Organisation: QUT
Job Title: Philanthropy Relations Officer
Word Limit: 500 word Max per Selection Criteria
Location: Garden’s Point
- Education, training and/or relevant experience equivalent to the completion of an undergraduate level qualification in conjunction with relevant work related experience.
I have demonstrated my ability to meet the educational and training requirements through my academic achievements to date. I attained undergraduate level qualifications with completion of a Bachelor of Business (with Distinction) in 2010. Following completion of this degree I then undertook and completed a Masters of Business in 2011. Both qualifications were obtained at QUT. Prior to these qualifications I also completed my Diploma of Business in 2008, also with QUT. Not only have I attained these qualifications, I have attained them with excellence and recognition, which further demonstrates my work ethic and commitment to high standards in any work or academic task.
To further support my motivation to acquire the necessary learning and skills required for workplace success, I have completed a variety of formal training activities which I have transferred into the workplace, particularly in the areas of leadership, teamwork and systems relevant to the position being offered.
In regard to relevant work experience, I am currently engaged in the philanthropy assistant role, which demonstrates an appropriate and practical alignment to the philanthropy relations officer position. Many of the current administrative and support tasks I am performing are directly related to the duties required for this position, and I am confident that my transition to this role would be effective and seamless.
My work and study history with QUT have provided me with an excellent level of operational knowledge about the systems, policies and programs, as well as a good understanding of many of the various office functions. My networks are substantial and will allow me to access and build relationships and partnerships that will greatly influence the success of the role being offered. For example, as the administration officer with the School of Economics and Finance, I built and sustained effective working relationships across the University’s schools, enabling me to gain knowledge of other business areas, and to complete my own cross department activities accurately and with efficiency. I demonstrated this when working with the IT department, updating and creating website information and requesting their technical support, and working with the timetabling officer in the facilities unit allocating class registrations and resources. As the student ambassador with the Student Recruitment, Marketing and Communication Department I also worked across the different departments of the University. This role involved my promoting QUT course related programs at events and functions.
My involvement with sessional Academics in the School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations provides me valuable knowledge that supports my day to day duties as the Philanthropy Assistant. Through activities such as attending colleagues’ showcase tutorials, team discussions, lectures and research I have developed skills in many disciplines that apply to the functions within the Philanthropy office.
- Demonstrated ability to design and implement multi-faceted stewardship and recognition programs within a large, complex organisation.
My current exposure to the Philanthropy Assistant role is providing a valuable opportunity to understand the strategic and operational requirements necessary to develop the programs supporting the stewardship and recognition work being undertaken by the Alumni and Development Office. My insight into the organisational relationships and stakeholder engagement required is something that I would be able to implement quickly as philanthropy relations officer. For example, I was involved in Friends of William Robison Weekend project.
In my role as Administrations officer of School of Economics and Finance, In regard to fundraising and promoting stewardship and recognition programs, I have also worked in partnership with external parties such as the Queensland Economics Teachers’ Association in organising and attending events, and played a key role in the coordination of some of these activities. These activities included the planning, budgeting and financial reporting of expenses. This annual event has been very successful and well received, resulting in the ongoing involvement and support of the Queensland Economics Teacher’s Association.
I started organising and became involved in fundraising when I was doing my Bachelor Degree in QUT. As International Liaison Officer of QUT Accountancy Student Association, I also organised accountancy student employment workshops and developed a successful relationship with CPA Australia that involved a range of stewardship activities. These activities were multifaceted and included support to run workshops, attendance at workshops including presentations by representatives from CPA Australia. Financial sponsorship was also arranged, for example, CPA Australia funded the catering for these workshops in addition to pledging $5,000 shortly after the conclusion of the first workshop in 2009. Since then they have maintained this with ongoing financial contributions on a periodical basis. In the same year, I was awarded as a finalist of QUT Student Leadership Award, as a recognition of succefully organise this event inconjunction with other students project I was involved
My ability to implement these programs is evident from all of the events, administrative support functions and project activities I have successfully undertaken throughout my career with the QUT. As a highly driven and motivated individual, my own personal values and ethics are very much aligned to the core values and ideals of giving and stewardship. This is further supported by my personal involvement in volunteer organisations.
- Highly-developed written communication skills including the ability to produce accurate professional reports and correspondence for a variety of audiences.
In my current role as Philanthropy Assistant I perform many critical tasks requiring advanced written communication skills. In my day-to- day routines, I produce appreciation letters to donors, edit proposals and generally ensure that communication is accurate and complete. I achieve these outcomes through the management of tools such as templates, emails, memos, standard letters and reports and quality reviews. I communicated with various audiences that related to the activities of the Philanthropy office. Taking and distribution meeting minutes, agendas and organizing meetings with internal and external stakeholders are all part of my duties. I take ownership of ensuring that the communication flow of the Philanthropy Office is efficient and professional.
