Gift and Donor Operations Specialist

Autism Speaks is seeking a Gift and Donor Operations Specialist to join our IT and Donor Operations team. This role supports the effective administration of charitable gifts and ensures accurate, consistent, and donor-centered operational practices across the organization. The Specialist manages complex gift and pledge processes, donor inquiries, acknowledgments, and reporting, partnering closely with Development and Finance to ensure gifts are accurately recorded and donor intent is honored.

This position is home based and can be performed anywhere in the US.

PURPOSE: The Gift and Donor Operations Specialist is a key member of the IT and Donor Operations team, responsible for supporting the effective administration of charitable gifts and ensuring accurate, consistent, and donor-centered operational practices across the organization. With oversight from Director, the position manages and supports complex gift and pledge processes, donor inquiries, acknowledgments, reporting, and cross-functional workflows while partnering closely with Development, Finance, and other internal teams to ensure gifts are accurately recorded, donor intent is honored, and operational issues are resolved efficiently.

The Specialist serves as a subject matter resource for donor operations processes and maintains a strong working knowledge of the responsibilities and workflows supported by the Senior Coordinator, Donor Operations and CRM Data Coordinator. The position provides coverage for key donor operations functions as needed and works closely with the Director, CRM Strategy & Donor Operations to identify process gaps, strengthen controls, document procedures, and implement improvements that support both the donor experience and fundraising operations.

PRIMARY

RESPONSIBILIITIES Gift Acceptance and Donor Management

• With oversight from Director, manage and support complex gift acceptance and processing activities, including pledges, restricted gifts, major gifts, donor-advised fund gifts, and other non-standard contributions.
  
  Interact with donor-advised fund administrators, brokers, financial advisors, and other external parties as needed to facilitate and resolve gifts.
  
  With direction from Director, manage pledge administration, including payment schedules, pledge reminders, outstanding balances, and follow-up.
  
  Partner with Development and Finance colleagues to ensure gifts and pledges are accurately recorded, appropriately coded, and handled in accordance with established organizational processes.
• Provide support for gift reconciliation and research discrepancies in partnership with Finance.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex gift-processing and donor-operations questions.
• Maintain sufficient knowledge of core Donor Operations processes to provide backup coverage for the Senior Coordinator, Donor Operations when needed.

Donor Acknowledgements and Service

• With oversight from Director, Manage and oversee donor acknowledgment processes, with a focus on accuracy, timeliness, appropriate tax language, and a consistent donor experience. Coordinate customized acknowledgments for major and complex gifts in partnership with fundraising staff and the Director, CRM Strategy & Donor Operations.
  
  Monitor and respond to escalated donor inquiries, determining when issues require involvement from fundraising staff, Finance, leadership, or other departments.
  
  Serve as a primary point of contact for complex donor inquiries requiring coordination across multiple business units.
  
  Identify recurring donor-service issues and recommend process improvements to address root causes.
• Handle communication with estate attorneys, financial advisors, executors, and other representatives to support the timely and accurate administration of estate gifts.

Cross-Functional Gift and Financial Operations

• Partner closely with Finance and Development teams to support gift processing, pledge tracking, receivables management, reconciliation, and revenue reporting.
• Research and resolve discrepancies involving donor records, gifts, pledges, allocations, coding, or related transactions.
• Support processes for restricted gifts and donor intent, escalating questions requiring additional review.
• Identify gaps, risks, or inefficiencies in donor and gift-management workflows and partner with the Director to develop sustainable solutions.

Reporting, Data Quality, and CRM Support

• Prepare and support donor and gift reporting, including the Board Giving Report and other reports for senior leadership and…