Position Summary

The American Council on Education (ACE) is the major coordinating body for the nation's colleges and universities. ACE is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practices. With a diverse base of member institutions, ACE represents nearly 1,700 college and university presidents and executives, serving as the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions. ACE's mission includes serving 280 minority serving institutions, 25,000 higher education professionals, and 7.7 million students enrolled in colleges and universities. ACE membership extends to all 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and 21 other countries.

The Advancement Specialist assists with development and fundraising activities in the Advancement department. Reporting to the Director of Advancement, the Specialist will independently handle assigned projects providing analysis, research and substantive feedback to support project decisions. Responsibilities will include database management, prospect research, web content management, sponsor engagement, and office administration for the Advancement department. The Advancement Specialist works collaboratively with Advancement staff and staff across the Council on Annual Meeting Sponsorships & Exhibit Booths, Program Sponsorships, Individual Giving (Annual Funds) and Corporate Membership-related projects.

Essential Job Duties or Tasks:

Track all communications with sponsors and coordinates administrative activities for the ACE Experience sponsorship, exhibits and advertisement
Play a role in brainstorming, and drafting marketing materials for advancement outreach
Ongoing research for the ACE Experience prospect list
Ensure all required documentation is received from sponsors and data is entered accurately into the CRM
Process online ACE Experience payments and refunds for sponsorships, advertisements, and exhibits
Coordinate with Finance department to ensure all ACE Experience invoices are requested, sent, and payments are processed.
Play a key role with on-site ACE Experience operations to address sponsor and exhibitor needs
Serve as Content Manager for Advancement’s presence on the ACE Experience website to ensure accuracy

Stewardship

Serve as point of contact for customer service-related matters for ACE Affiliate Members and ACE Experience sponsors, exhibitors, and individual fund donors.
Actively work to reduce the attrition rate of Affiliate members by ensuring regular contact is maintained with all members.

Database Management

Manage contacts and data entry related to Advancement’s fundraising efforts
Update CRM database with data related to program, ACE Experience sponsorships/exhibits and Affiliate Membership Program
Run queries and reports as necessary

Prospect Research

Independently conduct extensive research to identify and qualify corporate entities as viable prospects for Advancement to pursue for funding
Maintain the Advancement prospect list
Monitor corporate industry news to remain abreast of trends and potential prospects

Website & Social Media

Serve as the Advancement Content Manager for ACE’s website and updates the Advancement web pages regularly to ensure accuracy
Monitor ACE’s program web pages to ensure proper visibility for sponsors
Create online forms to streamline membership induction and ACE Experience sponsorship/exhibit applications and prospectus requests
Coordinate with the ACE web team to design new web pages as necessary
Create and design Advancement web pages that are used to provide visibility and recognition for ACE donors, such as the Thought Leadership Library web page and those related to the ACE Experience

General Duties

As needed, coordinate meetings on behalf of Advancement staff
Initiate processing of program and member invoices and, working cross-functionally, tracks program and membership payments.
Monitor and respond to inquiries in the Advancement email inbox daily
Play key role with Corporate Membership Program member induction, termination, invoicing, and management of member subscription benefits
Coordinate scheduling of appointments and assists with travel and catering arrangements for the department.
Assist with other duties as necessary

Minimum Requirements

Education/Experience/Specialized Knowledge and Competency Requirements:

2 years of work history in an administrative support position. Demonstrated commitment to ACE’s values and mission, preferably including some experience in higher education. Bachelor’s degree preferred.

The Ideal Candidate Will Possess the following:

Experience in advancement/development/fundraising preferred
Demonstrated interest in higher education or membership associations
Excellent communication skills including written, verbal and interpersonal skills.
Ability to interface well with all departments within ACE in a highly professional manner.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and professionally with ACE staff, directors, members of the organization, and industry vendors.
Proficiency with MS Office products including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook
Experience working with a customer relationship management (CRM) or other relational databases

Working Conditions/Physical Effort

This is a hybrid position with a minimum of 2 days per week at 1 Dupont Circle, Washington, DC 20036

Target Salary

$63,114-$78,893

Please include a cover letter and resume with your application

American Council on Education jobs

Advancement Specialist