Major Gifts Coordinator bei Simmons

Located in Boston’s historic Fenway area, Simmons University has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons was founded for equality 125 years ago as one of the first higher education institutions dedicated to helping women become leaders. Today, our university continues to grow and evolve and now offers Boston’s only women’s undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all. 

You’re joining our community at an especially exciting time as we continue to innovate for the future. Simmons recently launched a six-school academic structure that leverages our expert faculty and longstanding expertise in professions that make our communities stronger. In addition, we continue to highlight our high-value education proposition that is delivering greater ROI to students and putting them on the fast track to career growth and success. You’ll find that people who work here truly believe in our mission of preparing students to become social justice-oriented leaders who excel in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace.

As a university that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to and supporting the Associate Vice President of Advancement and Campaign Director in the Office of Advancement (“Advancement”), the Major Gifts Coordinator (“Coordinator”) provides critical operational and administrative support to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the frontline fundraising, prospect management, and prospect research functions. The Coordinator manages portfolio assignments; supports donor-focused travel, events, and campus visits; plans and project-manages team meetings and subsequent tasks; facilitates donor correspondence, proposals, and briefings; and generates regular and specialized reports, all with an eye toward iterative process improvements. The Coordinator also collaborates across the Advancement department on special donor-related projects as they arise. This is an excellent opportunity to engage and collaborate with all aspects of a university fundraising operation. 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Fundraising Operations and Administrative Support

• Serve as an integral member of the frontline fundraising team to support prospect and donor  engagement, cultivation, and solicitation goals. 

• Support the gift officers in drafting donor correspondence, briefings, proposals, and reports. 

• Schedule and support donor visits, both on campus and off campus. 

• Work with academic and campus  partners to ensure all parties have briefings, itineraries, and all necessary information and materials to ensure that all stakeholders are fully informed and prepared. 

• Produce and manage scheduling, agendas, documentation, and task follow-up for internal meetings, including prospect strategy meetings with key campus partners. 

Prospect Management and Research

• Partner with prospect research staff to produce research, strategy, and briefing documents for both Advancement staff and key stakeholders. 

• Update and maintain data in Raiser’s Edge/NXT, including portfolio assignments, donor interactions, and moves management.

• Produce and distribute regular reports to track team activities, donor engagement, and fundraising progress, as well as custom reports and lists, as needed. 

Events 

• Provide logistical support in donor-related events, including securing space, producing invitations, managing guest lists and responses, and day-of event support.

• Manage post-event actions, including uploading data, coordinating follow up correspondence, tracking tasks, and documenting outcomes and learnings. 

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist with special projects, campaign activities, and Advancement-wide events and initiatives as needed. 

• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of two (2) years of administrative or related professional experience.

• Exceptional skills in word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and CRM systems.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to independently prioritize multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.

• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, with an emphasis on clarity and professionalism. 

• Advanced knowledge of office administration practices, including scheduling, records management, and office systems.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of fundraising/advancement principles in higher education or a nonprofit setting is preferred.

• Experience with Raiser’s Edge/NXT or comparable CRM database is a plus.

COMPETENCIES

• High level of integrity and judgment in dealing with confidential and sensitive information.

• Strong analytical, time-management, documentation, and organizational skills, as well as attention to detail.

• A commitment to social justice/social impact, strong interpersonal skills, and a demonstrated ability to work with individuals across different identities, backgrounds,  and abilities. 

• The ideal candidate will be positive, reliable, committed to building strong working relationships, creative, flexible, and eager to learn and grow.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• This is a full-time salaried position with occasional night and weekend requirements.

• Eligible for a flexible, hybrid in-office/remote work setting structure. 

• Occasional lifting of heavy printed material, large boxes, and retail merchandise.

• Extended periods of computer use. 

• Periodic on-campus presence for Advancement events and other university activities. 

Salary Grade

Instructions to Applicants: Please upload all applicable application materials (e.g. resume/cv, cover letter, writing sample, teaching philosophy, etc.) in the Application Materials box on page 2 ("My Experience") of this application. Documents can be uploaded individually or as a combined document (e.g. PDF).

Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual’s community experience. As a university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.