Annual Fund and Alumni Specialist
• Comprehensively develop, implement, promote, and evaluate complex direct and e-mailed appeals, acknowledgements, stewardship, and invitational mailings several times a year - working with the team, content providers, and the mail house - while driving the strategy to grow donor and donation counts, forging relationships, fostering loyalty, and growing the culture of philanthropy.
o Includes but is not limited to:
■ Annual Fund Appeals (Digital and Postal Mailers)
■ Giving Day
■ Giving Tuesday
• Manage the planning, execution, and stewardship of alumni and other constituent events and activities including serving as the point of contact for stakeholders, internal teams, and external vendors, in collaboration with the Associate Director, Events and Community Programming and team. Manage internal and external communications, program development, menus, budgets, briefings, and other materials. Collaborate with design partners and vendors as needed.
o Includes but not limited to:
■ Alumni reunions
■ Professional society conference receptions
■ Whitman Society Reception
■ MBL Ambassadors
• Manage stewardship gift projects (e.g., incentives, courses, Whitman Society, reunions, etc.). Involves collaboration with stakeholders, acquiring gifts and collateral, assembling packages, and coordinating delivery.
• Oversee the Alumni Association and engage the group of educational and research alumni to serve as MBL ambassadors and annual fund donors.
• Manage purchasing and payment functions, including budget creation, maintenance, and analysis, for the Annual Fund and alumni activities.
• Acquire thorough familiarity with the programs, activities, and procedures of the MBL and the Development office to respond to questions and provide information confidently and accurately and inform creative approaches to stewardship.
• Participate in data hygiene in the relational database.
• Create clear, articulate correspondence on behalf of the Development office. Provide proofreading and formatting support for letters, reports, briefings, biographies, memorandums, and printed collateral.
• Perform other duties as required and/or assigned.
SKILLS REQUIRED:
• Advanced competency of computer skills, including Microsoft Office suite, relational database software (e.g., Raiser’s Edge), e-mail marketing software (e.g., Mailchimp), and desktop publishing (e.g. InDesign) with an interest in learning new skills.
• Ability to handle multiple, concurrent tasks and prioritize workload during high-pressure, high-volume periods, while under frequent deadline pressure.
• Well-developed decision-making, planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage detail-oriented workload with a high level of accuracy.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills and the ability to adapt communication style to address the varying needs at all levels of the MBL.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to work effectively and collegially with little supervision and as a member of a team.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and tact, including the ability to exercise absolute discretion regarding confidential matters.
• Requires some evening or weekend availability and occasional travel.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:
• College degree in communications, marketing, English, business administration, nonprofit management, sciences, or other related concentration preferred.
• A minimum of 3 years of nonprofit Development or academic research experience preferred.
• A minimum of 3 years administrative or secretarial experience with demonstrated ability to function independently and with sound judgment.
• A passion for science, higher education and learning is a bonus.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
• The use of a keyboard, mouse and computer screen, and the visual acuity to use the computer and perform manual file searches.
• Ability to use computers, indoors, extensively for 8 hours each day.
• Hearing requirements include the ability to hear and respond to instructions.
• The ability to lift less than 25 lbs. independently and carry 10-25 lbs.
• Other physical tasks include occasional prolonged standing/walking; climbing or descending multiple flights of stairs on occasion; use of hands for basic/fine grasping and manipulation, repetitive motion; reaching above and below the shoulders; kneeling, bending, and stooping. Other occupational requirements include talking, traveling, working around others, with others, and independently.