As the Administration Officer in the School of Economics and Finance I coordinated the annual Corporate Finance conference. This was a national 3 day event run from the QUT and attended by an audience of 400 academics including professors, lecturers and PHD candidates. Coordinating this event involved raising the budget $50,000. By using my communication skills to develop the funding proposal, I was able to secure $40,000 from Monash and Macquarie Universities, with the remaining $10,000 coming from QUT. I also organized guest speakers and day one symposium. I managed the marketing of the conference by organizing promotional materials, distribution of emails and liaising with the IT department to establish a website for the event. I was also involved in organizing logistical activities for the conference such as accommodation and transport. Facilities arrangements for holding the conference also had to be negotiated.
My report writing is highly developed as a result of my academic achievement and study, which have allowed me to acquire efficient and practical skills. I have successfully transferred and implemented these key skills into my workplace duties within the University, resulting in the production of detailed, high quality work. As an example, I prepared reports for the office of Economics and Finance relating to rankings data. In preparing these reports I carried out thorough and exhaustive research, data analysis and statistical interpretation to produce high quality reports and commentary that were meaningful and relevant.
In conjunction with my current role, I am a sessional Academic in School of Advertising and Marketing and Public Relations. This involves a high level of both written and oral communication skills to ensure that students receive clear, informative and constructive feedback on assignments and assessments. My feedback, discussions and assessment of their work has to be tailored to meet individual learning needs to ensure appropriate improvement and progress. I keep effective communication by engaging with multiple communication tools and channels.
- Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate effectively and liaise confidently with a diverse group including internal and external audiences.
As the Philanthropy Assistant I am engaged in collaboration activities that require a high level of commitment to teamwork and cohesion. As part of a creative forum I have the opportunity to interact with a variety of people and audiences.
I have demonstrated my interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively throughout all of my positions within the University. As the student services assistant with the QUT Business School my primary responsibility was to provide client service and support to students in their enquiries on all course related matters, including providing course forms and assisting in their completion, enrolment deadlines, and contact information for their tutors and lecturers. I have also managed at times, student complaints. In these situations I listened to the student’s complaint and addressed their concerns in a professional manner by explaining their rights, discussing their options whilst balancing these explanations with their obligations as students. By building rapport with students in these situations I was able to consistently achieve a high level of satisfaction.
As the Administration Officer of School of Economics and Finance, I liaised daily with academic staff, senior management, colleagues and students, providing a range of services and support. Working in a team structure of 4 and being asked to support other areas such as marketing, I had to proactively offer my assistance and negotiate my involvement to meet my core responsibilities and deliverables whilst providing effective support to the marketing team. As a result of being able to liaise confidently with different parties I was able to allocate and schedule my time to oganise a QUT-QETA day event. In the process of organizing this function I negotiated with the QUT Economics Teachers Association, the Head of the school and other keynote speakers to deliver a successful event which was well received and became an important part of the promotion function within the school.
My ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse audiences has been further enhanced through the opportunity to employ my language skills due to my Chinese heritage. Being able to communicate about complex or difficult issues in a more appropriate language has led to improved outcomes and understanding, which may not have been achieved in English.
As a Client Relationship Officer in the personal banking area of the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank of China I dealt with a diverse range of individuals with substantial wealth. In this role I also attended events to promote the Bank’s products, and these activities developed the confidence to deal with people at all levels, build contact networks and represent an International organization at external events.
- Experience with software packages including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel PowerPoint and Project) as well as customer relationship management databases, preferably The Raiser’s Edge.
I am using Raiser’s Edge in my current role for the processing of constituent information, entering personal data, capturing records of conversations, emails and other correspondence. This also extends to the uploading of supporting paper based documents as required. I also use Raiser’s Edge to generate reports and maintain up to date records.
I am also currently using MS Project on the job, and quickly developing the proficiency to incorporate the use of this program into my daily activities. In support of my project experience I supported senior management on projects such as the EAR Project, being responsible for data collection, analysis and developing a report based on the findings.
