Development and Events Coordinator

Description

Status: Full Time

Wages: $24 - $27 per hour DOQ. 

About Hands On: 

The Hands On Children’s Museum is located on the picturesque East Bay waterfront in downtown Olympia. We are a nationally known family learning destination and the most visited children’s museum in the Pacific Northwest hosting more than 300,000 visitors each year. Our mission is to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking skills through rich, interactive learning experiences. We believe that all children deserve respect and the opportunity to learn, regardless of their ability to pay, which is why the Museum works hard to serve more than one-third of its annual visitation through the Inspired Learning for All initiative. The Museum is recognized as a national Museum for All and won a Noyce Foundation Bright Lights Award for bringing art and science education to underserved populations.

Voted a “Best Place for Kids” for more than a decade, the Museum offers a state-of-the-art LEED Gold facility with 150 indoor exhibits, a half-acre Outdoor Discovery Center, Art Studio, a MakeSpace for tinkering and inventing, café and gift shop, and award-winning education programs including camps, workshops, preschool, parenting classes, field trips, community outreach and family support programs.

Position Overview:

Are you a nimble and flexible worker who is as comfortable talking to a donor as you are keeping detailed records, writing a meaningful acknowledgment letter, coordinating board meeting logistics or supporting a special event? We’re looking for a dedicated, organized, and detail-oriented Development & Events Coordinator who believes in the value of inspiring young children to love to learn. While the core schedule for this F/T on-site position is Monday through Friday, the Development & Events Coordinator is required to flex their schedule to work evening and weekend events as needed.  Your position will play a pivotal role in the development department as a key point of contact for donors, board members, museum partners, and stakeholder inquiries, as well as ensuring the daily flow and communications of the development operations department.  In this position you will receive and acknowledge Museum gifts, perform daily gift entry and maintenance tasks, and ensure timely and personal gift acknowledgments. You will be the lead support for Museum visitor events as well as private and fundraising events. This position is not eligible for remote work.

Requirements

Some of what you will be working on:

Special Event Support

• Support Summer Splash! Gala, the Museum’s largest fundraising event including event pre-registration, auction item procurement and processing, event night support, and post-event reconciliation and closeout.
• Works as needed, on weekends and evenings as needed to assist HOCM Events Manager with fundraising and private events. Tasks include pre-event planning and coordination, event set-up, food service, registration, clean-up, and other event logistics.
• Assist Events Manager with greeting and supporting special guest activities, including artists, scientists, musicians, and animal guests during major holiday events such as spring and summer breaks, the Summer Splash! Festival, Boo Bash, and Noon Year’s among many others.
• Assist      Events Manager & Visitor Engagement team with guest follow-up to collect signed MOUs, COIs, and W-9s.

Board Coordination

• Act as the main point of contact for board members, ensuring accurate and timely communication to the board and internal development team. 
• Maintain board files and tracking documents, including onboarding and offboarding, tracking and entering board volunteer hours, and ensure required documents are executed and filed.
• Coordinate Board meetings, including sending meeting agendas and meeting information, ordering food, setting up meeting room and equipment, and ensuring a smooth meeting room tear down. 
• Takes & prepares meeting minutes for CEO review. Finalizes and disseminates approved minutes. 
• Updates board constituencies in Altru database when board members join or leave the board. Performs periodic review of board constituencies in Altru to ensure all data is up to date. 

Donor Database and Acknowledgements

• Works with the Development Operations & Database Manager to perform data entry and administrative tasks with a high degree of accuracy, ensuring timely recording and acknowledgement of donations. 
• Tasks include recording gifts and ensuring proper coding of fundraising designations, preparing and sending gift acknowledgment receipts, and updating donor records to accurately reflect giving and fulfilling donor benefits.
• Use Blackbaud’s Altru database to enter. donations, pledges,      and pledge payments. Processes routine queries and prepares assigned accounting and gift reports. 
• Research donor information and update donor records as needed.
• Prepare and send a variety of donor communications, including pledge invoices, renewal reminders, event mailings, and other communications as assigned.
• Communicate with HOCM donors via phone and email to ensure giving intentions are honored and account information is accurate.
• Works with the Development Director and Development Operations & Database Manager to ensure that each donor is appropriately thanked in accordance with HOCM acknowledgment procedures. Includes drafting gift acknowledgement letters, proofreading for accuracy, sending to the CEO or other department manager review, and sending direct mail, digital, and email acknowledgments.

General Development Support

• Receives and fulfills outgoing donation requests in accordance with HOCM procedures, including tracking donation and bulk pass requests & fulfillment, seeking approval from the Development      Operations & Database Manager for baskets, bulk passes, and uncommon requests. Communicates with requestors, seeking additional information as needed. Enters outgoing donations in Altru database. Prepares donated gift baskets for pickup.
• Works in collaboration with development and database leadership, Events Manager, and communications team. 
• Assists development team with communications to donors and sponsors.
• Coordinates and communicates verbally and in writing with      HOCM departments and staff.
• Coordinates pick-up and tracking of donated goods and services.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Measuring Success - The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• A high level of commitment to quality, detailed work. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• A positive outlook in a fast-paced and frequently changing environment.
• An understanding of this role and how effective communication with Museum supporters is essential in building long-term, positive relationships.
• An understanding of the importance of timely, detailed records and communications.
• Flexibility and willingness to adapt to the demands of the day and shifting priorities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Minimum two years of development, donor database experience, and/or administrative support experience in a non-profit or education setting. 
• Demonstrated experience providing excellent customer service and communication, both verbal and written. Ability to work with a range of stakeholders, including staff, donors, and volunteers.
• Strong time management and organizational skills.
• Highly detail-oriented and ability to follow established procedures and seek additional information when needed.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
• Ability to maintain focus in a fast-paced work environment with frequent interruptions.
• Experience with CRM database applications, Altru or Blackbaud preferred.
• Proficiency in the latest Microsoft word processing and spreadsheet applications.
• Proficiency in mail merge using Microsoft Word and Excel applications.
• Ability to stand for long periods of time, lift 25 pounds and actively move from area to area.

Inclusion & Access at HOCM 

Founded on the belief that all children deserve respect and the opportunity to learn, HOCM offers a robust suite of 30 different Free and Reduced-fee Access Programs, which serve about 40% of its annual visitors. HOCM’s vision is to inspire all children to love to learn regardless of ethnicity, ability, gender, or income. It strives to serve as the region’s premier provider of interactive art and science education, fostering foundational skills for success in school and in life. 

One of HOCM’s guiding values is that communities are enriched when diverse groups work creatively together to educate children. Hands On partners with dozens of organizations, including schools, social service agencies, Tribes, medical professionals, and nonprofits, as well as regional artists and educators to deliver programming and broaden the Museum’s impact. 

Workplace Values: 

Achieving our mission requires great people who actively demonstrate our core values.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and 3 professional references.

Compensation & Benefits: $24 - $27 hourly DOQ, medical, dental, and vision, employee wellness program, paid holidays and time off, a 401(k) retirement plan, and lots of adorable children. Benefits vary by number of regularly scheduled hours worked, length of employment, and employment status. See the benefit details for this position here. 

For more information, please visit our website at www.hocm.org 

The Hands On Children’s Museum exhibits, education programs, and employment are available to all without discrimination.

Wage Description:

$24 - $27 hourly DOQ