Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are:

The Swarthmore Office of Advancement manages the College's relationship with its alumni, families, and friends to further Swarthmore's commitment to intellectual rigor and creativity, nurturing of student confidence and curiosity, production of new knowledge, and inclusive excellence, among other goals. Advancement works closely with the President, faculty, and senior colleagues to foster positive and productive relationships that not only accelerate the objectives of the College but also represent meaningful and beneficial engagement for the Swarthmore community.

The Office of Advancement manages and maintains alumni, family, and friend records; engages constituents in the life of the College in a variety of ways, contexts, and over time; provides and supports meaningful volunteering opportunities; and partners with the President and Board of Managers to share information about the College and raise critical philanthropic support for the College's priorities and new initiatives. Advancement ensures that alumni and donors are appropriately recognized and informed about the impact of their service and contributions, and manages all gift acceptance and stewardship.

The opportunity:

The Gift Planning Administrator assists the Gift Planning Office in implementing the Gift Planning programs with a goal of nurturing positive relationships with donors and to perform a variety of analytical, clerical, and stewardship tasks to accomplish the securing, accounting and administration of life income and bequest gifts. This position will be the primary point of contact for inbound donor calls, inquiries from attorneys, and correspondence with the College’s custodian bank and consultants.

Essential Responsibilities

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION

Life Income Gift Administration

• Acts as primary coordinator among the Gift Planning office, the College custodian bank (State Street), and the College Business and Gift Records offices, to ensure the accurate and precise administration of the College life income gift program;
• Promptly, securely, and accurately relays confidential donor and banking information to the appropriate offices for new life income gifts; reviews for accuracy quarterly payments for annuitants of life income gifts; ensures that the custodian bank have up-to-date and accurate participant information, including banking information for quarterly income payments;
• Upon being informed of the death of a program participant follows program procedures for the termination of the gift agreement and payments; determines if income payments need to be recovered by the College and then communicates with the estate attorney or executor to recover such payments.

Estate Administration

• Acts as primary contact with attorneys and executors for the administration of gifts coming to the College from estates and trusts; obtains and reviews relevant estate documents to determine the College’s interest in such estates;
• Proactively monitors estate administration to ensure that the administration is proceeding in a timely manner; reviews estate accountings when submitted; obtains authorized signatures on Receipts and Releases;
• Updates the director and others as appropriate of the status of estates in probate.

Bequest Intention Documentation

• Maintains Estate Commitment Forms and supporting documentation from donors for appropriate recognition and gift counting; enter in CRM estate commitment information including the amount and supporting information about such estate commitment.

LEGAL COMPLIANCE

• Primary coordinator for state regulatory filings, where required, permitting the College to legally solicit charitable funds and to issue charitable gift annuities;
• Coordinates with consultants in the preparation of detailed financial and investment statements to be timely filed with multiple state governmental agencies; obtains information from the College Business, Treasurer’s, and Investment Offices for such filings.

DOCUMENT PREPARATION

• When new life income gifts arrive, reviews the gift application submitted by the donor and prepares gift agreements (for charitable gift annuities and pooled income funds) using such information;
• Prepares gift annuity agreements to incorporate legally required state and federal disclosure language; determines if the gift is restricted or unrestricted and incorporates language as appropriate in the gift agreement;
• Using planned giving software, generates actuarial calculations for donors and the College Business and Gift Records offices; obtains signatures on documents from College officers; distributes agreements and supporting documentation to the appropriate College offices.

CORRESPONDENCE AND CONSTITUENT INTERACTION

• Composes correspondence and email to donors, alumni, and friends of the College in furtherance of the work of the Gift Planning office;
• Drafts correspondence to alumni who have notified the College that the College has been included in their estate plan, welcoming them into the College Legacy Circle;
• Responds to phone and email inquiries from alumni seeking information about life income gift payments.

MARKETING COORDINATION

• Maintains the Gift Planning marketing calendar; implements aspects of the Gift Planning marketing program by coordinating with the Gift Planning Office, Communications and outside vendors for fulfillment; monitors and enters data for responses to marketing pieces.

DATA MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING

• Maintains monthly reports of all gift and program activity for the Gift Planning office; compiles statistics for life income and estate gifts as requested by Gift Planning and Development staff;
• Enters data in CRM for alumni who are members of the College Legacy Circle.

BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING SUPPORT

• Completes, distributes, and monitors accounting documents, such as invoices, internal requisitions, vouchers, receipts, memberships, and purchase orders to ensure appropriate billing and payment;
• Creates, maintains, and retrieves detailed files of department purchases;
• Process expense reports for gift planning and major gift officer.

OFFICE SUPPORT

• Uses standard office equipment competently to support department functions;
• Handles sorting of incoming and coordinates outgoing department mail to ensure timely distribution;
• Assures adequate office supplies are available for the department

Who you are:

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including a pleasant and helpful telephone manner. Plus, an ability to communicate effectively and professionally with members of the college community, including fellow staff members, board members, faculty, students, alumni and parents.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to effectively manage the job’s pace and workload.
• Strong command of the written language for proofreading correspondence and adjusting template form correspondence to fit individual situations.
• Willingness to be a team player working with other staff in Advancement and the college as a whole, but with the ability to work independently.

What you bring:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with three years of job-related experience or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience. 
• Extensive experience with Microsoft Word and Excel, in addition to a willingness to learn new computer skills and software skills, especially PGM Anywhere and PG Calc.
• Experience working with Google Suite.
• Ability to understand and use the college’s database system to input and retrieve information and to produce reports as needed.
• May occasionally work nights or weekends as business needs require for campus and departmental events such as Alumni Weekend, Garnet Weekend, etc.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in working with high net-worth individuals and the elderly is a plus.

What You Will Get:

You’ll work at one of the world's most renowned liberal arts Colleges, with incredible benefits, a stunning 420-acre campus, and a collaborative work environment. Join a team of passionate, creative people who work hard and have fun supporting the College students, faculty, and staff.

We want to hear from you if you are excited about this role! For full consideration, submit applications with an uploaded resume, including a cover letter, by April 20, 2026. Applications received after this date may be reviewed on a rolling basis until the job has been filled. A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position. If you have experience that meets any of the preferred qualifications, please include a detailed explanation of any such experience in your cover letter and how it meets the preferred qualification(s).

The market range for this position is $60,000-$73,000 per year, which represents the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. The salary offered is determined based on factors including, but not limited to, experience and education of the final selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

PA Criminal Clearance Required

Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.

Education Verification Required by Position

An education verification is required for this position because a college degree is a required qualification for this position.

Preview our Benefits Flyer. We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.

2026 Swarthmore Benefits Guidebook

Retirement Plans

Tuition Grant Program

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Paid Time Off (Staff)

Holiday Schedule

Swarthmore College is committed to creating a culture of respect and inclusion so that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging. We actively seek and welcome candidates with diverse perspectives and experiences, exceptional qualifications, and a demonstrable commitment to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on any identity or characteristic protected by law or College Policy.