Special Assistant, Development

NJ PERFORMING ARTS•Newark, NJ

9d•$0 - $75,000

About The Position

The Special Assistant provides high-level administrative support to the Vice President of Development and contributes to the successful functioning of the NJPAC development department. Additionally, this person will help the Vice President to manage projects that do not neatly fit within the organizational chart or that fall between leadership areas of responsibility. The ideal candidate for this position is a proactive, strategic thinker that is comfortable learning new systems and with strengths in independently identifying and supporting end-user business needs. To succeed in this role, the ideal candidate must bring maturity, sound judgment, and professionalism, along with the ability to manage multiple projects at once in a fast-paced environment. The Special Assistant must be highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to anticipate project needs while balancing competing priorities. Strong interpersonal skills and a proactive mindset are essential, as is the ability to work independently and meet deadlines. The individual must be willing to support occasional evening and weekend events, and be comfortable working with a wide range of stakeholders including internal staff, vendors, volunteers, trustees, and donors. The Special Assistant is expected to provide outstanding customer service and be an enthusiastic, solutions-oriented team player.

Requirements

Ideally 2-3 years experience in a fundraising environment
Ability to identify and implement solutions for departmental pain points
Excellent skills in Microsoft programs google suite and CRM platforms – Salesforce a plus; ability to mail merge.
Excellent project management skills executed in fast-paced and intense work environments
Strong interpersonal, decision-making, and organizational skills with attention to detail
Superior verbal and written communication skills with strong grammatical, proofreading and editing capabilities
Willing to conquer the “small tasks” with an understanding of their vital importance in the success of the organization
Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work
Exceptional relationship management and customer service skills with the ability to successfully engage with internal and external individuals including donors, community leaders, school district officials, etc.
Must be an independent, self-motivated and highly resourceful individual in a fast-paced environment; able to prioritize and anticipate needs
Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times, work independently and exercise substantial discretion and judgment
Strong critical thinker with inclination to improve and evolve processes for maximum efficiency and growth
Ability to work weekday morning/weekend/evening events, as required

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent preferred.

Responsibilities

Prepare weekly donor acknowledgement letters and provide quality control to ensure data and language accuracy
Manage on-site donor recognition, including annually updating lobby banners and traffic review of credit lines for annual support and special projects
Lead creation of donor recognition lists for Report to the Community and Lobby Banners, working with marketing and across development teams to pull lists, manage edits, proofread for accuracy and submit a finished product
Serve as project manager for annual mailings of the endowment report, Report to the Community and holiday cards, including list management, mail merging and mailing, including working with outside vendors as needed
Assist with onboarding logistics for new Development team members (workspace setup, system access requests, orientation materials)
Manage monthly VP work records, AMEX and expense reports
Maintain updated marketing collateral for pitch meetings
Maintain up to date press kits
Communicate with marketing team on behalf of VP, including submitting project requests using Wrike project management system
Book the use of NJPAC public spaces in arts management software, as requested
Coordinate special requests for donor tickets, as requested
Manage inventory of NJPAC letterhead and envelopes and submit requests for replenishment
At VP’s direction, lead production of department wide retreats, events and team-building activities
Organize and share annual development events calendar
Support scheduling and light administrative needs for Corporate, Individual, Foundation or Events teams, as capacity allows
Support VP, Development with annual board solicitation mailing and tracking
Gain deep familiarity with universe of NJPAC donors, with specific focus on Board of Directors
Prepare documentation for gift entry and ensure gifts are properly documented
Lead quarterly review and preparation of pledge reminders
Attend regular development task force meetings to take notes and make assignments for follow up
Support maintenance of annual giving dashboards in Salesforce and Tableau, including reconciliation as needed
Serve as project manager as requested by VP for CRM implementation projects
Help to maintain and leverage Salesforce CRM to support fundraising, donor relations, and organizational reporting.
Create and maintain custom reports and dashboards to track donor activity, prospect pipelines, event attendance, and other key metrics as requested by leadership
Enter, update, and clean donor and contact data to ensure accuracy and consistency across the database
Manage data imports/exports and support regular data hygiene efforts (de-duplication, updating contact information, correcting records)
Support moves management tracking, including logging donor interactions, next steps, and follow-up tasks
Assist with list generation for mailings, invitations, and solicitations
Troubleshoot basic data issues and flag larger system needs to the appropriate team member or administrator
Continuously learn and adapt to evolving Salesforce configurations, reports, and processes used across the organization
Serve as data ombudsman for Board accounts in Salesforce, including quarterly review of list tags, biographical information, household information, recognition, committee participation and salutations
At VP direction, prepare fundraising reports for Exec Committee and BOD meetings
Schedule annual Nominating and Governance Committee meetings, prepare and send meeting materials and prepare meeting minutes, as requested
Prepare, edit, and proofread correspondence and reports including Board and Committee memos, minutes, and presentations
Maintain accuracy of Board and committee listings on NJPAC website and internal documentation
Manage schedule of Vice President, including coordinating and scheduling meetings and making travel arrangements
Provide support for meetings, including but not limited to: booking rooms and/or making reservations; scheduling and coordination among participants; creation and dissemination of meeting materials (including presentations); preparing gift bags and giveaways; ordering and managing catering
Support events team in producing an array of on and offsite special events: including 2 annual fundraisers and frequent cultivation and stewardship events; responsibilities may include, but are not limited to: staffing check in tables, creating name tags, microphone management during Q&A, invitation follow up (phone and email); mailing list compilation and editing; editing event details in Salesforce including registration and attendance