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Advancement Services

About

Welcome to Advancement Services at Clark Atlanta University, your ultimate resource for comprehensive support and dedicated stewardship. We are committed to enhancing the fundraising efforts of the Office of Institutional Advancement. With a relentless focus on excellence, we provide a wide range of services tailored to ensure the success of our university’s philanthropic goals.

From donor engagement to effective resource management, our team is here to facilitate and optimize every aspect of the advancement process. Join us in advancing Clark Atlanta University’s mission and securing its enduring legacy of academic excellence and innovation.

Featured News

Leadership

Shemitria Smith, M.Ed, bCRE

Shemitria Smith, M.Ed, bCRE, is the Senior Director of Advancement Operations at Clark Atlanta University, where her comprehensive expertise in Advancement Services plays a pivotal role in the university's philanthropic success. With a deep understanding of gift processing, acknowledgments, prospect management, and data maintenance, Shemitria is instrumental in developing and implementing database policies and procedures.

Her meticulous approach extends to creating documents, spreadsheets, timelines, and reports, ensuring that fundraising database users receive timely selections. Shemitria's proficiency in diagnosing and repairing computer hardware within University Advancement ensures smooth operations.

She takes charge of running, maintaining, and enhancing reports and queries to safeguard data integrity. Shemitria's keen awareness of database security guides decisions on access permissions.

Supervising the processing and acknowledgment of significant contributions, including gifts, pledges, and matching claims, Shemitria ensures efficiency and database accuracy. She collaborates closely with various departments, such as major gift, corporate/foundation relations, planned giving, and school-based directors, facilitating seamless processing, reporting, and prospect research.

In her role, Shemitria addresses critical needs with agility, providing immediate solutions. Her expertise also extends to sourcing equipment, supplies, and special purchases, showcasing her proficiency in procurement procedures, paperwork management, and vendor relationships.

Shemitria Smith's commitment to Advancement Services at Clark Atlanta University is integral to the institution's philanthropic achievements and data management excellence.

Shemitria Smith, M.Ed, bCRE
Senior Director of Advancement Operations
Clark Atlanta University

Office of Advancement Services

Phone: (404)-880-6909
Email: ssmith@cau.edu
Harkness Hall, Room 216
223 James P. Brawley Dr., SW Atlanta, GA 30314

Advancement Services Offerings

Gifts & Records Management

Alumni & Donor Records processes private donations to the university. The team is responsible for recording and maintaining donor information, providing biographical and gift processing, and ensuring that all contributions are receipted in a timely manner.

Donor Services

Donor Services is a central resource that fosters a collaborative relationship with our campus partners. The team offers a range of services to engage, cultivate and steward priority constituents—alumni, parents and friends.

Information Services

Information Services provides the backbone and infrastructure for Institutional Advancement by overseeing business process analysis and implementation.

Prospect Development, Research & Strategy

Prospect Development, Research & Strategy provides information that helps university representatives establish, build, maintain and strengthen the relationships that lead to private gifts. The team conducts public information research on people, companies and foundations, seeking to identify new potential donors; to find indicators of prospects’ interests, willingness and capacity to give; and to provide information for development personnel that can be strategically applied throughout the development cycle.