What are the responsibilities and job description for the Special Assistant, Development, Marketing & Events position at Robin Hood Foundation?
Special Assistant, Development, Marketing & Events
About Robin Hood
Founded in 1988, Robin Hood finds, fuels, and creates the most impactful and scalable solutions lifting families out of poverty in New York City. The largest poverty fighting organization in New York City, Robin Hood partners with top nonprofits in New York City and invests in legal services, housing, meals, workforce development training, education programs, and other vital services that give New Yorkers in need the tools they need to build better lives. The programs it funds are often the first of their kind and serve as demonstration models to identify what works before being replicated in other cities. Because its Board of Directors covers 100% of all administrative, fundraising, and evaluation costs, every dollar donated goes directly to organizations helping New Yorkers in need.
While Robin Hood’s primary focus is on New York, its impact extends far beyond the borders of the city. Its pioneering, metrics-based approach has become the gold standard for charities around the nation as Robin Hood works to understand and evaluate the impact of its partners to ensure that its philanthropic dollars are utilized to maximum impact. Robin Hood also supports its community partners and their leaders with financial and strategic support and management assistance that allows those organizations to maximize their impact.
Building on our 30 years of experience, Robin Hood is expanding our impact with an explicit focus on lifting families sustainably and measurably out of poverty through supporting the most effective community partners; influencing public policy; raising our thought leadership profile; importing and exporting effective ideas and strategies nationally; and building new collaborations with strategic partners. As New York City emerges from the worst of the global pandemic, we are focused on getting families back on their feet; getting kids back on track; and getting New Yorkers back to work.
Robin Hood also understands that if we are to support families living in poverty and find permanent pathways out of poverty and towards financial independence, we must become an effective partner with government, especially at the City and State levels. We do this by leveraging the expertise of those who are closest to the challenges of poverty, including community members, community-based organizations, and others with specialized skills and knowledge. We also aim to collaborate with New York City government to fund program and policy innovations that hold the promise of expanding economic opportunity in New York City – providing nimble “risk capital” for high-potential strategies. In this way, we seek to leverage our philanthropic investments by finding ways to advance the highest-impact strategies at scale.
Given its long-standing reputation among influencers and support of over 200 New York City non-profit organizations, Robin Hood has the unique ability to be a catalyzing force for households experiencing poverty, bringing distinct constituencies together to develop and spread the most effective strategies to advance economic mobility in New York City and beyond.
Reporting Relationship
The Special Assistant, Development, Marketing & Events is on the Development, Marketing & Events team and will report to the Chief Development Officer and also supports the Chief Marketing & Events Officer administratively.
Position Overview
The Special Assistant, Development, Marketing & Events (DME) supports the Chief Development Officer (CDO) and Chief Marketing & Events Officer (CMEO) through high-quality coordination, organization, and execution of workflows related to the Board of Directors and top donors in their portfolios. This role manages complex information, prepares leadership for high-touch interactions, and ensures smooth operations across DME’s executive functions.
A core part of the role is maintaining a complete, accurate, and current picture of each board member’s and top donor’s engagement with Robin Hood. Success requires excellent judgment, strong communication skills, discretion, and the ability to manage multiple priorities with reliability and care.
Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Executive & Board/Top Donor Support
- CDO and CMEO Executive Support: Manage calendars; prioritize commitments; coordinate information flow; ensure timely responses; track tasks and deadlines; and resolve scheduling issues thoughtfully.
- Holistic Board Tracking: Maintain an up-to-date, comprehensive view of each board member’s fundraising-related engagement with Robin Hood.
- Board Report-Out Development: Project manage and maintain a recurring board report-out summarizing engagement, touchpoints, upcoming opportunities, and key follow-ups. Coordinate updates across teams and ensure clarity and consistency.
- Board & Committee Meeting Support: Coordinate logistics, prepare materials, attend meetings, record minutes, and track follow-ups for Development Committee, Endowment Committee, Benefit Planning Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee and related groups.
- Confidentiality & Recordkeeping: Manage sensitive donor and board information with the highest discretion. Organize files and materials with consistency and accuracy.
- Financial & Expense Processing: Process and reconcile expenses for the CDO and CMEO and support tracking of the DME operating budget.
- Coordination and Project Management
- Internal Team Building: Coordinate and support the planning, execution, and ongoing management of DME team-building initiatives, staff engagement activities, and internal culture-strengthening efforts throughout the year.
