Advancement Operations

Advancement Operations & Scholarships Specialist

The Advancement Operations & Scholarships Specialist provides essential operational, financial, and scholarship managementsupport for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). Thisrole ensures accuracy, compliance, and timely execution across scholarship/award tracking, financial reporting preparation, donordata maintenance, and stewardship operations.

The Specialist may report to the Senior Advancement Director (ordesignee) and collaborates closely with LAS Advancement Services,finance teams, scholarship coordinators, Central Advancement, LASfrontline fundraisers, and the LAS Advancement Senior Director to maintain seamless operations supporting donor stewardship and student impact. This role is critical to ensuring that donor-funded scholarships are awarded, tracked, documented, and reported with accuracy and institutional integrity.

• Draft, route, and finalize gift acknowledgment letters;coordinate review and signatures; ensure accuracy, tone, and timeliness aligned with LAS and University standards.
• Prepare weekly gift reports for the Senior Advancement Director, Vice Provost/Senior Dean, and college deans.
• Prepare monthly gift reports for department chairs and center directors.
• Develop targeted outreach lists; maintain accurate donor records in the CRM; prepare giving and activity reports to support data‑driven fundraising.
• Maintain team operating budgets; track expenditures; supportP‑card and invoice reconciliation; prepare budget status reports;manage ordering of supplies and materials.
• Provide administrative support to the LAS Advancement team,including calendar coordination, meeting preparation, note‑taking,agenda development, action tracking, and document management.
• Support LAS and college Advisory Board operations, including scheduling, agenda development, meeting materials, documentation,and coordination to align board activity with college priorities.
• Identify workflow gaps and recommend or implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and constituent experience.
• Collect, analyze, and summarize operational and stewardship data to assess effectiveness, identify trends, and support informed decision‑making.

• Maintain comprehensive, audit‑ready stewardship records for LAS scholarships and awards, including fund criteria, recipients, award cycles, stewardee assignments, and financial activity.
• Coordinate with LAS finance managers and scholarship administrators to confirm eligibility, award amounts, and disbursement timelines; proactively resolve discrepancies.
• Collect, review, and quality‑check student materials (thank‑you letters, bios, photos, releases) to ensure timely, brand‑aligned donor communications.
• Liaise with department chairs and faculty to gather impact stories, data, and quotes for donor stewardship and reporting.
• Compile scholarship narratives, student content, and summarized financial data for stewardship plans and donor reports; archive final materials for continuity and compliance.
• Track and report scholarship stewardship metrics to support assessment and continuous improvement.

• Support donor‑related events, including scholarship receptions,student‑donor gatherings, and recognition ceremonies.
• Provide flexible operational support during peak cycles such as scholarship season, campaigns, and year‑end stewardship.

• Complete additional responsibilities at the direction of the Senior Director of Donor Relations or LAS Senior Advancement Director.

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year…