Manager - Gift Administration

Company Description

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

The Manager, Philanthropy reflects the mission, vision, and values of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare (NMHC), adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The Manager, Philanthropy supports planning and implementation activities for Northwestern Memorial Foundation (NMF). The Manager, Philanthropy utilizes their program and process expertise to implement department objectives and organizational goals. They support the development and reporting of performance metrics, monitoring of work plans/products, and the coordination of resources. The Manager, Philanthropy effectively communicates, manages resources and works collaboratively across all teams and levels.

NMF raises funds to support the health system’s strategic goals to deliver exceptional care and experience, advance and extend medical science and knowledge and enhance people, culture and resources through: (1) raising planned, principal and major gifts, (2) cultivating and stewarding donors, and (3) fostering a culture of philanthropy at NMHC.

Responsibilities

• Oversees daily gift administration activities across all gift types ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant processing consistent with donor intent.
• Manages the full gift processing lifecycle, including entry, coding, documentation, acknowledgments, and tax receipting, in accordance with established policies and internal controls.
• Oversees complex and high‑touch gift processing, ensuring appropriate review, coordination, documentation, and follow‑through.
• Ensures the integrity and reliability of donor and gift data through CRM oversight, quality assurance practices, and adherence to data and documentation standards.
• Provides direct supervision and support to assigned staff, including managing workloads, training, and performance.
• Partners with finance and fund accounting on reconciliations, month‑end close, audit support, and issue resolution to maintain strong internal controls and compliance.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and escalation point for gift processing, donor intent, and CRM standards, resolving operational issues as needed.
• Maintains and improves procedures, documentation, and workflows, identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
• Coordinates with internal and external partners to support timely gift processing and accurate donor communications.
• Supports CRM initiatives and system changes, including participation in CRM conversion activities, testing, and validation, to ensure operational continuity, data integrity, and compliance.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or 4 years equivalent work experience;
• 5+ years of experience in a fundraising, community outreach, healthcare or development position with a proven track record, preferably in a non-profit organization;
• Ability to earn the confidence of a wide range of internal and external constituents and to network within a professional, corporate environment;
• Demonstrated project management, organizational, analysis and problem-solving skills;
• Excellent oral, communication and interpersonal skills;
• High degree of professionalism, sensitivity, and integrity;
• Strong intellectual curiosity, initiative and highly effective listening/communication skills;
• Proven ability to meet deadlines, communicate effectively and track details;
• Demonstrated high levels of leadership and flexibility in a team environment;
• Comfort leading projects, setting priorities for a team, thinking creatively and working as both a collaborative team member and leader;
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

Preferred

• Healthcare fundraising experience;
• Public speaking and presentation skills;
• Experience using Salesforce or a comparable fundraising CRM (e.g., Raiser’s Edge), particularly in support of gift processing, data quality, reporting, and donor records
• Experience supporting CRM enhancements, system implementations, or conversions, including user testing, documentation, and validation activities

Additional Information

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our " rel="noopener noreferrer"> Benefits section to learn more.

Sign-on Bonus Eligibility (if sign-on bonus offered for position): Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.