Penn State Job Catalog

The defined natural career progression within or between job profiles.

Gift Planning

The Gift Planning Assistant provides support to the coordination and processing of estates, trusts, and planned gifts; ensures accurate documentation, compliance, and reporting; collaborates with internal partners to support donor stewardship and gift administration.

• Support estate and trust administration, including tracking payments, preparing documentation, maintaining records, and assisting with correspondence and reporting
• Coordinate and process guideline agreements and donor intent statements, including routing for signatures, preparing acknowledgment materials, and maintaining tracking systems and archives
• Prepare and review bequest expectancy reports, ensuring accurate donor records, calculations, and internal coordination for proper recording
• Provide backup support for specialized gift types, including life insurance and gifts-in-kind, assisting with documentation, donor communication, and recordkeeping
• Maintain donor recognition and membership tracking, ensuring accurate qualification and follow-up
• Collaborate in identifying opportunities to improve workflows, tracking systems, and documentation processes to enhance efficiency and compliance
• Maintain and update internal procedures, guides, and materials related to gift acceptance and planned giving operations
• Ensure accuracy and consistency of donor and gift data across systems; assist with audits, reconciliations, and data clean-up projects
• Support implementation or enhancement of databases and reporting tools
• Assist in ensuring adherence to institutional policies, legal requirements, and donor intent in all gift processing activities
• Support preparation for internal and external audits by organizing documentation and responding to requests
• Serve as a liaison for internal departments to resolve issues and streamline processes
• Contribute to periodic reporting on planned giving activity, trends, and performance metrics
• Deliver general office support, including managing communications, processing mail and financial documents, preparing reports, and responding to inquiries related to gift acceptance procedures

Level:

– Senior Support

Base Description:

– Completes administrative activities and tasks of a technical or functional nature.

Level Summary:

– Demonstrates proficient and comprehensive knowledge of defined skill areas. Applies knowledge of principles, practices, and procedures of a particular field to decision–making and problem–solving. Works under minimum supervision on varied and sometimes difficult work assignments, conferring with supervisor or subject matter experts on unusual matters. May lead others or a team in completion of complex assignments. Interprets and communicates information clearly, accurately, and persuasively. Researches and tries new approaches when solving difficult or novel problems.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– May serve as lead support staff and/or provide basic direction to lower level support staff
– May serve as direct supervisor for part–time, student, and/or temporary workers or volunteers

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Handles financial transactions
– May validate and pay invoices
– May monitor/track budgets for specific area and/or grant(s)

Problem Solving:

– Encounters generally routine problems; occasionally faces more complex and/or varied problems
– Typically follows recommended course of action and procedures to resolve problems
– May use experience to resolve more complex and/or varied problems, with supervisor oversight
– Demonstrates proficient and comprehensive knowledge of institutional policies and procedures in determining course of action

Independence of Action:

– Works with minimal supervision on more difficult work assignments, conferring with supervisor on unusual matters
– May set priorities and organize work within general guidelines established by supervisor

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates internally within working unit and/or the University
– May communicate with external audiences for scheduling/coordination
– Collaborates closely with team members; may interact with other staff outside of area
– Interprets and communicates information, ideas and instructions clearly and accurately both verbally and in written materials that may be intended for distribution

• Comp Grade – 8
• Minimum – $51,000.00
• MidPoint – $62,500.00
• Maximum – $74,000.00