Development Associate, Alumni + Family Relations

Job Summary Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) seeks a Development Associate, Alumni & Family Relations to join Institutional Advancement (IA).Reporting to the Executive Director of Alumni & Family Relations, the Development Associate is responsible for providing proactive administrative support to the Executive Director, coordinating internal meetings, preparation, travel logistics and follow-up for external visits and meetings. The role provides excellent customer service to alumni, families, and others in response to phone, email inquiries, and requests for information.

In addition, the Development Associate supports departmental efficiency by developing, analyzing, and monitoring the Alumni & Family Relations budget to ensure alignment with departmental goals and financial best practices, while coordinating logistics and projects that advance key initiatives.

The successful candidate will thrive in a campus environment that is committed to advancing the principles of social equity and inclusion, environmental and climate justice, and equal access to resources and opportunities.

Essential Functions:

Provides proactive administrative support to the Executive Director of Alumni & Family Relations and the department, including:

Addressing inquiries to the Alumni & Family Relations office via email and phone, answering questions and disseminating to other staff when appropriate and handling other general inquiries.

Maintaining and updating the Executive Director’s calendar, including but not limited to proofreading, preparation of meeting agendas and communications, detailed travel itineraries and travel arrangements. Ensure that all materials and documents related to trips or visits and any resulting assignments or information are recorded and distributed as appropriate.

Serving as departmental project coordinator for intra- and inter-departmental projects and initiatives as needed.

Tracking, monitoring, and maintaining expense reports and reconciling travel reports, credit card settlements, and reimbursement requests for the team.

Entering the contact report and other data and activities (event registration and attendance) into the database (Raiser’s Edge).Working collaboratively and proactively with other administrative support staff to coordinate meetings and other events. Schedule routine meetings including, but not limited to staff meetings, and Executive Directors’ meetings.

Develop, analyze, and monitor the Alumni & Family Relations budget to ensure efficient and effective financial operations aligned with department goals:

Work with Alumni & Family Relations team to gather financial data and projections

Monitor department spending to align with the approved budget

Analyze budget variances and make recommendations for financial optimization

Prepare monthly reports for the Executive Director and team Ensure compliance with RISD policies and regulations

Support audits related to financial performance and budgetary compliance

Oversee contract management and monitoring in partnership with the AVP and the Procurement Office:

Complete training on accounting software and platforms

Check contract terms to ensure they align with RISD’s policies. Contact staff or vendors to negotiate changes as needed.

Confirm contract status with Procurement Regularly submit Alumni & Family Relations’ contracts via contract software for review and approval

Monitor the approval/pending status on contract softwar

Update the contract status sheet accordingly

Working as an integral part of the IA team, collaborate support strategic initiatives and priorities of the division. Performs administrative functions across any of the individual units across IA, as directed and in specific moments of necessary.

Hire, onboard and supervise student workers to support the Alumni & Family Relations team and complete assigned projects.

Maintain department supply inventory including RISD swag. Purchase items as needed and establish a tracking system that provides visibility to the team.

Support the successful planning and implementation of events, including but not limited to Commencement & Reunion Weekend, Families Weekend, RISD Craft, and alumni…