Friends Coordinator

Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia)

Friends Coordinator

Full-time (37.5 hours weekly), non-exempt

Hourly rate: $30.77

The Job

The Friends Coordinator serves as the key liaison between Mia staff and the Friends of the Institute—a volunteer-led organization that supports Mia through advocacy, volunteer service, and public programming. This role provides project management, communications, and administrative support to ensure seamless collaboration between Mia and the Friends, enabling the successful delivery of events, volunteer engagement, and strategic initiatives aligned with Mia’s mission and values.

This position works closely with the Friends President, Friends Board members, and Mia departments including the Audience and Engagement Division, Events, Visitor Experience, Finance, and Advancement. Work direction and project priorities are set collaboratively by the Friends President in consultation with the Senior Manager of Guides and Volunteers.

In this role, you will…

1. Project and Process Management

• Coordinate planning and logistics for Friends events and initiatives including Art in Bloom, Friends Lecture Series, and other member programming.
• Serve as primary liaison between Friends leadership and Mia departments, ensuring alignment of timelines, resources, and expectations.
• Facilitate event orders, contract approvals, calendar updates, and payment processing in accordance with Mia protocols.
• Support implementation of project management systems and tools to enhance efficiency.

2. Communication

• Maintain proactive and responsive communication between Friends Board, membership (400 volunteers), and Mia staff.
• Provide consistent updates to the Friends President, Board, and the Audience and Engagement Division.
• Represent Friends in cross-functional meetings and ensure visibility of Friends activities within Mia.
• Respond to inquiries with professionalism, clarity, and empathy.
• Hold regular office hours in the Friends office, answer and return phone calls in adherence within a shared timeline.

3. Administrative Support & Office Operations

• Oversee daily operations of the Friends office including office supply ordering, volunteer records, data tracking, and mail distribution. (Note: This is not a personal assistant role.)
• Assist with onboarding and orientation for Friends Board and committee members.
• Ensure hospitality and readiness for board meetings and volunteer gatherings.

4. Performs other related duties and responsibilities as required or assigned.

Requirements:

Required:

• College coursework required; Bachelor’s degree and/or formal project management training preferred.
• Minimum 1–2 years of experience in administrative support, volunteer coordination, or event/project management.
• Experience working with database systems and CRM tools such as Salesforce.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities with attention to detail.
• Proficient in Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and project management software (e.g., Asana).
• Experience with CRM systems and generating reports (e.g. Salesforce)
• Experience with Artifax, Staff Savvy, or similar scheduling/event management systems.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining strong collaboration with multiple stakeholders.
• Customer service orientation with a commitment to inclusive and positive volunteer engagement.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with ticketing systems (e.g. Ticketure)
• Background in museum, art, nonprofit, or volunteer-led environments.

Additional Requirements:

• This position is based on-site at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
• In-person presence is required to support Friends operations, provide staff and volunteer coordination, and maintain continuity of communication.
• Must be available to work occasional evenings and weekends to support Friends programming and special events such as Art in Bloom and the Friends Lecture Series.
• Office hours may vary slightly based on event and project schedules; some schedule flexibility is available in coordination with the supervisor.

Mia Culture

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an audience-centered, equitable and inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome. Mia is Mission Driven, Generous, Agile, Emotionally Aware, and Positive, and endeavors to create a workplace culture where staff are responsible to one another, to our visitors, and to themselves to do the best work possible.

Mia Benefits and Perks

Health and Wellness: Mia offers comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, and vision coverage. We have a wellness and employee assistance program to support your overall wellbeing.

Financial Security: We provide financial peace of mind with a variety of options, including a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for health expenses and a Dependent Care Account (DCA) for dependent care expenses. Our 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan includes a percentage of salary contribution from Mia after two years of employment (and minimum hours and age eligibility requirements are met).

Additional Perks: In addition to paid vacation, personal, sick days, enjoy a balanced work-life with a 37.5-hour work week and 11 paid holidays.

Join Mia and enjoy a workplace that values your health, financial security, and personal development, all while contributing to a vibrant cultural institution.

To Apply

To be considered for this position, please apply online at https://jobs-artsmia.submittable.com/submit.

Posting Deadline

No set expiration date. Job postings typically stay posted until candidates are selected for phone interviews.

Mia is committed to championing policies and practices that value diversity, foster equity, and empower an accessible and inclusive environment. Our strength lies in the diversity among the broad range of people who contribute their time and talents to Mia. We consider inclusion and accessibility a driver of institutional excellence and seek out diversity of participation, thought, and action. It is our aim, therefore, that our employees, trustees, interns, and volunteers reflect and embrace these core values.

Mia is recognized by the Age-Friendly Institute’s Certified Age Friendly Employer (CAFE) program that identifies organizations committed to being the best places to work for employees aged 50 .

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION / EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER