PURPOSE STATEMENT
Cure Alzheimer’s Fund seeks an energetic and highly organized Donor Relations Associate (DRA) to join a high-performing team of mission-driven professionals in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. This is a unique moment to join Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and support externally facing Development colleagues on a range of fundraising strategies and tactics, and an exceptional opportunity that offers a supportive environment in which to learn and refine the important foundational skills necessary as a frontline fundraiser.
RESPONSIBILITIES
On a day-to-day basis, the DRA will perform a variety of administrative support and direct donor engagement duties to advance frontline fundraiser impact. The successful candidate will be an effective problem-solver, exceptionally detail-oriented, and possess strong organizational, verbal and written communication skills. They will demonstrate the initiative and ability to anticipate needs with minimal direction, commitment to meeting deadlines, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to effectively ‘manage up’. The DRA must be able to work collaboratively within a team environment and independently.
EVENT RELATED
- Maintain the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund Development calendar.
- Work across the Development team and with colleagues in Marketing & Communications to lead or support - depending on the event - fundraising and awareness events including “State of the Mind” receptions, small dinners, fundraising events, and similar activities.
- Communicate with vendors, hosts, researchers, and other event representatives.
- Build invitation lists from the donor database for events based on geography.
- Track event invitations, RSVPs and related data in the donor database.
- Send invitations, confirmations, and follow-up communications.
- Coordinate shipment of collateral and other supplies.
- Be on-site to coordinate with vendors and support event logistics.
- Create Zoom meetings and webinars for virtual events; support tech/recordings.
- Draft, maintain and store event planning documents.
- In collaboration with colleagues in Development Operations, prepare donor and prospect profiles and briefings for donor meetings and cultivation events.
- Support the scheduling of donor-facing activities, including coordinating travel as needed, booking restaurant/vendor reservations.
- Work with externally facing development colleagues to ensure effective post meeting/event follow-up to foster the cultivation of ongoing relationships.
DONOR ENGAGEMENT
- Send thank you emails, make thank you calls, and invite renewed support from select donors and prospects particularly during the highest gift volume periods.
- Copyedit reports and emails.
- Assist with grant writing assignments.
- Serve as back up to support Support CEO donor engagement activities including scheduling meetings, helping to maintain calendar, uploading information to donor database (e.g. contact reports, email communications, new constituent records, and constituent updates).
ADMINISTRATIVE
- Ensure donor records are maintained and updated, utilizing donor database and SharePoint.
- Run queries and reports from donor database.
- Maintain awarded research list for the “Gifts with Special Requirements Process”.
- Maintain a general understanding of where documents are housed as well as a general understanding of all Frontline processes (i.e., reports, upcoming and previous events, etc.).
- Submit requests for prospect research, constituent updates, and data lists.
- Organize and maintain files, both paper and electronic.
- Support Business Services by facilitating receipt collection and coding.
- Coordinate with Business Services for sales tax exemptions.
- Be generally available for time sensitive support requests (i.e., tech checks, quick prospect research, special projects with other teams, etc.)
- Work occasional night and weekend hours; attend organization-wide and team retreats and events.
- Other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
- 2+ years of administrative and project management experience preferred, ideally in the nonprofit sector; direct experience in fundraising and events is highly desirable. Candidates in the greater Boston area will be prioritized.
- Enthusiastic attitude and an appreciation for a fast-paced, professional environment.
- Detail-oriented with strong organizational and project management skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Intellectually curious with investigative and research skills and demonstrated proficiency in online research.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and able to build authentic relationships with colleagues across roles, teams, and identities.
- Interest in and desire to learn how to become an impactful development professional.
- An open and regular communicator about progress towards goals with EVP and Development team members, and colleagues across the organization.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, work autonomously under pressure of multiple and sequential deadlines, and adjust to changing priorities while meeting deadlines.
- Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately and with discretion.
- Interest in philanthropy and a commitment to serving families affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
- Excellent computer literacy; proficiency using Microsoft Office Products, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
- Prior experience with Raiser’s Edge or other relational databases is helpful.
- Experience in a nonprofit, healthcare or higher education setting is highly desirable.
ABOUT CURE ALZHEIMER’S FUND
Headquartered in Wellesley, MA, the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund team is comprised of mission-driven professionals who share a commitment to finding a cure. The Board of Directors, Trustees, and select donors support all operating expenses, allowing every general dollar raised to go directly to support research initiatives. With 30 full and part-time staff and more than 894 grants funded around the world, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has distributed more than $210,000,000 to Alzheimer’s research, with many projects resulting in breakthroughs that afford a deeper understanding of Alzheimer’s disease to get closer to a cure.
There are currently 6 million people in the United States and 50 million worldwide who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Current estimates are that this represents 25% of the actual number of those afflicted; the others have not yet been diagnosed. Underrepresented racial groups and women are most at risk. Of those who have the disease, two-thirds are women. Black persons are twice as likely to get the disease as white persons, and the rate of the disease within the Hispanic and Latino populations is expected to grow 7x in the next 30 years.
Recognizing that therapies are only possible when based on successful foundational research, founding board directors Henry McCance, Jeffrey and Jacqueline Morby, and Phyllis Rappaport formed Cure Alzheimer’s Fund in 2004 with an unwavering focus on providing research grants to the world’s leading scientists researching Alzheimer’s disease. The organization’s vision has been carefully and ambitiously designed to accelerate research, make bold bets, and eradicate Alzheimer’s disease.
Pearl Street Collective, the search firm with purpose, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Adele Mezher, Maeve Clifford, and Shari Berenson are leading the search. Pearl Street is an award-winning, national executive search and talent strategy firm serving the nonprofit, education, and healthcare sectors. Our firm is women-owned and led by a diverse group of talented professionals who are deeply committed to Equity and are disrupting traditional search dynamics by practicing radical empathy; listening and learning from others’ unique perspectives, lived experiences, and identities; and committing to transparency for all stakeholders. This purposeful approach informs every facet of our meticulous process as we strive to identify talent, build real relationships, and deliver an unparalleled, values-driven service that honors the whole person. For three consecutive years, Women of Color in Fundraising & Philanthropy (WOC) has named Pearl Street one of the Top Search Firms for Women of Color and Hunt Scanlon has included the firm in their 2024 shortlists of top recruiters for nonprofits and higher education. Follow Follow Follow Pearl Street.
Cure Alzheimer’s Fund is an equal opportunity employer welcoming applicants from diverse backgrounds. We encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements. All applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, physical ability, or length of time spent unemployed.
