Development Specialist

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Philanthropic Services, the Development Specialist (DS) is an
integral member of a Development Department consisting of five full time staff. As DS, you will be
responsible for the logistical and tactical operations needed to implement membership fulfillment,
stewardship and fundraising events, database integrity, and administrative support. You will be
successful in this role if you’re a detail-oriented generalist looking to join a nimble and motivated team
at an established and growing cultural institution. The DS will have three main areas of focus:

● Database Integrity, where you will execute database clean-up queries and deduplication functions, as well update constituent and membership data
● Membership Stewardship, where you will oversee fulfillment and ensure members receive their benefits, work with the Manager of Individual Giving on executing quarterly renewals, and apply personalization recommendations to acknowledgments
● Donor Events, where you will support the Event Specialist on events such as the Making History Gala and Member Week, and assist with logistics, guest lists, and tactical support

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Massachusetts Historical Society’s Development Department as they embark on several exciting projects to expand the scope and impact of the Society’s work. The MHS Development Department is committed to mentorship and professional development for team members including access to skill development courses and opportunities to attend local conferences.  This is a hybrid position working a salaried 35-hour work week, normally during regular Mon.-Fri.  business hours. Fully remote work is not available.  The DS will work on-site at least three days per week, and sometimes more, with occasional early morning, evening, and weekend work. Flexibility for evenings and weekends or for longer hours around department events is required.

The DS may assist with supervising volunteers and interns on related activities.

Key Responsibilities:
• Manage the accuracy of constituent data in the Altru database, including:
○ Entering and updating contact data based on notifications of address and/or contact changes
○ Updating membership status
• Maintain data integrity in the Altru database, including:
○ Running clean-up queries on an established schedule
○ Running deduplication, global record changes, and other functionalities
• Review gift acknowledgements
• Facilitate quarterly Membership renewal outreach
• Fulfill membership benefits including:
○ Sending fulfillment communications to new and renewed members
○ Collating responses and executing fulfillment
• Provide logistical and tactical support for stewardship and fundraising events including:
○ Tracking registration and pulling registration lists
○ Invoice processing and data tracking
○ Ordering supplies
○ Assisting with event set-up, check-in, and other duties during the event
• Provide occasional administrative support for other Development activities including mailing
projects, prospect research and geo-plotting, and other administrative tasks
• Attend occasional evening and weekend events related to the position

Qualifications

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below.

● 2-5 years of Development or Administrative experience
● Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Suite, and Zoom
● Experience with events
● Driven and motivated with a high level of attention to detail
● Strong organization and project management skills
● Collaborative workstyle both within the organization and with external constituencies
● Good judgement and discretion, especially when working with confidential information
● Genuine interest in the Society’s mission

Of Added Value:
● Competency with Blackbaud Altru or a comparable database, specifically with maintaining constituent records
● Experience with Adobe Acrobat, DonorSearch, Constant Contact, Survey Monkey, Issuu
● A good sense of humor and collegial attitude
● Innovative and open to change, with creative instinct