Development Administrator, Gift Planning

Development Administrator, Gift Planning

Department: Gift Planning

Reports to: Admin Support Manager

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

The anticipated salary for this position starts at $46,600+ for the Development Administrator role and ranges up to $56,400+ for the Sr. Development Administrator role. The final pay will be determined based on several factors, including qualifications, experience, education, and years within the job or industry, with a strong emphasis on maintaining internal equity. 

Who we are and what we’re about:

KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization and the official fundraising foundation for the University of Kansas. We partner with donors in providing philanthropic support to build a greater KU.

As an employee of KU Endowment, you’ll witness firsthand the power of our donors’ generosity. You will join a talented and fun group of people who are inspired to help KU through the support of loyal alumni and friends. This support fuels excellence, enabling students and faculty to develop innovative programs and research that distinguish the university. We connect the philanthropic passions of donors with the needs of students, faculty and programs – and everyone benefits.

People are engaged. Purpose is ignited. Lives are changed.

What we are looking for:

The Development Administrator position supports the Gift Planning department. Prepares correspondence, maintains files, proofs documents, prepares reports, coordinates calendars, sets meetings, handles travel arrangements, processes expense vouchers, creates mass mailings, and assists with information requests. Handles sensitive and confidential information while adhering to KU Endowment’s guidelines for maintaining privacy. Responsible for recording and administration of deferred gifts including bequests, revocable trusts, gift annuities, retirement plan beneficiary designations, and life insurance gifts contributed to KU Endowment. This person works cross-departmentally to ensure that donor intent is accurately recorded. 

The individual in this position is expected to embrace KU Endowment’s stated core values – collaboration, curiosity, empowerment, and excellence – and demonstrate support for them through professional interactions and activities. 

Hybrid Work Environment: 

Following the initial training period, this position offers a hybrid work schedule, with the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. However, the role requires multiple days per week on-site at our Lawrence, KS office to ensure effective collaboration, team engagement, and alignment with organizational goals. 

What’s a typical day look like?

• Provides administrative support to Gift Planning staff. Prioritizes projects and deadlines and juggles multiple tasks. Actively anticipates the needs of Gift Planning staff and takes the initiative to offer advice and suggestions on how to improve workflow. 
• Coordinates calendars, arranges appointments, makes reservations, sets meetings, and handles travel arrangements. Processes travel expense and mileage reimbursements, documents business expenses, and transcribes/enters donor contact reports.   
• Drafts correspondence and gift acknowledgement letters. Prepares mass mailings. Prepares forms to help process donor gifts. Assembles and coordinates mailing of Gift Planning (Watkins Society) packets. 
• Prepares or runs accounting and donor-related reports (giving history, fund transactions, donor information, and proposals). Searches databases, retrieves information, and prepares reports, sometimes involving researching, analyzing and compiling non-standardized data or information of a complex nature.   
• Assists Vice President for Gift Planning with planning and monitoring of Gift Planning budget. 
• Prepares, organizes, and maintains appropriate Gift Planning files for each constituency area. 
• Assists KU Endowment staff, donors, and/or KU departments with requests for information. Provides superior customer service to both internal and external audiences. 
• Follows KU Endowment policies and procedures. 
• Provides assistance with events and donor recognition programs for KU Endowment. 
• Regular and reliable attendance is essential for this position.
• Performs other duties as may be assigned.

Planned Gift Administration 

• Coordinate with Development Officers and Administration on gift transmittal, information, and documentation of gift purpose(s).  
• Ensure accurate representation of deferred gift data in the CRM. 
• Review language in will and trust documents and Deferred Gift Intention Form to ensure proper gift substantiation and accuracy of information and consult with Vice President, Gift Planning when necessary. 
• Serve as main point of contact (with support of Sr. Gift Planning and Estate Manager) with TIAA Kaspick’s back office to set up new life income accounts, gather required donor information, and provide required paperwork in a timely and accurate manner. Regularly pull TIAA Kaspick reports from their client website as needed or requested. 
• Prepare life income gift illustrations and contracts using PC Calc software (with support of Sr. Gift Planning and Estate Manager). 
• Support Sr. Gift Planning and Estate Administrator with management of insurance policies. 
• Communicate regularly with donors, professional advisors and development staff. 

 Corporate Compliance 

• Apply Gift Planning counting policy to all planned gifts when booked. 
• Adhere to record retention policies as they apply to gift planning documents. 
• Stay informed about Gift Planning vehicles and tax laws. 

What’s required to be considered:

• A minimum Highschool Diploma or GED equivalent and 3-5 years of administrative support experience with considerable skills in; development support processes, experience in interaction with staff, faculty, and donors, drafting and processing correspondence, preparing mass mailing lists, scheduling meetings, making travel arrangements, processing reimbursements, etc.    
• Ability to establish and maintain professional and effective working relationships inside and outside KU Endowment.
• Ability to adapt to new procedures and technology. 
• Experience with Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, Outlook), and with databases.   
• Requires excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment.   
• Must be proficient in English, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and basic math and statistics.   
• Attention to detail and the ability to exercise good judgment in making decisions is required.   
• Demonstrated ability to organize, plan, and set priorities with minimal supervision.   

What separates the best from the rest? 

• Familiarity with KU Endowment and the University of Kansas is preferred.  
• Capacity to adapt quickly to major and minor changes in projects and outcomes.  
• Ability to work as part of a team to establish and maintain professional effective working relationships with board members, university partners, volunteers, and KU Endowment staff.  
• Preferred experience in a Financial or Trust Department setting. 

Physical Requirements:

• A valid driver’s license. 
• Must have access to reliable transportation to travel between multiple locations for training, donor meetings, networking, events and/or work-related activities.
• Must be able to respond quickly and effectively to directions and safety hazards.
• This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office productivity machinery such as computers, keyboards and a mouse, laptops, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. 
• This is largely a sedentary role; however, some filing is required. This would require the ability to move files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand, as necessary.
• The ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• The person in this position frequently communicates with donors, colleagues, students, and the general public. Must be able to communicate with others effectively.
• Physical effort/lifting, light-up to 25 pounds. 

KU Endowment is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals to enable them to perform the essential functions of the job as regulated by ADA. If you require accommodation for any part of the application process or during employment, please contact humanresources@kuendowment.org to discuss your needs.

We’ve got you covered:

KU Endowment offers a competitive salary with an excellent benefit package including: 

• 100% employer-paid pension plan
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) and Roth 401(k) matching program
• Section 125 flexible benefits 
• Generous paid leave including holidays, personal and sick leave
• Volunteer and community engagement opportunities
• Paid Parental Leave
• Life, AD&D, short- and long-term disability insurance
• Legal & ID Theft protection
• Critical Illness
• Accident and Hospital Indemnity insurance 
• KU education assistance 
• Free parking

Sounds good, right? What’s next?

Please include your resume and cover letter when applying for this position on our website at https://www.kuendowment.org/careers.

Questions regarding this vacancy may be addressed to:

Human Resources

KU Endowment

PO Box 928

Lawrence, KS 66044-0928

Email: humanresources@kuendowment.org

Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. Because of the sensitive nature of KU Endowment business and the importance of our reputation with donors, KU Endowment conducts a comprehensive review of applicants. By submitting your application, you authorize us to conduct reference checks and a review of available public information. Employment is contingent upon background and reference checks that KU Endowment finds acceptable.