Associate, Advancement

MILKEN INSTITUTE•Washington, DC

4d•$31 - $36•Hybrid

About The Position

The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD) at the Milken Institute (MI) is seeking a passionate, highly organized, and detail-oriented advancement professional to join our team as an Advancement Associate. This position will provide critical support across fundraising, partnerships, events, stewardship, and executive-level administrative functions as part of the broader Advancement team. The Associate will play a key role in supporting donor and partner engagement efforts while liaising with colleagues across the Milken Institute, including Business Development, Events, Operations, and executive leadership teams. MCAAD, the most recent center within the Institute, is catalyzing this work by operating a new type of cultural center in the heart of Washington, DC. MCAAD celebrates the ideal of the American Dream and explores the ongoing challenges people face in pursuing opportunity through exhibitions, programs, and educational initiatives. To accomplish this, we focus on four pillars of the American Dream: education, public health, finance, and entrepreneurship. MCAAD’s physical home is a remarkable renovation of several 120-year-old historic bank buildings, including Riggs Bank, known as the “Bank of Presidents.” The Center’s main halls are on the National Register of Historic Places, and our stewardship of the property—along with adjacent buildings on 15th St NW—showcases and recognizes the history of these buildings while adapting them for use as a modern cultural center with immersive exhibit galleries. The six-building complex features nearly 300,000 square feet of space and includes a state-of-the-art theater, event and lecture spaces, a holodeck, shop, and atrium café, in addition to conference facilities, recording and broadcast studios, and the Washington, DC headquarters of several Milken Institute centers. In MCAAD’s early stage of being open to the public and focusing on continued growth, we are experiencing significant interest from donors, institutional partners, community stakeholders, and event organizers eager to engage with the Center’s mission and programming. Reporting to the Senior Director of Advancement, the Advancement Associate will support a dynamic and collaborative team by helping coordinate fundraising activities, donor stewardship, partnerships, executive scheduling and administration, and special events. This role is ideal for a highly organized professional who enjoys balancing relationship management, operational coordination, and high-touch administrative support in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

The ideal candidate has a positive attitude, strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to thrive in a highly collaborative and fast-paced environment.
Must have approximately 3–5 years of experience in advancement, fundraising, partnerships, events, executive support, or stakeholder engagement, preferably within a nonprofit, cultural institution, higher education, or public-facing organization.
Experience supporting donor relations, events, or executive administration is strongly preferred.
Familiarity with donor management systems such as Salesforce or similar CRM platforms.
Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with colleagues and external stakeholders at all levels.
Ability to exercise discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment in handling sensitive information.
A proactive and flexible approach with strong customer service instincts and attention to detail.
Bachelor’s degree required.

Responsibilities

Support donor, partner, and stakeholder engagement efforts across the Advancement team.
Assist with stewardship activities, including donor communications, acknowledgments, benefits tracking, and relationship management.
Coordinate tours and meetings for current and prospective donors, partners, and community stakeholders.
Maintain accurate records, contact information, and engagement tracking in Salesforce and related systems.
Conduct background and biographical research to support fundraising and partnership strategies.
Help prepare briefing materials, meeting agendas, presentations, and follow-up communications for leadership and external engagements.
Support cross-functional coordination to ensure donor and partner commitments are fulfilled accurately and on time.
Assist with planning and execution of Advancement-related events, receptions, meetings, and special programs.
Coordinate logistics including invitations, guest tracking, catering, room reservations, materials preparation, and on-site support.
Serve as a point of contact for internal and external event inquiries and scheduling.
Track event calendars, RSVPs, and engagement records across departments.
Liaise with internal teams including Events, Operations, Hospitality, and Communications to support seamless event execution.
Help manage event follow-up, reporting, and documentation.
Provide administrative support to Advancement leadership, including scheduling, calendar coordination, meeting logistics, travel, and expense processing.
Support internal workflow management, project tracking, and departmental coordination.
Assist with preparing reports, correspondence, and other materials for internal and external audiences.
Help manage competing priorities and ensure timely follow-up on key initiatives and requests.
Serve as a collaborative and responsive team member who contributes to a positive and solutions-oriented work environment.
Duties as assigned.