Donor Relations Specialist

REPORTS TO:

Executive Director of Advancement

SUPERVISES:

Office Admin

CREATED:

January 1, 2021

UPDATED:

September 8, 2026

STATUS:

Exempt

BASIC FUNCTION:

The Donor Relations Specialist (DRS) plays a vital role in supporting BUA's Christ-centered advancement efforts by ensuring donor data integrity and executing stewardship workflows. The DRS assists the Executive Director of Advancement and the President of BUA in cultivating and sustaining meaningful relationships with donors, foundations, and church partners. This role is highly detail-oriented, relational, and mission-driven, reflecting BUA's Baptist identity and commitment to excellence. Manages donor database in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT and Microsoft Teams / SharePoint. This includes operational, scholarship, and estate, and institutional dollars. Position also fills marketing needs in coordination with BUA's marketing leadership. This position assists with all development efforts including grant management and events.

RESPONSIBILITIES/TASKS:

Receive and maintain receipts and receivables of donations and produce thank you letters. Overseeing Gift Detail and Summary Report to verify that Raiser's Edge Appeals and Reference are recorded correctly. Work with the donor staff in drafting a yearlong plan with objectives, goals, and a reasonable timeline regarding cultivation of gifts. Support donor solicitation calls to external constituents to promote the University to meet the goals set by the development office. Assist in the collection of university success stories and staff stories to be used in external communication pieces; maintain a relevant and current list of mission opportunities for donors. Assist with BUA's "Called" magazine and Eagle Network–The 47 Club alumni outreach. Support branding and copy edit articles to be included in quarterly newsletters, social media, and other external venues. Support donor engagement marketing plan and calendar to promote BUA to donors and donor prospects via social media, articles, and newsletters throughout the year. Assist the Executive Director of Advancement (EDA) with events & campaigns such as golf classic, fundraising dinner, and programs like BUA's Eagle Network and volunteer engagement. Develop and implement a plan to systematically collect data and fundraise through our alumni. Maintain accurate records in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT with current and future donors, which includes grant management. Assist in planning, organizing and implementing all Board of Trustee information such as creating development sections for board book and communication with Trustees. Plan and schedule regional gatherings with alumni in order to solidify information for alumni database and deepen our relationships with our donors. Plan and implement year end donor ask which can include, reporting, any mailers and contacts that need to be made. Assist and work with the development work study and interns assigned to the office. Update BUA website when needed. Assist with the planning and implementation of the annual golf classic, fundraising dinner, and 47 Club Founders Forums. Work with staff and committees as needed to accomplish specialized tasks such as banquets, reporting, capital drives, and other events. Effectively monitor trends and changes in development practices and legislation at the state and federal levels and notify leadership of all relevant changes. Collaborate with and achieve actionable results through others; build strong and sustainable working relationships and interaction within the University. Establish excellent working relationships with key stakeholders, including the employees at BUA. Perform general office tasks as required. Accurately prepare and proofread letters, memos, spreadsheets and other correspondence daily; answer phones, take messages and respond to voicemail and email messages in a timely manner. Work successfully as part of a team and be responsible for developing and maintaining strong working relationships with co-workers in the department. Attend and participate in staff meetings and training as required. Perform special assignments, projects, and other duties as required. Numbers 1–13 are considered Primary Duties for this job.

POSITION EXPERIENCE & ABILITIES:

Requires a minimum of one year of clerical experience. An understanding of development, donor cultivation, and moves management is preferred. Proficiency in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT or similar platform plus strong organization and prioritization skills is needed. Requires proficient ability to speak, read, and write in English. Proficient ability to speak, read and write in Spanish is preferred. Requires proficient ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions dealing with abstract variables. Proven track record of simultaneously and effectively managing multiple projects. Proficient understanding of project management, procedures development, and continuous improvement is preferred. Ability to partner with and influence others without direct authority; build consensus and look for collaboration with people from different functions and all levels is required. Excellent team player. Excellent stakeholder management, including strong knowledge and ability to partner with outside businesses and organizations, is required. Demonstrated exceptional leadership and management skills. Requires a strong sense of diplomacy and demonstrates success in developing strong collaborative relationships with organizational peers and outside colleagues. Requires recognized ability to meet multiple deadlines by maintaining a high level of organization. Ability to minimize risk to the University. Excellent presentation and influencing skills. Requires the ability to maintain confidentiality. Requires proficient ability to exhibit detail-oriented skills necessary to understand and manage a wide range of information. Proficient working knowledge and ability to accurately operate and perform computer-related tasks with specific equipment and software applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook, are required. Requires professional commitment to Christian principles and teachings so as to perform tasks and responsibilities in alignment with BUA's mission and vision. Requires ability to speak clearly and make self-understood in face-to-face interactions; to articulate with extreme accuracy and precision to give directions, speak on the phone, etc. Requires the ability to communicate professionally and effectively orally and in writing. Requires ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, trustees, vendors, students, and families. Requires ability to effectively work under pressure and remain flexible as priorities change. Requires ability to work under minimal supervision with sound judgment. Requires sufficiently good health to properly discharge duties. Employees who have infectious diseases or skin lesions shall not be permitted to work for the duration of communicability.

