Located in Boston's historic Fenway area, Simmons has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles.

Simmons University was one of the first higher education institutions to prepare women to become leaders and has evolved to become a university offering a women's undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all.

You're joining our community at an especially exciting time as one of our strategic goals is to become the most inclusive campus in New England.

You'll find that people who work here are truly committed to our mission of preparing students to become champions of social justice and leaders in their professions and their communities.

This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace.

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.

Job Summary

Reporting to and supporting the Associate Vice President for Campaign Planning and Major Gifts in the Office of Advancement ("Advancement"), the Major Gifts Coordinator ("Coordinator") plays an integral role in our highly efficient Advancement team in helping Simmons University meet its annual major gift fundraising goals during Simmons's largest comprehensive campaign.

To that end, the Coordinator works closely with major gift professionals in a fast-paced and challenging atmosphere to draft donor correspondence, including proposals, coordinate donor-focused events, manage donor and gift information, generate reports, and conduct prospect research.

The Coordinator also collaborates with other Advancement staff on special donor-related activities and projects as they arise.

Essential Job Functions / Responsibilities

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

Major Gifts

• Serve as an integral member of the Major and Capital Gifts team to support prospect and donor engagement, cultivation and solicitation goals directed by the major gift and capital gifts team.
• Support the major gift officers in drafting donor correspondence, acknowledgment letters, proposals, briefings, and reports.
• Schedule and support donor visits, both on campus and off. Work with academic and campus partners to ensure all parties have briefings, itineraries to support the prospect meetings goals.
• Produce and manage agendas, itineraries and briefing documents for prospect meetings.
• Prepare follow up correspondence and update prospect data, as necessary. Coordinate prospect strategy meetings with key campus stakeholders.
• Conduct prospect research and produce prospect strategy documents for prospect review meetings.
• Implement the Major Gift data-related activities associated with maintaining research data in Raiser's Edge and with moving prospects along the giving continuum.
• Support prospect management system related to Major Gift Officer portfolios.
• Produce a suite of reports that support the Major Gift team activities as needed.

Events

• Assist in event planning, data management and execution.
• Secure event space, produce invitations, mail production and ensure accurate invitation lists and coordinate follow up correspondence.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Prepare correspondence, acknowledgment letters, reports and proposals.
• Document processes.
• Participate in special events and campaign activities as needed.
• Other fundraising- or prospect research-related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Preferred Competencies

• Knowledge of fundamental fundraising / advancement / development principles or work systems is a plus.
• Knowledge of basic communication and dissemination techniques and methods, including alternative techniques and methods.
• Advanced knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Advanced knowledge of and skill with navigating and utilizing spreadsheets, presentations, word processing, databases, the internet, and other key computer and technical applications and related software.

Knowledge of and skill with navigating and utilizing customer relations management applications (Raiser's Edge / NXT in particular) a plus.

• Exceptional reading and writing skills, demonstrating the ability to effectively communicate and understand information and ideas with others, demonstrating active listening and learning.
• Strong interpersonal skills, demonstrating the ability to be aware of, coordinate, instruct, negotiate with, persuade, and be in service to others.
• High level of integrity and judgment in dealing with confidential and sensitive information.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to look at data and draw conclusions to inform strategies.
• Commitment to social justice / social impact.
• Demonstrates a strong ability to work with individuals across different identities, backgrounds, and abilities.
• Strong ability to work effectively in an outcomes-focused, team environment, with demonstrated ability to take responsibility for assigned tasks and take initiative.
• Ability to recognize and identify problems of varying complexity and develop, implement, and evaluate creative solutions as appropriate.

Ability to manage one's self and others as appropriate.

The ideal candidate will be positive, extremely service-oriented, and have a demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships with a variety of different individuals and groups.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• This is a full-time (40-hours / week) 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.
• Working on a computer, typing and looking at a screen for the majority of the day.
• Periodic on-campus presence for Advancement events.

Required Application Materials

• Resume
• Cover Letter

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.

Last updated : 2024-03-05