Other general administration tasks that I have performed which involve the proficient use of all the nominated software packages include:
- Preparation of office communications and correspondence including agendas, recording minutes of meetings, standardized emails messages
- As a tutor, preparing PowerPoint presentations to deliver to students, using a variety of layouts, graphs, animations and audio effects
- Managing conference bookings, meeting schedules and timetables
- Undertaken data entry into student management systems
- Preparing spreadsheet reports and presentations
In my administrative roles and as a result of my academic experience, I have become knowledgeable and proficient in using the Microsoft suite of products. In addition to my use of these office tools I have experience in managing the electronic filing and recording of documents into the TRIM application. I did this in my day to day activities to research student attendance records and obtain further background information if required. I also used the TRIM application to verify the accuracy of information I was working on. Whilst I am comfortable in utilizing these systems to manage and verify information, I also have the ability to manage paper based filing activities, for example when receiving substantial numbers of student assignments to the finance school for allocation and distribution to the appropriate tutor.
I have demonstrated my ability to learn new systems and applications based on the variety of applications I have already used to perform my roles efficiently. I have used in-house applications, such as TRIM when managing electronic documentation and filing, SAMS for recording student information such as address, ID, course details, forms and application information. I accurately entered application data as well as being able to extract student information from writing queries and generating records.
- Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and display a high level of maturity and personal integrity when dealing with confidential information.
As Philanthropy Assistant I attend reception, take phone enquiries and provide assistance with events. I also contribute to the Philanthropy Office meeting business deadlines by producing timely reports for tracking of budgets and other projects being undertaken by the Philanthropy team. I also organize team meetings with internal and external participants. Using Raiser’s Edge to enter data and maintain records, I often come into contact with personal information of a private and sensitive nature. I was able to manage various tasks and complete them before deadline. My involvement in working with this information and maintaining confidentiality demonstrates my personal integrity.
I have demonstrated my ability to work autonomously in my role as Administration Officer School of Economics and Finance. In this position I was responsible for a number of activities in a busy environment, which required me to be responsible for my own output and deliverables. Some of these tasks included processing student applications, updating websites to ensure current information was maintained as well as registering classes and class allocations. In this role I achieved the completion of my duties and met my deadlines by managing my workload through efficient time management and prioritisation. I did this by listing and assessing priorities on a regular basis, and as each day progressed I adjusted my work plan and activities to accommodate other contingencies.
I used tools such as MS Outlook calendar to manage my time efficiently. This was very effective in an administration role as all of my tasks had varying degrees of complexity, importance and deadlines. I was easily able to review my workload and identify competing tasks and overlaps, then develop strategies to manage conflicts. As an example, I was managing the class allocation and registration process in conjunction with my other priorities as it was a busy period for the Finance School. Due to the urgency of the allocation work, I reviewed the completion time and order of this task and delegated other activities to staff with capacity to assist. This ensured that the important work had been appropriately dealt with and delivered to expectations.
As Assistant Administrations Officer in QUT International Admissions I have had access to the University’s databases and records management systems. These databases and record systems contain personal and confidential information, which I have been required to interrogate and work with on a regular basis to resolve issues, verify details and generally perform my duties. For example, in dealing with enrolments, discussing complaints, hardship issues or meeting with parents of students, I am exposed to information of a personal and often sensitive nature. In the course of these interactions and working with such information I am vigilant in adopting the correct policies and procedures that relate to the handling of confidential information. In accordance with the 11 Privacy Principles of the Information Privacy Act 2009, I ensure I am conversant with the relevant legislation upon which the University’s policies are based.
Desirable:
- Experience in the tertiary education sector, preferably in a fundraising position.
I am currently working as part of the philanthropy team within the Alumni and Development Office. My present role as the Philanthropy Assistant gives me an acute understanding of the process required to raise funds for such programs in a tertiary environment.
I also have a solid work history based in the tertiary education sector with the QUT. Having commenced my employment in 2009 with the QUT as a Student Ambassador, I have held several positions with different offices and fulfilled a variety of roles. All of these positions have provided me with an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the University. I am therefore very comfortable working within this environment and looking to expand my knowledge further.
I have been actively involved in student groups and societies, including my role as International Liaison Officer with the QUT Accountancy Student Association. I have raised funds through my relationship with CPA Australia, as well as playing a major coordination role Corporate Finance Conference. Fundraising is part of my current role and something I incorporate into my day to day duties.
- Experience in database segmentation, and the ability to write complex queries, export and provide data.
I am currently engaged in on the job learning in regard to data segmentation and query writing, in Raiser’s Edge, and as these practices are developed within the office I will gain the necessary understanding and proficiency. My familiarity with databases and software is excellent, having worked with various University systems for a substantial period. I have prepared many reports involving research, collation and dissemination of information involving statistical and trending data which has required me to export data for use and sharing.
I have proven proficiency in the use of the Student Academic Management System (SAMS), writing queries and extracting reports.
