Job Summary
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The Gift Operations Analyst is both a hands-on gift processor and a systems-minded strategist who owns and continually improves the gift management lifecycle at Bethel University. While daily gift entry is a core responsibility, this position emphasizes optimization, automation, and data accuracy—ensuring Bethel’s philanthropic records are clean, compliant, and actionable. Working within the Advancement CRM (Salesforce), this role improves workflows, validates data, creates documentation, and supports reconciliation and reporting. The Gift Operations Analyst collaborates across teams, including Finance, Donor Relations, Prospect Strategy, and Development, to ensure that giving processes serve the needs of both donors and internal stakeholders.
Responsibilities
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PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Gift Entry & Acknowledgement (40%)
• Serve as the lead for processing and recording all charitable contributions (check, cash, credit card, stock, DAF, crypto, matching gifts, pledges, estate/planned gifts, etc.) on a daily basis.
• Generate timely acknowledgments and tax-compliant receipts, engaging with external donors and constituents to provide support in their giving.
• Create, maintain, and update donor records, constituent profiles, and fund designations with care and precision.
• Respond to internal questions about gift crediting, coding, and processing policy.
• Act as the central point of quality control for gift data, resolving exceptions and ensuring consistent crediting and coding
• Process Analysis and Optimization (30%)
• Serve as the subject-matter expert for gift workflows within Salesforce.
• Partner with the Salesforce Solutions Analyst to improve automation, reduce manual entry, and enhance the donor experience through form and process design.
• Develop internal documentation, workflows, and training materials for Advancement gift entry procedures.
• Identify pain points or inefficiencies and propose improvements.
• When available, provide training for student employees assisting with gift-related data tasks such as batch scanning or data input.
• Data Integrity & Reporting (20%)
• Monitor and validate giving data for accuracy, consistency, and compliance with IRS and university standards.
• Assist with regular and ad hoc reporting for fundraising performance, donor activity, and annual giving trends.
• Generate pledge reminders, year-end statements, and routine update reports for campus partners and academic leaders.
• Financial Collaboration & Compliance (10%)
• Collaborate with the Business Office to ensure proper fund setup, financial coding, and routine reconciliation of gifts and the general ledger.
• Support documentation and audit prep for charitable contributions and donor records.
• Coordinate monthly payments and annual 1099-R reporting to gift annuity donors.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Bethel’s mission is to educate and equip students to lead lives of impact through transformative academics in a Christ-centered community. Bethel’s employee community plays a central role in developing our students as whole and holy persons. To carry out this mission, Bethel uses the foundation of our guiding documents, the Affirmation of Faith, Community Covenant, and Key Policies. Bethel expects all employees to actively participate in creating our Christ-centered community by agreeing with and abiding by our core beliefs in the Affirmation of Faith and supporting all other beliefs as Biblical, responsible, and thoughtful approaches while avoiding dissension and divisiveness. Employees teach and mentor students and help one another uphold our Community Covenant commitments. As a result of these expectations, all University employees act as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ by actively partnering with the University to carry out its mission and foster Bethel’s Christ-centered covenant community.
Other Duties: The essential functions, tasks, and responsibilities of this position may change from time to time. Bethel University reserves the right to add or omit duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the University or its leadership. Additional tasks or duties required of the position will be communicated to the incumbent with specificity to ensure the employee may perform their role with complete understanding. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed; it is not intended to be all-inclusive.
Required Skills

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• Strong proficiency using CRM platforms and/or donor databases to manage records, automate tasks, and generate reports.
• Ability to independently identify inefficiencies in workflows and propose actionable improvements.
• Strong analytical thinking with attention to patterns, exceptions, and data integrity.
• Familiarity with IRS and nonprofit giving regulations (e.g., 1099s, receipting, gift substantiation).
• Exceptional attention to detail combined with the ability to manage complex processes with multiple stakeholders.
• Effective communicator and collaborator across teams (Advancement, Finance, IT).
• High degree of discretion and commitment to donor confidentiality and intent.

Experience:
1+ years of professional experience in a CRM-driven environment such as fundraising, advancement services, donor relations, or operations.
Direct experience with data entry and validation in a database or CRM system.
Exposure to process documentation, systems troubleshooting, or collaborative problem solving.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, accounting, data analytics, or a related field.
Additional Information
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Travel: This position requires no travel.