GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position Title: Scholarship Coordinator
Date Created: August 9, 2022 Updated:
Department: Program
Reports to: Program Director
Positions Supervised: None
Starting Pay Range: $42,000 to $47,000
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW:
Grand Rapids Community Foundation leads Kent County in making positive, sustainable change. With its endowment, the Community Foundation supports local nonprofits, leads significant social change and helps donors achieve their philanthropic goals. Guided by our North Star, we believe for West Michigan to grow and prosper, we must ensure that everyone can apply their talents and creativity to fuel our future. By connecting across perspectives and overcoming inequities, we can build and sustain an inclusive economy and thriving community.
POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Scholarship Coordinator plays a supportive role to the education area within the Program Department. The position will oversee and coordinate scholarship processes and workflow to ensure accurate record keeping, process completion and customer satisfaction. This includes providing excellent customer service to all stakeholders while coordinating the technical aspects of scholarship application, selection, acceptance, funds disbursement, renewal and refund processing. As part of a highly collaborative team, the position will also provide administrative support.
With the primary goal of ensuring students of color, first generation students, and low-income students successfully complete a course of post-secondary study that prepares them for a career, the ideal candidate will have a deep understanding and commitment to the Community Foundation’s North Star. They will possess a strong interest in database management, continuous improvement, and responding to customer inquiries. They will have a demonstrated ability to be flexible and adaptive while exercising strong judgement and exceptional attention to detail, all while multitasking to meet deadlines. They will demonstrate eagerness to contribute to the team to collaboratively complete tasks, meet goals, manage projects, and solve problems.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
Support the administration of all aspects of the scholarship process, including Challenge Scholars and general scholarships. This includes serving as the primary administrator of the online scholarship system; supporting scholarship application, selection, acceptance, funds disbursement, renewal, refund processing; assisting with case management; maintaining policy and procedural manuals; updating yearly calendars; and creating scholarship-related correspondence and reports.
Provide superior customer service to potential applicants, recipients, committee members, external partners, and other stakeholders. Support prospective and current scholarship recipients by offering one-on-one appointments, sending communications related to their post-secondary milestones, presenting at informational sessions for students/families, and monitoring/responding to student email or text inquiries.
Update and maintain databases and online application system to ensure data integrity and use of scholarship management best practices. This includes updating online application and reporting forms, creating and updating records, data entry, system modifications, technical troubleshooting, and maintaining student and stakeholder constituent data.
Work with Strategic Communications and Education teams to ensure that all scholarship-related communication and marketing materials are updated and modified as needed
Provide general support for the education area. This includes serving as a resource for callers/visitors, organizing and attending scholarship-related meetings and events, and preparing minutes
Contribute to a collaborative staff team working to develop innovative ways to resource community.
Assist and serve as a primary backup for the grants management process which may include responding to general grant related inquiries, maintenance of online and internal grant and constituent databases, data entry, and exporting information.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
High School degree. Associates Degree or equivalent experience preferred.
Minimum of three years of experience with data entry, database management, customer relationship management (CRM), or scholarship management strongly preferred.
Ability to fluently communicate (written and verbal) in English and Spanish, strongly preferred.
Ability to interact with an array of diverse constituents in a culturally competent manner and provide excellent customer service.
Knowledge of systems of power and oppression and how they impact the lived experience of students of color, first-generation college students and students from low-income families.
Proficient with word processing and spreadsheet programs, preferably the Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong level of professionalism and inclusiveness with internal and external clients.
Demonstrated administrative skills including the ability to work independently, prioritize, and schedule and produce work in a timely manner.
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCIES:
All employees are required to uphold the values of Grand Rapids Community Foundation which are: Integrity, Excellence, Inclusion, Sustainability, and Bold Aspirations. All employees are required to comply with the policies, procedures, and safety programs of GRCF as well as follow all state and federal laws and regulations, including but not limited to those related to donor rights, confidentiality, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Percent of Work Time
- Sitting Greater than 60%
- Standing Less than 25%
- Walking Less than 25%
- Lifting or carrying up to 30 lbs. Less than 10%
- Pushing or pulling up to 30 lbs. Less than 10%
- Climbing Less than 10%
- Kneeling, stooping or bending Less than 25%
- Repetitive movement Less than 25%
- Keyboarding Greater than 60%
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