Development Associate - Hybrid

Development Associate - Hybrid

At Wellesley, our mission is to deliver an outstanding liberal arts education to women who will make a difference in the world. Our collaborative community, comprising of faculty, students, staff, and alumnae, is guided by our shared commitment to educational excellence. Join us in this transformative journey!

The Development Associate provides specialized coordination and content support to maximize the engagement velocity of the Vice President's principal gift portfolio. Reporting to the Vice President for Development and working in close coordination with the Vice President's Executive Assistant, the Associate supports the VP's highest-level fundraising priorities and campaign objectives. By managing the 'pre- and post-engagement' workflow—including the synthesis of strategic donor pipeline information, the drafting of donor-facing correspondence, and providing assistance with travel and expense logistics—the Associate enables the VP to maintain a consistent and sophisticated cadence of donor outreach.

The Associate ensures the accuracy of documentation and manages the administrative progress of the solicitation cycle, including the timely recording of activity reports and opportunity updates. Additionally, the role provides focused administrative support to the Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Development and Campaign Director to maintain core departmental operations.

• Portfolio Movement & Relationship Readiness:
  Provides dedicated project and task coordination to manage the Vice President's complex donor workflow. Proactively monitors the donor "top list" to identify required outreach and ensure the VP is prompted for upcoming engagement milestones. Facilitates the movement of prospects through the solicitation cycle by ensuring no strategic opportunity is overlooked and that all "next steps" are clearly identified and actionable.
• Executive Drafting & Briefing Support:
  Serves as a drafter for the VP's high-level donor-facing communications, including introductory outreach and strategic follow-up. Synthesizes relevant background information and prospect data into concise "one-pagers" and briefings to ensure the VP and President are fully prepared with current talking points and institutional context for every donor interaction.
• CRM Documentation & Strategy Records:
  Maintains the integrity of the VP's and AVP's portfolio data within the CRM (Affinaquest). Responsible for the prompt entry of contact reports and the recording of strategy session notes to ensure that the history of the College's most sensitive donor relationships is accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date. Provides essential assistance with the processing of travel and expense reimbursements for the Vice President's portfolio activities.
• AVP Administrative Support:
  Provides basic administrative and logistical support to the Assistant Vice President and Campaign Director. Manages the AVP's calendar and coordinates meetings.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• One to three years of professional experience in an office, research, or institutional environment is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive information with the highest level of confidentiality and professional discretion.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer's sponsorship now or in the future.

• Synthesis & Narrative Writing:
  Ability to take a large volume of information and distill it into clear, "ready-to-use" briefing materials or first drafts.
• Proactive Coordination: A high degree of initiative; the ability to manage complex project tasks and identify what the VP will need before it becomes urgent.
• CRM Literacy:
  Proficiency in data entry and information retrieval within a donor database (Affinaquest/Salesforce) to ensure record integrity.
• Professional Diplomacy:
  Ability to work collaboratively within a high-functioning executive office, respecting established roles while providing critical support.

Flexibility &

Schedule:

We value a collaborative hybrid environment. Our standard schedule includes three days on campus to connect with the team, with two…