Gift Processor and Matching Gifts Specialist

Compensation: $16.50 - 17.84 per hour

About the role

Join Our Team: Gift Processor. Are you ready to be part of an energetic and unified team dedicated to transforming higher education? Our foundation is breaking down barriers between advancement, alumni relations, and stewardship to create a cohesive environment where philanthropy and innovative partnerships thrive. This is your chance to make a significant impact as we fulfill Our Call to Beneficence: The Campaign for Ball State University, aimed at elevating student support both financially and academically.

Why Join Us?

• Dynamic Team Environment: Collaborate with passionate professionals who are committed to our mission.
• Cutting-Edge Initiatives: Be at the forefront of redefining philanthropy in education.
• Unified Structure: Work within a seamless organization with no barriers between key departments.
• Supportive Culture: A high-achieving work environment that values camaraderie and collaboration.
• Impactful Work: A mission that changes lives through education and philanthropy.

We invite you to join our team and make a difference. Join us in our mission to support students in realizing their purpose, achieving their dreams, and leading meaningful lives. Candidates must have current authorization to be employed in the United States without employer sponsorship.

Responsibilities

This position functions as an integral member of the Finance Department and contributes to the success of the gift processing team, Ball State University Foundation, and the University. The Gift Processor is responsible for accurately recording, processing, and acknowledging charitable contributions in a timely and efficient manner. This role plays a critical part in maintaining donor trust and ensuring financial integrity by applying strong attention to detail and sound judgment, as well as demonstrating effective analytical and problem-solving skills when addressing discrepancies or unusual gift scenarios.

• Process charitable contributions daily.
• Apply appropriate processing methods and special handling requirements for unique gift types, including but not limited to: securities, gift-in-kind, donor advised funds, honorariums/memorials, corporate gifts, quid pro quo, matching gifts, gift of property, IRAs, and planned gifts.
• Follow IRS regulations for acknowledging gifts, including those from donor advised funds.
• Adhere to Foundation Gift Acceptance policies put in place by the Gift Acceptance Committee and the Foundation Board.
• Compile gift documentation necessary for audits to ensure a complete package of information is scanned and stored in the imaging system.
• Resolve issues such as credit card or digital gift declines and rejections.
• Prepare approvals for gift adjustments, reversals, and write-offs; produce reports on adjustments and write-offs.
• Deposit all checks and cash for Ball State University Foundation, Ball State Alumni Association, Cardinal Funds, Cardinal Properties, and other supporting organizations; provide deposit information to the accounting department.
• Collaborate with the accounting department to reconcile bank deposits to donor transactions.
• Confirm eligible donations and provide completed documentation to corporations for employer-sponsored matching gift programs; work with donors to inform, initiate, and coordinate completion of employer-sponsored matches.
• Perform data entry, including updating corporate records; validate matching gift percentages and requirements via program data and the donor data management system.
• Maintain cleanliness of biographical and gift records by following proper data and gift entry procedures; perform maintenance tasks based on gift entry audits.
• Verify proper fund designation on gifts prior to gift entry.
• Download and process electronic gift transactions from a variety of sources, including online, crowdfunding, annual giving day, and electronic funds transfers/automatic bank drafts; ensure compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards.
• Run gift imports using data importing tools; utilize advanced technology and workflows to efficiently import large sets of gift data into the Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) database.
• Produce gift receipts; reprint duplicate receipts or provide one-off year-end annual statements upon donor request.
• Produce year-end gift receipts for all monthly recurring gift donors, including credit cards, payroll deductions, and annual memberships for Ball State Public Radio and Television.
• Produce and send electronic emailed receipts for Ball State license plate donors.
• Validate large data sets using advanced spreadsheet verification techniques; mark all gifts as receipted in the donor database system.
• Prepare acknowledgment letters for special-handle gift types, including in-kind gifts, IRAs, and donor-advised funds, using mail merge functions or manual processes.
• Record and update pledge and planned gift commitments; verify that pledges are entered according to donor designation and that pledge schedules are created accurately.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding all gifts and donors to the Foundation and University.
• Provide customer service to alumni, donors, and the campus community.
• Engage in cross-training of duties across the continuum of gift processing responsibilities to fill in for absences or open positions, including employer-sponsored matching gifts, pledge reminders, gift receipts, payroll deductions, donor acknowledgment reports, and adjustments/write-offs.
• Perform other projects as needed or duties as assigned.
• Maintain regular and predictable attendance.

Requirements

• Associate’s degree or equivalent.
• One to three years of business or office administration-related, banking, or accounting or financially related experience.
• Attention to detail, proficiency in Microsoft Office products (especially Excel and Word), and ability to maintain confidentiality.

Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Experience in a higher education or non-profit environment with an emphasis on gift processing in an advancement or development office.
• Experience using a fundraising database such as Raiser’s Edge.
• Ability to interact courteously and effectively with internal and external contacts at all levels.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize work to meet defined goals and objectives.
• Excellent skills in Microsoft Office products, especially Excel and Word.

Benefits

At Ball State University, we understand the importance of balancing professional responsibilities with personal well-being. That's why we offer:

• Paid 10 to 24 vacation days, 12 sick days, and 10 holidays a year.
• Paid parental leave (6 weeks).
• Affordable health and dental insurance.
• Robust long-term disability and life insurance plans.
• A range of retirement benefits to provide financial security to you and your family.
• 90% coverage of your child’s (or children’s) undergraduate college tuition at Ball State.
• 100% coverage of your undergraduate tuition and 80% of your graduate tuition at Ball State, available from the first day of employment.