Senior​/Development Coordinator

Department Summary:

The mission of VCU’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) is to maximize philanthropic support by engaging stakeholders with our institution, working in partnership with all VCU schools, programs and campuses as one development and alumni relations community and implementing the best practices and efficient strategies to achieve a comprehensive development program.

The Senior/Development Coordinator works directly with Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) colleagues to achieve Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) fundraising and engagement goals by performing a wide variety of administrative, logistical, operational, and technical tasks for designated colleges, schools, and units (CSU).

The Senior/Development Coordinator serves as the central point of contact for responding to constituent inquiries, anticipating volunteer and donor needs for information and leveraging university resources for the VCU School of the Arts (VCUarts) fundraising team, which focuses on generating support for all arts programs, including the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA).

• Provide support for administrative needs, including but not limited to, managing calendars, planning travel and donor visit itineraries, conducting and compiling preliminary research for proposals and other projects, drafting letters and briefs, maintaining documentation, providing fiscal/budget support, and project management;
• Provide timely and accurate travel, purchasing, and reimbursement assistance for fundraising staff;
• Coordinate, implement, and track donor acknowledgment processes by drafting personal and detailed acknowledgment letters and other special correspondence as needed;
• Assist with the logistical details of event planning, including out of town events and tours, that support fundraising and alumni engagement for VCUarts and the ICA, such as dinners, tours, receptions, and other events;
• Enter development interactions with donors and event participation data into VCU’s donor database;
• Provide assistance with donor and gift intent data integrity to Philanthropic Services, when issues of clarification arise;
• Share and update changes of contact information and biographical records;
• Assist with correspondence, mailings and reports for endowment donors and donors in the university’s annual and planned giving societies;
• Assist in assembling development proposals that are presented to prospective donors, including foundations and corporations;
• Serve as the initial point of contact for the office; determine matters that require the attention of others and refer and elevate as needed;
• Maintain confidentiality while determining appropriate responses to sensitive and complex issues;
• Take and share meeting minutes and follow up with colleagues on identified action items;
• Draft and collect topics for development team meeting agendas;
• Schedule volunteer and donor committee meetings and provide logistics, agenda setting, note taking, and follow-up support;
• Collaborate with finance, marketing and communications, faculty and curatorial colleagues on development and fundraising tasks and projects;
• Participate in trainings and share information with the team;
• Serve as an active team player in projects or activities that require full team collaboration;
• Anticipate project needs and discern priorities within budget and deadline;
• Ensure that the VCUarts development team is reminded about, aware of, and adhering to DAR-generated policies and deadlines;
• Ensure that the Office of the Dean of VCUarts and Office of the Executive Director of the ICA are provided with project and event briefings as is appropriate to their involvement, in a timely manner.

• Assist with the strategic planning and execution of events, providing new ideas and ways to improve current and future donor and alumni events for VCUarts and the ICA;
• Support donor relations/stewardship projects and initiatives, including tracking university gift agreements;
• Assist in the creation of development proposals that…