reporting tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day advancement services operations, ensuring effective systems, workflows, and processes.
• Help create, refine, and execute strategic plans and objectives for the department.
• Develop and implement best practices related to data integrity, gift processing, stewardship, donor communications, and reporting.
• Oversee database management, data entry standards, record maintenance, reporting, and data hygiene.
• Produce regular reports, dashboards, and analytics to support fundraising strategy and leadership decision making.
• Oversee acknowledgement processes, donor recognition, impact reporting, and stewardship communications.
• Oversee Advancement-related communications in partnership with University colleagues and Advancement leadership.
• Supervise and mentor the Advancement Services team, fostering a collaborative culture.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Stakeholder communication

Project management

Analytical thinking

Discretion

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM systems

Reporting tools

Job description

Chatham University welcomes your interest in employment opportunities and encourages you to review open positions. Please note that Chatham does not accept unsolicited applications.

Senior Director of Advancement Services Chatham University seeks a collaborative, strategic, and focused professional to oversee the operations and infrastructure that facilitate and support the University’s fundraising and alumni engagement efforts. Reporting to the Vice President for Advancement, the Senior Director of Advancement Services will lead an advancement services team responsible for gift processing, data management and reporting, prospect research and management, stewardship and donor relations, advancement communications, and strategic planning. The Senior Director will play an important role in the Advancement Office’s evolution over the next several years, improving processes, enhancing reporting and analytics, and creating an integrated donor experience that enables philanthropic growth and long-term engagement.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Advancement Operations and Strategy:

Lead the day-to-day advancement services operations, ensuring effective systems, workflows, and processes that support Advancement unit goals. Help create, refine, and execute strategic plans and objectives for the department. Develop and implement best practices related to data integrity, gift processing, stewardship, donor communications, prospect research and management, and reporting. Serve as a key resource and authority for Advancement staff on policies, procedures, and database management.

Data Management and Gift Processing:

Oversee database management, including data entry standards, record maintenance, reporting, and data hygiene. Ensure the accuracy and integrity of donor, alumni, and prospect information. Oversee all gift processing activities, including gift entry, acknowledgements, reconciliation, and reporting in close coordination with business office partners. Establish and maintain policies and procedures that ensure timely, accurate, and confidential handling of donor information and contributions. Produce regular reports, dashboards, and analytics to support fundraising strategy, campaign tracking, and leadership decision making.

Stewardship and Donor Relations:

Oversee acknowledgement processes, donor recognition, impact reporting, and stewardship communications. Develop systems to ensure timely and meaningful engagement with donors. Support donor recognition programs and stewardship initiatives.

Advancement Communications:

Oversee Advancement-related communications in partnership with University colleagues and Advancement leadership. Help develop and coordinate donor and alumni communications, campaign materials, and impact messaging. Ensure communications align with institutional priorities and support engagement and fundraising objectives.

Team Leadership:

Supervise and mentor the Advancement Services team. Foster a collaborative, service-oriented, and solutions-focused culture. Support professional development and continuous improvement.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in advancement services, development operations, donor relations, prospect research, or related advancement functions.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing gift processing, data management, reporting, stewardship, and advancement operations.
• Experience with prospect research, portfolio management, and donor analytics preferred.
• Experience supervising staff and managing projects across multiple functions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
• Experience with advancement CRM systems and reporting tools.

Preferred Characteristics:

• Strategic yet highly execution oriented.
• Collaborative and service-minded
• Comfortable balancing operational detail with broader institutional goals.
• Interested in helping strengthen and modernize advancement infrastructure in a growing and mission-driven environment.
• Committed to fostering meaningful donor and alumni relationships through strong, efficient systems and thoughtful stewardship practices.

Salary Range:

Salary Range: $95,000 annually. 40-hour work week. Exact compensation based on candidate skills and experience.

Chatham University strives to promote a campus environment that understands and embraces multiculturalism while increasing individuals' intercultural competence. We actively work to build and sustain a diverse and culturally vibrant campus, which promotes employee and student success and retention. Chatham University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. Chatham University does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, age, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital or family status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Our Work Experience is the combination of everything that’s unique about our culture, our core values, our company meetings, our commitment to success, our recognition programs, but most importantly, it’s our people. Our employees are self-disciplined, hardworking, curious, trustworthy, humble and truthful. They make choices according to what is best for the team, they live for opportunities to collaborate and make a difference, and they make us the #1 Top Workplace in our area.