Donor Services Associate
About The Position
The Donor Services Associate plays a central role in ensuring an exceptional donor experience through accurate gift processing, thoughtful stewardship, and strong data integrity. This position is responsible for managing all contributions in Tessitura, maintaining high-quality constituent data, supporting donor communications and recognition, and providing timely reporting and analysis to advance fundraising and engagement efforts across the organization. Serving as a key partner to Development, Ticketing, and Finance, this highly detail-oriented and service-driven professional helps translate donor generosity into meaningful relationships by combining meticulous database management with responsive, donor-centered service. This role is foundational to donor trust, informed decision-making, and the long-term success of Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s fundraising program.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
- Experience working with a relational database system
- High proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and Word
- Experience in fundraising, ticketing, or nonprofit operations
- Service-oriented, collaborative, and solutions-focused
- High emotional intelligence and professionalism
- Exceptional attention to detail and organization
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Comfortable working independently and as part of a collaborative team
- Flexible and adaptable in a fast-paced environment
- Professional, warm, and confident when working with donors and partners
- Commitment to CST’s mission and values
Nice To Haves
- Experience in performing arts, ticketing, or marketing
- Two years of experience working with a relational database system
- Familiarity with donor stewardship, reporting, and campaign tracking
Responsibilities
- Process and record all gifts, pledges, and payments accurately and in a timely manner in Tessitura
- Generate and distribute personalized tax receipts and acknowledgment letters
- Track pledge schedules and facilitate reminders and follow-up
- Reconcile gifts and pledges with the Finance department and provide documentation for audits
- Serve as a donor concierge, including ticketing, account assistance, and donor service requests
- Maintain donor recognition listings and public acknowledgment records
- Prepare donor profiles, giving histories, and materials for meetings with individual and institutional funders
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date donor and prospect records, including contact information, giving history, communication preferences, and relationship notes
- Perform ongoing data hygiene, including duplicate resolution and quality control
- Set up and manage campaign, appeal, fund, designation, and source codes in Tessitura
- Execute segmentation, list building, and data extraction for all fundraising and engagement efforts (direct mail, email, gala, tele-funding, etc.)
- Generate standard and ad-hoc reports to support fundraising, stewardship, and leadership needs
- Analyze trends such as donor retention, donor growth, and campaign performance to support strategic decision-making
- Format and export data for external vendors (mail house, tele-funding, etc.)
- Maintain Tessitura documentation and provide training and guidance to Development team members
- Serve as the primary liaison between Development and Ticketing for donor ticketing needs
- Coordinate complimentary and donor ticket allocations and troubleshoot ticketing issues
- Provide light administrative support to the Chief Development Officer, including scheduling, meeting preparation, note-taking, and tracking follow-up items
- Support donor ticketing, guest lists, and on-site needs for Opening Nights, the Gala, and other development events
- Assist with fundraising logistics and data tracking during and after events
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
