Assistant to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations

Position Overview

The Assistant to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations is a full-time position provides comprehensive support to the Associate Assistant V.P. for Development, the Associate V.P. for DAR, and the Principal Gift Officer. As the assistant to the office of DAR, this position also provides program support to the department of Principal Gifts in the planning and execution of all major and principal gift fundraising, including the management of a staff encompassing the departments of Major Gifts, Planned Giving, and Milestone Reunions.

Additionally, this position serves as the meeting logistics point person for Presidential Developmental travel, managing process oversight, timeline coordination, and the communication of logistics to the President’s Office, while also proofing, compiling, and distributing final meeting documents. Furthermore, the assistant to the office of DAR provides support for comprehensive fundraising campaigns and coordinates reports and research materials for Board of Trustees meetings and prospective donor visits. This position acts as the project manager for a wide variety of events involving alumni, parents, trustees, and donors

Compensation

The expected starting hourly range for this position is between $28.75 and $29.70. Actual pay will be adjusted based on job-related factors permitted by law, such as experience and training; licensure and certifications; market factors; departmental budgets; and responsibility.

Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities

Administrative Support and Budget Management:

• Support Assistant V.P. for Development’s, Assistant V.P. for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving’s, and the Principal Gift Officer’s travel including securing appointments, coordinating travel arrangements, and processing travel expense reports.
• Reconcile Visa statements for the V.P. of DAR, Assistant V.P. for Development, Associate V.P. for Principal Gifts, Assistant V.P. for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, Senior Director of Campaign Planning, and the Principal Gift Officer.
• Perform administrative tasks, including answering phone calls, drafting routine correspondence, preparation of gift acknowledgments, donor contact reports, etc. Manage the calendar: schedule appointments and meetings; prepare and distribute meeting materials.
• Extract and aggregate budget data from various development cost centers, performing detailed analysis to monitor expenditure trends and flag financial anomalies for further investigation.

Communications:

• Facilitate communications with the Assistant V.P. for Development staff, Associate V.P. for Principal Gifts staff, President’s office, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations’ office, other campus offices and departments, trustees of the College, consultants to the College, major gift donors and volunteers.
• Share in the oversight of web content for the division, adding and updating web pages associated with college fundraising priorities and programs.

Systems, Technology, and Data Visualization:

• Serve as liaison between development staff and data and systems managers to communicate needs regarding the systems; modify/create reports as needed in strategizing for and tracking fundraising progress.
• In coordination with Development and Alumni Relations Operations, assist in the creation and maintenance of charts, graphs, and presentations on the progress and history of Carleton’s giving priorities in support of the solicitation of major gift donors by the President, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, Associate/Assistant Vice Presidents in Development and Alumni Relations, Development Officers, and volunteers (trustees).

Public Relations and Committee Support

• Respond to questions from donors and prospective donors, by phone, email, mail, and from department websites.
• As needed, assist with Board of Trustees and other committee meetings in the preparation and distribution of materials, communications with committee members, and coordinating facility and catering arrangements.

Event planning and Project Management:

• In partnership with the Assistant for Development and Alumni Relations, support the leadership in the division of Development and Alumni Relations with cultivation events in the U.S. and internationally. Serve as project manager, implementing and managing the invitation and RSVP process including communication about and tracking of participation; management of venue contracts, details, tasks and deadlines associated with such, including payments, catering, AV needs, etc.; working with other departments on campus as necessary.

Other Divisional Support:

• Work in close conjunction with the Assistant to the Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations on projects as assigned.
• Ensure the smooth operation of the Development Office and the Office of the Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, e.g., procedures training and back-up support for department administrative assistants with telephone calls, mail distribution, equipment function/maintenance, and special projects.

Supervision Received and Exercised:

Shared responsibility for supervising student workers.

Education/Experience/Skills:

Required:

• A two-year college degree or completion of a specialized course of study related to the position AND three to five years of full-time professional administrative assistant experience, supporting more than one Director/Assistant VP or VP and department staff.
• Excellent communication skills; strong customer focus mindset and the ability to interact courteously and professionally with a wide range of people.
• Sound judgement, ability to make an informed decision and discretion to handle confidential or sensitive matters with integrity and trust.
• Strong writing skills, including experience proofreading and editing correspondence.
• Exceptional prioritization and organizational skills, high productivity and attention to detail, and the ability to set priorities, and cope well under pressure.
• Microsoft suite: advanced Microsoft Excel experience, and database skills; specifically, experience with high-volume data and mail merge functions.

Preferred:

• Experience working in higher education.
• An aptitude and ability to learn and adapt to new technologies: Dropbox, Google suite, Adobe suite.
• Project management and basic event planning experience.

Must have the ability to understand and follow written and oral work instructions, operations, safety procedures, and hazardous labels.

Note: This position description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the hire is complete. We accept only online applications.

Carleton College is an AA/EEO Employer: We are committed to developing our staff to better reflect the diversity of our student body and American society. Members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Carleton also offers a robust suite of benefits including: A generous 403(b) retirement plan with a 10% employer contribution and 2% employee contribution. Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance. Paid time-off, including 25 annual leave days, 8 paid holidays, and extra days at the end of the calendar year to make a continuous week off before New Year’s. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all employees. A dependent tuition program after six years of service.

Founded in 1866, Carleton College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college of roughly 2,000 students located in the historic river town of Northfield, Minnesota. Carleton College occupies more than 1,000 scenic acres of campus, arboretum, over 100 campus buildings, and athletic fields. Located 40 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Carleton offers access to the cultural advantages of a major metropolitan area.