Description

• Facilitate data requests from the Development team for personal completion or by project managing through the Marketing and external ROI teams.
• Ensure an acute level of communication with all project partners, including Development and Marketing colleagues and with the external ROI team.
• Ensure all deadlines are met, outputs align with initial requests, and products maintain a high quality. Keep all relevant collaborators proactively updated when there are unexpected challenges or delays to completion.
• Develop and maintain strong tracking mechanisms to ensure all projects are incorporated into channels and timelines of activity for completion. Ensure tracking mechanisms reflect current project priorities and can accommodate shifts as a result of external factors or other influences over time.
• Provide regular – scheduled and ad hoc – updates on overall project pipeline, status of projects, challenges, and other pertinent information to the Director of Philanthropic Administration.

• Conduct regular and ad hoc data exports to maximize donor prospecting activities, in collaboration with the Research Manager, Senior Director of Philanthropy and Director of Philanthropic Operations.
• Conduct regular data uploads for all teams across the Development department on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis, including: name and address updates (including NCOA), donor engagement and communication, annual fundraising goals, etc.  
• Conduct ad hoc data entry and/or uploads for all teams across the Development department, including: creating new donor records, deceasing donor records, adding/removing flags, uploading visit notes, importing donor screening information from external platforms, etc.
• Conduct regular and ad hoc data exports for all teams across the Development department, including: major donor and planned giving appeal and acquisition lists, invitation lists for events, membership reports for stewardship, portfolio lists, etc.

• Maintain strong lines of communication with all parts of the Development department, identifying database challenges and opportunities. Recommend improvements and steward problems to resolution.
• Maintain a current library of ROI reference and training materials; update training manuals and develop new materials as needed.
• Train new Development staff on the use of ROI. Ensure all appropriate ROI permissions are secured for new Development staff, appropriate to their role, in collaboration with the hiring manager and the Director of Philanthropic Administration.
• Coordinate with the Director of Philanthropic Administration to propose, develop and lead training efforts for Development staff to ensure that existing and new CRM functionalities and processes are consistently embraced across the department.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of Development’s data. Support Development’s policies to guide data entry and security, and enter all Development data into ROI in a timely and precise manner.
• Work to advance DEIJ practices into database operations and data practices.
• Expand and maintain policy and procedure documentation for Development’s ROI business practices, including the Database Specialist’s collaboration with the Marketing team and with external ROI partners. Maintain the operational handbook for the Development Database Specialist position.
• Serve as Subject Matter Expert on the database for the Development team.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities for All Defenders 

• Ability to accurately maintain electronic and physical records
• Anticipate and meet the needs of internal and/or external stakeholders delivering excellent service

• Ability to clearly and accurately communicate with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, accurately and concisely
• Ability to convey effective messages to broad and diverse constituencies
• Ability and willingness to effectively represent Defenders’ interests in external environments
• Ability to exert influence and build consensus with internal and external stakeholders

• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion
• Strong research and data analysis skills, including ability to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources to produce high quality work products in a consistent, efficient, accurate, and timely manner 
• Creative problem-solving and troubleshooting skills with willingness to experiment and innovate new methods.
• Facilitate and promote the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies into Defenders’ work.

• Ability to work well under pressure and tight deadlines while balancing competing assignments
• Ability to remain flexible and adaptable to shifting priorities while remaining responsive to urgent requests
• Ability to take ownership of a project or process and to use problem solving skills to resolve issues
• Ability to manage deadlines on multiple cross-functional projects in a dynamic environment
• Demonstrated ability in managing competing interests on complex issues

• Familiarity with Defenders’ legal, scientific, and/or political issues
• Familiarity with national and regional social, political and ecological landscapes

• Prior database experience required, with SQL and QTool experience preferred.
• Tableau customization and back-end development expertise a plus;
• Ability to facilitate large data projects with flawless attention to detail;
• Ability to advocate and champion the needs of the Development team;
• Self-starting project manager who knows when and how to ask for help;
• Creative thinker with demonstrated initiative, able to work independently;
• Confident decision maker with a positive attitude;
• Able to anticipate needs and respond quickly to colleague questions;
• Successful lateral (peer-to-peer / non-supervisory) manager, a team player who works collaboratively with all levels of staff;
• Expert communicator (written and oral) with superior customer service and customer relations skills; demonstrated ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, accurately and concisely;
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, stay organized and follow through independently to meet and exceed deadlines; excellent analytic ability and judgment;
• Patient but diligently persistent to move projects along and achieve goals;
• Demonstrated comprehension of standard development practices and techniques including the highest level of personal conduct regarding confidentiality and security of donor information;
• Ability to construct complex, accurate reports from the database preferred.