Associate Director, Advancement Services

Job Title: Associate Director, Advancement Services

Department: Development

Location: Remote/Virtual within the Continental US

Reports to: Vice President, Development

Classification: Exempt

Position Type: Full-Time Employee

Anticipated Pay Range at Commencement of Employment: $79,000 - $109,000

Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is the largest nonprofit dedicated to making military life better for families. Each year, we support over 1.5 million military- and veteran-connected family members through a national network of 300,000+ members and local chapters in communities across the country.

Our mission is simple and bold: We make military life awesome for families.

We listen, share, partner, and act to deliver evidence-based, data-driven solutions that work for real people. We’re a lifestyle organization, a friend and neighbor, and a trusted partner. Our approach is collaborative, human-centered, and designed with the whole family in mind.

A Blue Star Family is one with an immediate family member — a spouse, parent, or child — actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Guard and Reserves. These families face unique challenges: frequent relocations, deployments, career disruption, and isolation. We respond with research-informed programs that create connection, build resilience, and foster a true sense of belonging.

We serve with urgency but build trust over time — because change happens at the speed of trust. Whether we’re driving spouse employment, supporting caregivers, or helping communities welcome military families, we strive for upstream solutions.

Who We’re Looking For:

• Bold thinkers. Fast movers. Smart collaborators. People who want to build, lead, and drive measurable change — and who care deeply about making an impact that matters.

What You’ll Do Here:

• Solve complex challenges with data, heart, and humility
• Build cross-sector partnerships that get things done
• Help military families feel at home wherever they live

If you're ready to work in a high-performance, mission-driven environment — and to make life better for those who serve — Blue Star Families is where you belong.

General Description

The Associate Director, Advancement Services is an experienced fundraising professional with a strong understanding of nonprofit fundraising best practices and the systems that support them. This role leads the organization’s advancement services function—overseeing data management, reporting, analysis, and prospect research to drive fundraising strategy and decision-making.

Serving as the Development team’s expert on Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, the Associate Director ensures the accuracy, consistency, and strategic use of fundraising data. Acting as a key resource and thought partner to frontline fundraisers, including members of the executive team, this individual plays a vital role in optimizing our fundraising operations.

As a fully remote organization, we rely on scheduled in-person gatherings to foster alignment, collaboration, and organizational culture. This role requires the ability to travel out of town overnight several times per year for staff offsites, planning retreats, and company-wide events. These gatherings are essential for connection, brainstorming, and staying strategically aligned across teams. Participation is required as a core part of the role.

Key Job Functions

Salesforce and Data Management

• Serve as the Development team’s lead expert on Salesforce accounts, data fields, reports, and dashboards.
• Provide insights and training to team members and other departments as needed (e.g., report building, 1:1 support, BSF trainings).
• Act as the primary liaison between the Development and Tech teams, ensuring clear communication of priorities, troubleshooting CRM issues, and aligning on fundraising data needs.

CRM and Technology Integration

• Serve as the end-user liaison for Salesforce Agentforce, with an emphasis on supporting:
• Opportunity management
• Account creation
• Interaction tracking

• Collaborate with the Tech Team to develop agentic solutions that enhance user experience and operational efficiency.

Prospect Research and Reporting

• Lead the organization’s prospect research function, serving as the iWave expert.
• Produce in-depth, hyperlinked donor profiles and screening reports.
• Gather and input key prospect and donor data from reliable sources (iWave, property records, Google, etc.) into Salesforce.
• Develop and maintain standardized fundraising reports and dashboards, establishing a single “source of truth” for key metrics.

Data Integrity and Analysis

• Design and implement ongoing data hygiene protocols to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Monitor and audit all revenue data in Salesforce, including opportunities, pledges, and transactions.

Team Leadership and Collaboration

• In collaboration with the Tech Team, regularly review and refine Salesforce standard operating procedures (SOPs).

• Support strategic fundraising initiatives with data-driven insights and recommendations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Experience, Skills, Background

• 5-7 years of related fundraising experience.
• A Bachelor's degree in a discipline such as marketing, social work, English, communications, management, public relations, marketing, or commensurate with experience
• Demonstrated experience in managing administrative tasks effectively, including record management, note-taking, and scheduling.
• Proficiency in Google Suite, Canva, Salesforce, and Hive or a proven ability to quickly learn and master these software tools.
• Strong research skills, ideally in contexts relevant to fundraising, business, or similar fields.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• The candidate should be a quick learner, adaptable to various tasks and challenges in a fast-paced environment.
• Effectively works and communicates with people from different backgrounds, and fosters collegial teamwork.
• Limited out-of-town, overnight travel may be required
• May be required to work nights, weekends, and holidays as necessary to carry out key job functions.
• Ability to lift and carry supplies and equipment up to 30 lbs.

Desired Experience, Skills & Background

• Familiarity with the military community.
• Familiarity with membership-driven organizations.

More About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families empowers military and Veteran families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors — both people and organizations — to create strong communities of mutual support. We believe we're all stronger when we take care of one another.

Our groundbreaking research is raising the nation's awareness of the unique challenges of military family life. With the help of neighbors across the country, Blue Star Families is overcoming the isolation and alienation of frequent moves, deployments, and reduced support from the government. Our innovative programs are solving specific challenges for military families, including fighting economic insecurity with resources that foster spouse career development, creating family strength with rich family programming, and providing critical peer support for caregivers, whose numbers are only increasing.

Blue Star Families is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

EEO Policy

Blue Star Families is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Why Blue Star Families?

• Mission-driven work supporting military service members and their families
• Flexible work options (remote, or hybrid depending on the role)
• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• Flexible Spending Accounts, life insurance, and disability insurance
• Communications allowance
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• PCS leave for Active Duty military spouses