POSITION CRITICAL SKILLS:

Project/Program Management: Effectively direct and integrate all aspects of a project or program; ensure that work progresses toward achieving goals and objectives. Self-management: Demonstrate self-control and the ability to manage time and priorities. Make sound decisions even under pressure. Planning and organizing: Establish a course of action for oneself and/or others to accomplish specific goals. Plan proper assignments to appropriately allocate available resources. Leadership: Create and communicate a clear vision/goal, gain alignment with appropriate stakeholders, and foster a supportive climate that will achieve the desired results. Communication: Clearly express ideas, either verbally or in writing, to include grammar, organization, and structure. Communicate cross-culturally among various cultures. Research: Effectively identify, collect, organize, and document data and information in ways that make the information most useful for subsequent assessment, analysis, and investigation. Willingness to Learn: Promptly assimilate and apply new job-related information and skills. Creative & Innovative Thinking: Develop innovative ideas that provide solutions to all types of workplace challenges by adapting traditional or devising innovative approaches, concepts, methods, models, designs, processes, technologies, and/or systems. Demonstrate a willingness to take fresh perspectives and risks in his/her thinking and seeking out fresh ideas from a wide variety of sources. Ethics and Integrity: Consistently earn the trust, respect, and confidence of coworkers and students through consistent honesty, forthrightness, and professionalism in all interactions, including meeting commitments and promises.

POSITION CRITICAL BEHAVIORS:

Team Player: Work effectively with others in the organization and outside the formal lines of authority (i.e., peers, students and senior leadership, and the like) to accomplish organizational goals and to identify and resolve problems. Includes considering the impact of your decisions on others. Critical Thinking: Demonstrate the ability to actively and skillfully conceptualize, apply, analyze, synthesize, and/or evaluate information as a guide to belief and action. Bias for Action: Exhibit the propensity to act or decide without customary analysis or sufficient information to achieve critical goals or objectives. Includes responsible risk-taking. Self-Starter: Show initiatives to act to achieve goals beyond what is necessary. Includes the ability to work in a less structured environment. Customer Service Orientation: Make efforts to listen to and understand the customer (both internal and external), anticipate customer needs, and give high priority to customer satisfaction. Self-Confidence: Demonstrate initiative, confidence in oneself, resiliency, and a willingness to take responsibility for personal actions. Have the courage to voice views that are unpopular. Thoroughness: Demonstrate the ability to balance attention to detail with the cost and benefit of doing so. Adaptability: Maintain effectiveness in varying environments, tasks, and responsibilities, or with diverse types of people. Stay agile in the face of change.

BAPTIST UNIVERSITY OF THE AMERICAS VALUES:

Baptist University of the Americas follows Christ-centered values administered with professional excellence. Organizational values are critical because they define Baptist University of the Americas (BUA) personality and provide our employees clarity about how to behave. Core Values. Our Core Values are behavioral traits that are inherent in BUA; they are: Christ-Centered (Self-sacrificing, forgiving, and Biblical) Baptist (in identity, and foundation) Holistic in our teaching and learning (dedicated to the mission and purpose of BUA in higher education) Integrity (with our responsibility and respect toward others) Cross-Cultural Competency Hospitality (providing customer service, internally and externally) Community Servant Spirit (humble, treat others with respect, put others first, team player); and Passion-driven (dedicated to the mission and purpose of BUA as exhibited by perseverance, reliability, and hard work) Expected Values. BUA also holds all employees accountable for those traits which represent minimum behavioral standards: Honesty, Integrity, Respect for Others, Hardworking, Fair-minded, Accountable, and Responsible. Baptist University of the Americas complies with all the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The purpose of Baptist University of the Americas job descriptions is to describe the basic function, major responsibilities/tasks, and essential functions of each job so that employees can better know what is expected of them. The descriptions also provide information useful for recruiting, training, and performance appraisal. This document does not create an employment contract, nor does it modify the at-will employment status of all employees. A job description is not meant to inhibit employee creativity or innovation. The description will be revised as job responsibilities change materially. #J-18808-Ljbffr Baptist University of the Américas