Development Assistant

The Development Assistant works with the Development Team to support the organization in meeting its annual and long term fundraising goals. This is primarily done through the management and growth of the Fisher Center and Bard Music Festival donor and individual giving programs. This is an exciting time to join a dynamic team as the Fisher Center is currently celebrating its 20th Anniversary with an extended season that culminates in the groundbreaking for a new performing arts studio building and the initiation of a capital campaign.

The Development Assistant reports to the Associate Director of Development to provide support to the full Development Team. The Development Assistant is also in regular contact with the Fisher Center’s Administration, Audience & Member Services, and Producing departments, as well as staff of Bard College’s Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs, including the Special Events team. This job is ideal for those seeking to learn about arts administration and build skills through a broad range of experiences and relationships.

This is a full-time, hourly position with an ideal start date of April 18, non-exempt (overtime-eligible), paid hourly at a rate range of $15-17, depending on experience level. Hours will average 30-35 hours/week, with the potential for overtime.

RESPONSIBILITIES

General responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

-Assisting with special patron events, including formatting invitations, handling correspondence with event planning and catering teams, tracking RSVPs and guest attendance, preparing and monitoring active event spaces, and providing support with other event planning tasks
-Supporting cultivation and stewardship activities for individual giving programs; including staffing dedicated member areas, encouraging visitors to support the Fisher Center or Bard Music Festival, assisting with member-specific communications and benefit distribution, and serving as an additional point of contact for our donors.
-Using Tessitura, our customer relationship management software, to look up patron information, generate attendee and development reports, track contributions and patron activity, enter research on ticket buyers, and help with any other data-based projects.
-Performing office duties such as keeping supply inventories, creating and distributing meeting agendas, documenting information in Confluence, and assisting with official Fisher Center mailings to patrons and the general public alike.

The development assistant’s role supports the development team’s work internally, cross-departmentally, and externally in its public-facing relationships, by:

-Providing information to audiences and patrons about Fisher Center and Bard Music Festival programs and membership as a consistent representative of the development team at public-facing events:
-Coordinating e-mail/mailing list sign-up
-Distributing member benefits
-Registering and renewing memberships
-Facilitating aspects of select sponsorship relationships, including collection of inventory and use of products, placement and use of promotional logos and appropriate crediting, and initiating new relationships
-Serving as the development team’s liaison for the production of select member and patron events, and supporting the systematization of event planning, guest communications, and on-site logistics management
-Scheduling and drafting select communications including special events invitations and follows ups, social media posts, and member and gift acknowledgment letters
-Completing data tracking and analysis projects in support of donor prospecting and grant reporting.
-Executing research projects for the development team
-Arranging performance and special event staffing schedules

Company-Wide Responsibilities:
-The Fisher Center is currently undergoing an organization-wide process of change toward becoming an anti-racist, multicultural institution. All on staff are expected to:
-Commit to anti-racism and inclusivity at the Fisher Center. This includes participating in any trainings when scheduled, supporting departmental, company-wide, and cross-departmental collaboration in issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and furthering your own independent journey with anti-racism.
-Contribute in meaningful ways to the organizational culture.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EXPERIENCE

-Basic administrative or customer service work required

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

-Excellent writing and communication skills, and superior attention to detail.
-Proficiency with Google Team Drives and Documents and Microsoft Office (specifically Word and Excel) is ideal.
-Eagerness to learn and speak about Fisher Center programming, Bard College, and the performing arts with a wide range of audience members, supporters, and artists.
-Ability to work well both independently and closely with other team members.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

-Experience with CRMs, specifically Tessitura, is preferred but not required.
-Experience with design software (Canva, Publisher, Adobe products, etc.) is preferred but not required.
-Interest or background in the performing arts is highly encouraged.
-An undergraduate, pre-professional, or equivalent experience in fundraising and/or administration is preferred but not required.

WORKING CONDITIONS

-Combination of office and event work, including sitting and standing as well as nighttime and weekend responsibilities
-Direct, face-to-face contact with a large audience and donor population
-Fast-paced, relationship-driven professional environment with balance of self-driven and supervisor-directed tasks.
-While some tasks can be performed remotely, this role will require on-site presence at the Fisher Center for meetings, performances, and events.

LOCATION

Bard’s beautiful 1,000-acre campus is situated on the east bank of the Hudson River in Annandale-on Hudson, New York. Community life is defined by numerous cultural and recreational opportunities in the surrounding historic Hudson River Valley and by proximity to New York City. Nearby towns and villages include Rhinebeck, Tivoli, and Red Hook, New York.

TO APPLY

Complete the application form here:https://formfaca.de/sm/hPtTkdrZ2.

Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

For any questions or issues with the application form, please contact fcjobs@bard.edu.

Bard College is an equal-opportunity employer, and we welcome applications from those who contribute to our diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, mental or physical disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, familial status, veteran status, or genetic information. Bard is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for all individuals in employment practices, services, programs, and activities.

ABOUT THE FISHER CENTER

The Fisher Center develops, produces, and presents performing arts across disciplines through new productions and context-rich programs that challenge and inspire. As a premier professional performing arts center and a hub for research and education, the Fisher Center supports artists, students, and audiences in the development and examination of artistic ideas, offering perspectives from the past and present, as well as visions of the future. The Fisher Center demonstrates Bard’s commitment to the performing arts as a cultural and educational necessity. Home is the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, designed by Frank Gehry and located on the campus of Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley. The Fisher Center offers outstanding programs to many communities, including the students and faculty of Bard College, and audiences in the Hudson Valley, New York City, across the country, and around the world. Building on a 163-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders.

Learn more about the Fisher Center, its programs, and its values at fishercenter.bard.edu/about.

ABOUT BARD COLLEGE

Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1000 park-like acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs; graduate degrees in 11 programs; nine early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 163-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal education. The undergraduate program at our main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.