Summary
Description
The Manager, Advancement Operations is responsible for creating and implementing an operational infrastructure to support all areas of Advancement including corporate, individual, foundation, and government giving. This work includes acting as a liaison to the Finance Departments, maintaining and updating the CRM, developing research briefings and profiles for Institute leadership and advancement staff, assisting with donor recognition and crediting, and troubleshooting technical issues with the IT Department.
Working closely under the direction of the Director of Strategic Planning & Implementation, the Manager supports Sundance Institute’s commitment to attracting, retaining, and engaging mission- and values-aligned donors to support our work through financial contributions and otherwise.
This full-time position is based within a commutable distance to Boulder, CO, Salt Lake City, UT, Los Angeles, CA, or New York, NY in order to work onsite in a hybrid capacity throughout the year. Preference will be given to candidates in the greater Boulder, CO area. The role requires flexibility, including extended hours, evenings, and weekends during peak periods, as well as travel to Institute locations, events, and meetings as needed.
Top priorities include, but are not limited to…
- Serving as the central Advancement budget manager and point person to deliver monthly updates on revenue and expense projections to the Finance Department.
- Working closely with the Director of Strategic Planning & Implementation on reports for the Revenue Strategy Committee, Finance Committee, and other leadership needs.
- Reviewing, and reconciling planned solicitations and gift agreements/contracts with the Finance and Advancement teams, ensuring that CRM data is consistently up to date and all correct materials move forward with gift processing and invoicing.
- Pulling CRM reports for the Advancement team on an as needed basis to support donor engagement efforts and internal meetings.
- Maintaining an inventory of current and prospective shared resources that will enhance Advancement team effectiveness and responsiveness to other departments and stakeholders.
- Working closely with the Director of Strategic Planning & Implementation and Director of Development on creating donor research profiles and creating comprehensive donor meeting briefings. This includes executing donor wealth screenings to help determine capacity, affinity, inclination, and interests. Also working closely with the Director of Partnerships on prospecting support for corporate partners.
- Developing and maintaining detailed information on prospective donors and corporate partners which are easily searched and sorted by outlined criteria including region, interest, relationship-manager, and prospective gift/sponsor level, etc.
- Ensuring clear and effective internal departmental communication for the Advancement team.
- Partnering with the Tech and Finance teams to ensure NetSuite is maintained and accurate with current data
- Generating tax acknowledgement letters on a timely basis.
- Leading department-wide recognition process for Annual Report, Festival Collateral, Website, Lab Books, and other relevant documents and materials; ensuring data is complete, managing the approval process and trafficking through the Advancement department, and serving as Advancement’s main liaison with the Marketing team on final approvals and integration.
- Supporting the Director of Strategic Planning and Implementation, Tech and Finance Teams on the process for a CRM conversion.
You have the following direct or transferable skill sets:
- Legal authorization to work in the United States.
- 3 years of experience in development operations or a related field.
- Excellent analytical skills, particularly in revenue analysis, are strongly preferred. This includes data-driven decision-making to analyze operational data to optimize processes.
- Past experience managing collaborations across functions, with an ability to motivate and lead teammates and colleagues who are not direct reports.
- Strong project management skills to prioritize, organize, and complete multiple tasks to meet deadlines.
- Ability to develop tactics for addressing issues or requests.
- Genuine passion for and excitement about Sundance Institute’s nonprofit mission, and a culture defined by collaboration, curiosity, and creativity.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
You will be successful in this role if you…
- Take a proactive approach to work and excel in project management.
- Have an exceptional attention to detail, and are able to identify trends and discrepancies in accounting, reporting, and operational processes.
- Create improved processes to streamline and enhance department operations.
- Collaborate as a team member to solve complex problems.
- Effectively prioritize tasks to ensure timely completion of projects.
In addition to an annual salary of $54,000.00 to $70,300.00*, this position** is eligible for our comprehensive benefits package, highlights include:
- Health, vision, and dental insurance
- 25 paid Institute holidays plus accrued vacation time
- Paid sick, family, and medical leave
- Employee Wellness initiatives
- 401(k) with automatic 3% employer contribution after one year of employment
- Sundance Film Festival passes and benefits (varies each year)
*Final rate of pay is determined based on the applicant's geographic location, relevant experience and skills, and internal equity among similar positions within our organization.
**Applications open 04/08/2026 and will be accepted for at least one week
