Development Associate

Position:
Development Associate

Department:
Development

Full‑Time, Hourly, Non‑Exempt

Schedule:

Weekdays with some evening and weekend events

Reports to:

Events & Engagement Officer

The Development Associate will provide broad support for the Development Department in an administrative capacity. This is a front‑facing role that will have numerous interactions with donors and board members via phone and email, as well as in person s role will have responsibility for providing key support to the Events & Engagement Officer in the planning and execution of the theatre’s annual spring Gala as well as Opening Nights and other cultivation and stewardship events.

• Serve as a main point of contact for donors and board members and respond promptly to all inquiries
• Provide concierge ticketing to donors and board members; liaison with Ticketing team to ensure timely and accurate responses to donor requests
• Serve as the departmental point person for 7-8 Opening Nights per year: facilitate ticket purchases and exchanges, collect payments for pre‑show dinners, develop seating charts for dinners and shows, and collaborate with other departments (Artistic, Company Management, Press/PR) to ensure optimum seating for all constituents
• Working with the Events & Engagement Officer, coordinate details for the annual spring Gala with duties to include: RSVP management and donor communication, auction item fulfillment, online auction site preparation, tribute program book advertisement sales assistance and advertisement preparation
• Send invitations and collect and manage RSVPs for 10-20 events per year
• Assist with event planning and execution, including greeting donors, distributing tickets and communicating with vendors, in addition to occasional set up and breakdown duties
• Working with the Development Communications & Board Relations Specialist, help execute departmental mailings of invitations, donor appeals, acknowledgements, and stewardship materials, including working with major gift officers, executive leaders and board members to personalize communications
• Support donor stewardship processes such as notes on seats and fulfillment of donor benefits
• Assist with The Hunt, the Huntington’s young donors program, coordinating, preparing for and participating in meetings and events, and assisting with donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Utilize the Tessitura database, adhering to high standards of data accuracy, consistency, and efficiency
• Cross‑train in areas such as gift entry, list pulls, donor research, etc. so as to serve as a backup for short‑term staffing vacancies
• Create and maintain departmental calendar to track planned time off, events, mailings, deadlines, and other relevant information
• Manage calendar of board member life events, i.e. birthdays/anniversaries and facilitate appropriate communications
• Assist with various projects on an as needed basis

• 1-2 years of experience working in a professional office environment, preferably in the non‑profit field
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work comfortably and effectively with varied constituents including board members, donors, and prospects
• Excellent writing, organizational and information‑gathering skills
• Ability to manage time and multiple deadline‑oriented assignments and projects
• Ability to work effectively both individually and as a strong team member
• Meticulous attention to detail; excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Good judgment and ability to handle confidential information with discretion
  
  Experience using donor relational databases (Tessitura preferred), as well as strong knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• A good problem solver—can assess problems quickly and resolve issues
• Prior development experience and/or work with performing arts groups or a theatre is a plus