Staff Assistant, Major & Leadership Gifts, Duke Alumni Engagement and Development

Occupational Summary

This position will provide advanced level of direct administrative support to two to three Regional Development Directors in Major and Leadership Gifts, Duke Alumni Engagement and Development (AED).  This position will handle administrative duties, which include but are not limited to, arranging meetings, travel, and events, recording gifts and pledges accurately, drafting high level correspondence and briefings, conducting research, as well as providing technical and logistical support to the directors.  This position will also work cooperatively with other Development Assistants, the Director and Assistant Director for Administration and Operations and Regional Development Directors (RDD) within the Office of Major & Leadership Gifts.

Essential Job Functions

Travel and Events

• Coordinate RDD’s trip preparation and travel arrangements, including providing suggestions on prospect visits, establishing the itinerary, making flight and hotel arrangements, and preparing the travel binder. Anticipate and identify appropriate supporting documentation and briefing materials for the RDDs such as research materials and historical gift, biographic and prospect information.
• Prepare and reconcile travel expenses and reimbursements for each RDD supported.
• Contact Duke Alumni, parents, and friends to request and schedule RDD appointments. Respond to inquiries from donors, especially in the RDD’s absence.
• Participate in the planning of select events for cultivation, solicitation and/or stewardship purposes. Compile and maintain lists for major gifts events or meetings. Serve as liaison to University Development special events office to oversee implementation of meetings and events.

Reporting

• Draft a wide variety of written materials including detailed individual prospect briefings, letters, and internal and external correspondence.  Gather information from faculty, administrators, academic units, and other colleagues to support the development of gift proposals.
• Develop the criteria, initiate the requests, and follow up on reports required by the RDDs. Verify the data and proof financial and fundraising reports after receipt.
• Research and investigate gift commitments using office files and the database and prepare reports.
• Assist in the tracking of major gift proposals, endowment agreements and contact reports. Use the moves management database to enter moves and solicitations and check the accuracy of reports consisting of moves management data.

Administrative

• Screen and prioritize mail, email, and documents to determine which items to respond to independently or which to bring to director's attention based on content of communication and knowledge of office activities.
• Set up and maintain varied office files of records, reports and correspondence required for reference and efficient operation of office.
• Maintain RDD calendars including scheduling internal /external meetings, alerting RDD to important dates. Prepare and/or provide necessary documents for RDD’s use in meetings. Attend meetings as requested to take minutes.

Training

• Assist in the training of new employees. Participate as a team member by sharing workloads and maintaining knowledge of colleagues’ activities.
• Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein. The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

Required Behavioral Competencies

• Attention to Detail:   Accurately maintains schedules or calendars to monitor details for more complex assignments or projects. Regularly follows up with others to ensure information is complete.
• Collaborating with Others:  Ability to work collaboratively, formally and informally within one’s team and across the organization. 
• Curiosity and Information Seeking:  Personally investigates the problem or situation.
• Dealing with Ambiguity:  Effectively copes with change and shifts gears comfortably. Decides and acts without having the total picture.
• Decisiveness & Judgement:  Uses sound judgment to make appropriate, timely decisions in moderately complex situations where information may be missing. Knows when to escalate a decision to a higher level.

• Flexibility:  The ability to adapt to and work effectively with a variety of situations, and with various individuals or groups.

• Initiative:  Acts and works independently, taking prompt action to accomplish objectives. Responds in an appropriate timeframe when presented with a problem. Requires limited prompting.
• Listening:  Attentive to the speaker's message. Attentive to verbal and non-verbal cues that lead to deeper understanding.  Asks questions which clarify speaker's message.
• Organizational Awareness:   Ability to learn and understand organizational relationships and dynamics and use them to achieve objectives and goals.  
• Planning, Prioritizing and Multitasking: Identifies and categorizes assigned tasks based on level of importance and urgency with little supervision.
• Goal and Task Management:  Prioritizes tasks with respect to importance and time available. Realistically estimates time to complete projects.

Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Programs: Calendar, Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• Superb attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and as a member of a team.
• Demonstrated high level of initiative and motivation.
• Outstanding communication skills, tact, and diplomacy.
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential information and issues on a daily basis.
• Must be able to communicate professionally and confidently with a wide variety of constituents, Duke University administrators, university donors, fundraising leadership, and university colleagues.

Minimum Qualifications

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes.To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of thecommunity feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members ofour community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Anticipated Pay Range:

Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD $18.55 to USD $27.54. Duke University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills; internal peer equity; as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

Your total compensation goes beyond the dollars on your paycheck. Duke provides comprehensive and competitive medical and dental care programs, generous retirement benefits, and a wide array of family-friendly and cultural programs to eligible team members. Learn more at: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/ or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.

Education

Work requires a broad knowledge of clerical and accounting principles and practices normally acquired through two years of post-secondary education in administrative support or a related business field.

Experience

Work generally requires three years of related secretarial/clerical experience to acquire skills necessary to administer complex office functions related to office management, communications, and budgetary/accounting activities. OR and equivalent combination ofeducation and relevant experience.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.