Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The Director ensures all gifts and endowments are administered in accordance with donor agreements, institutional policies, and applicable state laws and regulations. This role partners closely with key units within the university:

• Partners with Finance to align donor intent with financial management, while maintaining primary responsibility for gift compliance, agreement management, and advancement data integrity.

• Partners with the Director of Donor Relations to assure all donors are stewarded appropriately.

• Partners with frontline fundraisers and campus administration to assure donor intent is in compliance with state law and will be executed by the university.

The Director plays a key leadership role in advancing operational excellence, mitigating institutional risk, and supporting a donor-centered culture aligned with the University’s mission.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Gift Administration Leadership (30%) - Provide leadership and oversight of all gift administration operations, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant processing of charitable contributions and commitments. Direct the work of the gift administration team responsible for gift processing, receipting, document management, and data integrity in the CRM. Ensure donor intent is accurately recorded, interpreted, and reflected across systems and processes. Oversee implementation and continuous improvement of policies, procedures, and workflows that support efficient and compliant gift administration. Ensure timely and accurate generation and distribution of donor acknowledgements, receipts, and related communications. Maintain documentation of all gift administration policies and procedures to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations, IRS requirements, CASE standards, institutional policies, and campaign counting guidelines. Oversee coordination of gift-related transactions, including matching gifts, pledge tracking, fundraising-related payment mechanisms, and gift administration processes supporting comprehensive fundraising campaigns and targeted fundraising initiatives. Partner with Finance to support reconciliation processes, ensuring alignment between Advancement records and financial systems. Supervise professional staff and support a high-performing, service-oriented team culture.

Donor Agreement & Endowment Management (35%) - In consultation with the CEO of the Foundation for WWU & Alumni, serve as the Foundation's authority on donor agreements, endowment administration, and interpretation of donor intent. Develop and implement policies and procedures for the creation, review, approval, and maintenance of donor agreements, including endowments, pledges, current-use gifts, and planned gifts. Review and authorize donor agreements for alignment with institutional standards, donor intent, applicable state and federal laws and regulations and compliance requirements prior to execution. Manage systems and tools used for agreement generation, tracking, and storage (e.g., Givzey, OnBase or similar platforms). Partner with development officers, university leadership, academic units, Finance, and donors to ensure agreements are clear, accurate, aligned with institutional priorities, and developed in consultation with University stakeholders to support successful implementation of donor intent; seek legal counsel as appropriate. Provide guidance and interpretation of existing donor and endowment agreements, including clarification of purpose, restrictions, allowable uses, and implementation requirements in partnership with Finance and campus stakeholders. Collaborate with Finance and other campus partners to support the implementation and monitoring of endowment spending policies, fund utilization, and compliance with donor restrictions and institutional policies. Ensure proper documentation, retention, and distribution of fully executed agreements. Collaborate with Donor Relations to support endowment reporting and donor stewardship communications. Maintain proactive communication with internal stakeholders to support effective use and understanding of donor-restricted and endowment funds.

Compliance, Policy & Cross-Campus Coordination (25%) - Lead development and implementation of policies related to gift compliance, donor intent, and endowment administration. Serve as the primary Advancement resource for donor-related compliance matters, coordinating with Finance, Donor Relations, University legal counsel, Enrollment Management and academic partners as appropriate. Identify, assess, and mitigate risks related to donor restrictions, fund usage, and complex gift opportunities; provide guidance and analysis to Advancement leadership, the Foundation CEO, and other institutional decision-makers to inform gift acceptance review and approval processes. Review and authorize requests for new endowment, scholarship, unrestricted and restricted funds to ensure alignment with donor intent and institutional standards. Partner with Finance on the setting up of funds, distributions, and financial processes to ensure accurate implementation of donor intent. In partnership with Finance, collaborate with campus partners (e.g., Financial Aid, colleges, academic departments) to ensure a shared understanding of donor intent, endowment purpose, eligibility criteria, and fund restrictions, supporting the compliance with donor agreements and institutional policies. Develop and deliver training, guidance, and communication to Advancement and campus stakeholders regarding gift policies, endowment administration, and compliance requirements. Establish and maintain strong cross-functional relationships to support coordinated and compliant gift lifecycle management.

Strategic Leadership & Other Duties (10%) - Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO of the Foundation and University Advancement leadership on complex gifts, compliance risks, and endowment strategy. Provide expertise and guidance to University Advancement and campus stakeholders regarding emerging legal, regulatory, and policy issues that may affect donor agreements, fund administration, scholarship criteria, donor intent, and institutional compliance. Provide consultation and guidance to University Advancement leadership regarding vendor, service, and business agreements that support fundraising and advancement operations, identifying potential compliance, operational, and donor-related considerations and coordinating with University procurement and legal counsel as appropriate. Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, reduce risk, and improve the donor experience. Monitor emerging trends, regulations, and best practices in gift and endowment administration and recommend enhancements as appropriate. Contribute to division-wide initiatives and special projects. Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in gift administration, endowment management, advancement services, or a related field.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate complex concepts for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated commitment to customer service and collaborative partnership across functions.
• Experience supervising staff and leading operational functions.
• Commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion and supporting the University’s mission, vision, and values.

• Experience in higher education or a complex nonprofit fundraising environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of donor intent compliance, IRS regulations, CASE standards, and nonprofit gift administration best practices.
• Experience with a CRM system (e.g., Ellucian Advance, Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce).
• Working knowledge of accounting principles and financial reporting concepts.
• Experience with donor agreement development and negotiation.
• Experience reviewing, interpreting, drafting, or administering donor, legal, financial, or business agreements, including familiarity with compliance considerations related to charitable giving.
• Advanced degree, paralegal certification, Juris Doctor (JD), or equivalent education and experience in a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders.

Benefits Overview for Administrative Professional Position.

A cover letter and resume are required and should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications. Please include the names and contact information of three professional references. References will only be contacted if necessary, with notice provided beforehand.

For priority consideration, please apply by November 9, 2026; position is open until filled.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life at student.life@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check.