Sample Job Descriptions

Reporting relationships:

The Clerical Assistant II-A reports directly to the Director of Advancement Services, but maintains close working relationships with other Advancement Services and Development Office staff, and school based Development Officers.

Basic description of responsibilities:

The Clerical Assistant II-A performs a variety of general and specific office functions of a responsible and complex nature centering around activities of Advancement Services. This requires a fundamental knowledge of all Advancement Service functions and advanced knowledge in areas of direct responsibility.

The ability to quickly gain knowledge of all aspects of gift and pledge processing, acknowledgments, and gift publicity procedures will be required. The Clerical Assistant II-A will need to explain and interpret policies and procedures on all aspects of gift and pledge processing, and enter gifts, pledges, and related information on a timely basis. The ability to type accurately, edit, and work with large sums of money in a high volume data processing environment is critical.

The ability to quickly gain knowledge of all aspects of the prospect management system, including the ability to interpret and explain policies and procedures, and accurately enter information on donors and prospects on a timely basis is also required. The Clerical Assistant II-A may assist doing on-line, and hard copy searches on prospects using various sources of publicly available information, in the tracing of lost addresses and phone numbers, and in updating other biographical and prospect information.

The Clerical Assistant II-A, will also maintain and update a dynamic list of policies, procedures, and regulations related to the use and maintenance of the University’s fund raising database. This encompasses gift, pledge, biographical, prospect management, and other related policies and procedures. Training manuals and documentation for fund raising systems support may also be developed and maintained.

Advancement Services is highly computerized. An intermediate knowledge and experience in the use of various complex computer systems and proficiency with a wide range of software will be especially important for the Clerical Assistant II-A to function at the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness.

Responsibilities are frequently public in nature. The Clerical Assistant II-A must possess exemplary interpersonal skills, and be able to interact with staff and management throughout the University, and external University constituents, in a prompt and professional manner, on a wide variety of development and advancement related issues.

The Clerical Assistant II-A must also be able to coordinate the functions of Advancement Services with other clerical and professional staff in the Office of University Development, and in other university departments. Most interactions outside of Office of University Development will be with the Foundation and school based development officers and related support personnel.

The Clerical Assistant II-A will be responsible for coordinating the ordering and receipting of supplies and equipment for Advancement Services, setting up and monitoring the budget for these items, ensuring that purchasing policies and procedures are followed, and following-up with vendors on order status.

Computer hardware and software information will be entered into an inventory system and maintained as will a vendor file for all computer hardware and software purchases, upgrades, and license agreements.

The Clerical Assistant II-A will also work with other clerical staff to oversee the carefully coordinated planning and reporting activities of Advancement Services with all of its constituents. This will include assisting the Director of Advancement Services to run, copy, and distribute a variety of daily, weekly, monthly reports, and status updates, and collection and coordinating the receipt of data from other areas.

The Director of Advancement Services will also require support scheduling travel, meetings (both internal and external), training, interactions with software user groups, and other duties, which enhance the Director’s effectiveness and ability to manage Advancement Services. Upon occasion, these duties will also be performed for other staff in Advancement Services.

There may be additional responsibilities as requested by the Director of Advancement Services.

Areas of Responsibilities:

The Clerical Assistant II-A requires a comprehensive understanding of the overall responsibilities of Advancement Services. This includes gift processing policies and procedures, acknowledgment processes, the prospect management system, biographical maintenance, other data maintenance related activities, and the interaction with The Foundation.

Advanced computer skills, including the use of various computer packages needed to create word processing documents, spreadsheets, timelines, and research reports will be extremely important and will frequently need to be upgraded.

Processes and enters gifts, pledges, pledge payments, and other contributions to the University which may often be of significant dollar amounts for Advancement Services, and at the request of the Director of Advancement Services.

Interacts with major gift, corporate/foundation relations, planned giving, and school based directors of development, regarding the processing, reporting, and logging of major and other gifts, the processing of requests for prospect research, and other data maintenance activities.

Types and processes a high volume of correspondence, documents, and other information, which is distributed and may be shared with a number of University and external constituents. Answers phones, does filing, processes mail and performs additional clerical duties in support of the activities of Advancement Services.

The Clerical Assistant II-A will sometimes address "critical needs" which occur on short notice and will require immediate action. Organization, prioritization, judgment, and problem-solving skills will be challenged on an occasional basis. There may be the need for occasional over time work.

Purchasing of equipment, supplies and special requests is also the responsibility of the Clerical Assistant II-A. This involves knowledge and selection of appropriate purchasing procedures, preparing, filing, following up on all associated requisitions, purchase orders, related paperwork, and vendors.

The highly public nature of the duties of the Clerical Assistant II-A require good communication skills which will be frequently tested. Writing/proofreading skills will need to be employed and a good understanding of the English language, (both written and spoken) is highly important.

The Clerical Assistant II-A schedules meetings, training sessions, and assists in performing a liaison role for Advancement Services with other constituents. May assist in training students and other system users.

Minimum qualifications, knowledge and abilities:

Good knowledge of correct English grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Fundamental understanding of office methods, procedures, practices, and bookkeeping or accounting knowledge.

Computer literacy is highly important. Knowledge of a wide variety of software is of significant importance.

Ability to learn, interpret, and apply a variety of complex policies and procedures with minimal guidance. The ability to share ideas and convey them in an efficient manner is mandatory.

Ability to work with minimal guidance to identify appropriate applications of a wide variety of written policies and procedures.

Ability to clearly explain a variety of procedures and policies, to students, the public and other campus employees.

Ability to organize and sometimes train student assistants.

Ability to perform basic clerical work involving judgment, accuracy and speed with minimal supervision.

Ability to maintain records and files; ability to screen incoming telephone calls and visitors, and maintain confidential files.

Ability to handle and accurately process varying sums of money on a periodic basis, while adhering to processing deadlines.

Ability to handle various special projects on an ongoing basis while addressing daily needs for the office.

Ability to read and write at a level appropriate to the duties of the position; an ability to accurately perform arithmetic computations where required.

Because of a relatively high volume of reporting, research reports, inter-office correspondence, etc., an ability to type at an accurate speed of 45 words per minute is an absolute minimum requirement.

Ability to transcribe from modern dictating equipment at a high rate of accuracy may be required.

Experience and education:

The successful candidate for the Clerical Assistant II-A for Advancement Services will have the equivalent of at least one year of general office experience provided the individual possesses the knowledge and abilities listed above.

Ideally, work related experience will have been gained in a higher education environment with emphasis on fund raising in an advancement or development office with a fund raising program of a similar size to that of the University.

Equivalent or similar experience in a business environment will also be considered.