- Executive Reporting & Preparation: Develop briefing documents, donor bios, background materials, and other preparation needed for board and top donor interactions.
- Engagement Logistics: Coordinate scheduling, travel, and logistics for board and top donor meetings. Ensure leadership is fully prepared with agendas, materials, and follow-up plans.
- Cross-Team Coordination: Work across Development, Marketing, and Events to gather updates, ensure accuracy, and support execution of critical workstreams.
- Project Support: Provide project management support on key initiatives such as the Endowment campaign, board-driven projects, internal DME initiatives, and priority projects for the CDO and CMEO.
- Fundraising, Donor & Data Logistics
- Portfolio Support: Provide administrative and logistical support for the CDO and CMEO portfolios of board members and top donors.
- Correspondence: Draft, edit, and proofread emails, call reports, cover notes, acknowledgments, and meeting summaries.
- Data & CRM Management: Enter and maintain engagement data accurately; track follow-ups; ensure timely stewardship and record integrity.
Qualifications
- 4 years of relevant experience in executive support, development, donor relations, or a comparable fast-paced, high-touch environment.
- Experience supporting senior leaders and/or boards, including managing complex calendars, meetings, travel, and sensitive materials.
- Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and workstreams with accuracy and follow-through.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including drafting and editing emails, briefings, decks, donor materials, and meeting documentation.
- Demonstrated experience working with CRMs and data systems (e.g., Salesforce or similar), with strong attention to detail and data integrity.
- Sound judgment and discretion when handling confidential information and navigating sensitive situations.
- Ability to anticipate needs, flag issues early, and operate with a high degree of reliability and independence.
- Comfort working in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment that requires flexibility, professionalism, and calm under pressure.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Robin Hood is committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation in all aspects of its work. As New York City’s largest poverty-fighting organization, Robin Hood believes that building a diverse team is fundamental to its ability to effectively serve and strengthen organizations serving the most vulnerable communities in the city, and to influence the policies that affect them.
Robin Hood believes in the potential that diversity creates – deep and responsive relationships with its community partners; the ability to solve complex problems efficiently and effectively; and, most importantly, the ability of its diverse staff to work to its full capacity.
Robin Hood builds diversity, inclusion, and equity practices into all aspects of its work. Its practices, values, traditions, and beliefs are embedded in the inclusive culture that it creates. Operationally, its formal and informal structures support a work environment that advances the professional development of staff at all levels, allows for innovation, and grounds its work as poverty fighters.
Robin Hood seeks to attract and retain staff that reflects the communities that it serves and is enhanced by its efforts at meaningful inclusion. It ensures that team members are empowered to make decisions, offer actionable feedback, and share credit for team success. Further, Robin Hood seeks to develop talent professionally and has created an intentional focus on mentorship and sponsorship, particularly of junior staff. Its goal is to encourage long term talent retention and engagement, while fostering a culture of innovation.
Robin Hood Guiding Principles
As an organization committed to economic mobility, our work is grounded in the following Guiding Principles:
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Proximity and humanity
- Risk-taking and innovation
Our professional community reflects myriad demographic characteristics, perspectives, and backgrounds, which includes various identities that reflect diversity in gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic status. Our colleagues have access to opportunity and advancement, as we promote fair and equitable treatment and have encouraged participation by underrepresented groups. As a team, we promote a sense of belonging, high levels of engagement, and shared respect.
- Robin Hood puts people first. Always.
- Robin Hood is unafraid to take action and create solutions.
- Robin Hood is data driven and heart led.
- Robin Hood works the coat check.
Salary and Benefits
Robin Hood offers a competitive compensation package, with a salary range determined by years of experience, skills, and abilities. Each candidate’s placement within the range will be based on these factors while ensuring alignment with our commitment to equitable internal pay practices.
Our extensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, and a 12% employer contribution to a 401(a) retirement plan. We also support a healthy work-life balance by providing new hires with 20 days of accrued paid time off. This position is based in New York City and follows a hybrid work environment. Employees are required to work on-site three (3) days per week, with Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday designated as the standard in-office days. Please note that the hybrid schedule is subject to change based on organizational priorities and team needs. Any adjustments will be communicated well in advance.
The salary range for this position is $83,535 – $88,000.
To Apply
Please visit our website to complete our online application.
Robin Hood is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants from diverse backgrounds and identities are encouraged to apply.
Salary : $83,535 - $88,000