Job Description
This job is for you if you are data-driven, detail-oriented and enjoy working with teams to clean up, maintain and standardize Raiser’s Edge architecture. As a master of queries, imports, merges, and bulk uploads, your work will help maintain a clean and accurate alumni and donor database that enables the team to achieve its communications, engagement, fundraising, and stewardship goals.
The ideal Database Manager is a seasoned leader, including a:
- Hands on Raiser's Edge SME who works at the intersection of data, technology, and fundraising strategy—Combining technical rigor with business (Development and Alumni Engagement) understanding.
- Technologist/architect who designs the ecosystem and system / platform integrations
- Strategist who defines the future of alumni and donor engagement data usage and integrity
- Data leader who operationalizes insights, trends, and best practices
Role Overview
The Database Manager is a subject matter expert with 5-7+ years of hands-on experience who administers and manages the Raiser’s Edge constituent management database while maintaining established data entry guidelines and providing support to staff on Raiser’s Edge issues. This role manages all aspects of the Raiser’s Edge database and ensures data cleanliness and integrity, timely donor acknowledgement, and thorough reporting. This position creates, implements and supports systems in Raiser’s Edge that will enable the entire Development and Alumni Engagement Team to perform with greater efficiency and accountability.
This role helps support the end-to-end advancement and alumni data ecosystem, ensuring that technology stack, customer data platforms (CDPs) and integrated technologies enable a unified, data-driven alumni/donor centric experience across fundraising, alumni engagement and communications.
The Database Manager serves as the architect of the alumni and donor data infrastructure, aligning technology, data governance and business strategy to drive established ROI goals, engagement and operational efficiency.
In summary, the position serves as a key strategic partner to Advancement colleagues responsible for fundraising, alumni engagement, donor relations and communications. By ensuring the accuracy, accessibility and integration of constituent data, the Advancement Database Manager helps drive donor acquisition, retention, stewardship, campaign effectiveness and lifetime alumni engagement. This role directly supports the university’s ability to build stronger relationships with its alumni and philanthropic community.
Key Responsibilities
- Create queries and exports for complicated lists for multiple internal teams
- Assist with data segmentation queries
- Manage data transfer process into / out of Raiser’s Edge, including multiple other online platforms
- Manage record merging on a weekly basis and keep updated
- Maintain and improve the overall integrity of the Raiser’s Edge database: updating records, merging constituents and adding relevant information provided by donors, prospects or alumni
1. Alumni & Donor Data Strategy
- Be part of a team that helps define and execute a multi-year alumni and donor data strategy aligned with university goals
- Establish the Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT Database as the single source of truth for alumni, donor and prospect data
- Lead development of an alumni and donor 360 model to unify data across systems and touchpoints
- Translate business objectives into scalable CRM and data solutions supporting lifecycle alumni and donor engagement
2. Data Governance & Customer Insights
- Ensure advanced data quality, integrity, compliance (e.g., privacy, consent) and accessibility
- Enable advanced analytics, segmentation and predictive insights using unified customer data
- Establish enterprise-wide advanced data governance, taxonomy and standards
- Champion data-driven decision-making across teams
3. Integration & Architecture Leadership
- Ensure seamless data flow through APIs, middleware and modern integration patterns
- Design and oversee database integration architecture across advancement systems (email, alumni engagement, brand, fundraising, reporting, data warehouse, etc.)
- Lead initiatives to eliminate data silos and create connected alumni and donor experiences
4. Alumni and Donor Engagement Enablement
- Support two key areas across the university:
- Alumni Engagement Team 6 alumni engagement initiatives, activity tracking and list segmentation
- Development Team 6 support annual giving solicitations, prospect pipeline development, relationship tracking, proactive analytics supporting a campaign and major gift solicitation.
- Partner with Advancement teams to:
- Optimize campaigns, journeys and segmentation
- Improve conversion, retention and lifetime value
- Enable personalization and lifecycle marketing and engagement through integrated technology platforms
- Ensure effective use of Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT Database to deliver targeted, personalized experiences
5. Cross-Functional Leadership
- Drive adoption, alignment and standardized processes across functions
- Partner with fundraising, donor relations, alumni engagement, corporate relations, communications and IT teams
- Lead data governance councils and executive steering committees
6. Operational Excellence & Performance
- Define KPIs for CRM and/or database effectiveness (adoption, data quality, pipeline visibility, engagement, ROI)
- Optimize workflows, automation and operational processes
- Manage teams (indirect reports) including analysts, data engineers, etc.
7. Technology & Platform Ownership
- Own the full development and alumni engagement technology stack architecture, including CRM, CDP, automation, analytics, AI and integrations
- Evaluate, select and optimize platforms to drive ROI and scalability
- Develop and maintain a long-term Advancement Systems technology roadmap and ecosystem strategy
8. Core Platforms & Technology Stack
The Advancement Database Manager is expected to have deep, 5-7+ years, expertise across the following categories:
Database Platforms:
- Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT
- Salesforce Education Cloud or Microsoft Dynamics 365 experience is not required, but bonus points for relevant database experience.
Integrations, Scripting, Reporting, Data Infrastructure, Marketing Automation:
- Data warehouses (Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery)
- APIs, Python, middleware / iPaaS
- Power BI, Looker, Tableau
- GiveCampus, PeopleGrove or Mongoose Cadence experience a plus
- Not required, but bonus points for any experience with: Slate, GSC, Google Analytics / Adobe Analytics, customer journey analytics tools, Marketo, Eloqua, Pardot, Journey orchestration platforms
Required Skills & Competencies
- Highly detail oriented with an acute degree of accuracy regarding data - ability to navigate data and spreadsheets
- Excellent oral and written skills, with the ability to pay close attention to detail
- Ability to work well with a team and manage competing priorities
- Good organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills and the ability to work accurately and meet deadlines
- Ability to work in a flexible way that allows for changes in assignments and priorities
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Strategic & Executive Leadership
- Enterprise CRM, Data Strategy, Tech Stack development
- Vendor and platform management
- Executive stakeholder influence and cross-functional alignment
Technical & Architectural Expertise
- Deep understanding of database architecture and integration patterns, specifically Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT
- Data modeling, governance and data lifecycle management
- Ability to design scalable, future-proof technology ecosystems
Data & Analytics Fluency
- Customer segmentation, lifecycle modeling and attribution
- Analytics-driven decision making
- Familiarity with AI/ML applications in user engagement
Operational & Product Mi
