Effective Monday, September 13th, this position is considered partially remote (2-3 days in the office at 10 Brookline Place, Brookline, MA each week). DFCI guidelines state that employees must reside in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Rhode Island.

The Assistant is an important member of the Prospect Management Team, which is responsible for personal asks, cultivation, and stewardship of Annual Giving donors who have the capacity to give $500 or more to Dana-Farber. This Assistant works with two Associate Directors and one Director responsible for raising $3M-$4M annually to coordinate donor correspondence, schedule donor meetings, and conduct follow-up calls to prospects.  The Assistant also coordinates administrative tasks including the donor assignment process, reporting and analysis, portfolio segmentation, tracking activity within the ClearView database, processing gifts, generating and distributing call reports, and inputting next steps and prospect management assignments. The Assistant also assists with travel arrangements, produces expense reports, and participates in other Annual Giving activities as needed. Responsible for assisting the entire Division with reaching financial goals.

Embody Dana-Farber’s Core Values: Impact; Excellence; Compassion & Respect; and Discovery every day. Add value to the Dana-Farber community by seeking opportunities to collaborate across the Institute.  Foster an ethical, positive, results-oriented culture founded on open communication.

Dana-Farber is currently in the largest and most ambitious fundraising effort in the Institute’s history – The Dana-Farber Campaign | Defy Cancer. Launched publicly in May 2021, the goal of the $2 billion campaign is to defy cancer at every turn and harness new techniques and technologies to prevent, treat, and defy cancer, resulting in more lives saved, more families intact, more dreams realized. The comprehensive campaign is coordinated around four pillars that build on our strengths and will accelerate our progress – Revolutionary Science, Extraordinary Care, and Exceptional Expertise – as well as the mission critical flexible funds that will allow us to change the face of cancer forever.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

Annual Giving Personal Solicitation Coordination

• Coordinate correspondence for two Associate Directors and one Director including donor visit requests, personal solicitations, and stewardship.
• Assist with the strategic scheduling of donor visits by mail, phone, and email.
• Compile information packets and marketing materials for donor visits based on available research.
• Assist in drafting tailored donor correspondence and proposals.
• Generate call report templates, distribute call reports, and input next steps.
• Coordinate with Prospect Research department to provide updated contact and donor profile information.
• Respond to phone calls and e-mails from donors and prospective donors.  Determine priority of the situation. Suggest response and refer to/inform supervisors as appropriate.
• Provide assistance and support for Campaign related projects as needed.

Reporting and Database

• Develop a working knowledge of the fundraising database and other management information and tracking systems used by the Division of Philanthropy to effectively update and report progress toward personal solicitation goals, including donor visits and moves management.
• Produce donor prospect reports; track progress and report results of the prospect managers.
• Review gifts from prospects assigned to managers weekly and update gift opportunity module in fundraising database.
  • Serve as liaison and coordinate with Information Services staff to produce and update donor database and related reports as needed.

Division Support

• Participate in visits, asks, and stewardship of Annual Giving donors.

General Support/Other Activities As Needed

• Process and deposit gifts.
• Coordinate travel arrangements as needed.
• Assist with coordination of donor gatherings/events.
• Assist with Annual Giving programs during peak seasons.
• Participate in weekly Annual Giving phone coverage and assist with front desk tasks as requested.
• Assist the entire department in reaching goals.
• Participate as needed in Division of Philanthropy team efforts including solicitation strategy teams for key prospects and internal planning efforts.
• Ad-hoc projects. Other responsibilities as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

Reports to two Associate Directors and the Director, Leadership Gifts in Annual Giving. This position will seek major decision-making authority from direct supervisors, however, independent decision-making on day-to-day tasks and good judgment is required for dealing with Institute donors, Trustees, senior staff, and confidential information.

Minimum Job Qualifications: 

Associate degree and/or administrative training degree required with 0-2 years of experience. As this level position is often considered a “base” for someone pursuing a career in Philanthropy, a Bachelor’s degree is highly preferred. 0-2 years of administrative experience preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required: 

• Advanced critical-thinking, phone, and written communication skills are necessary.
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to manage a variety of projects from multiple supervisors, and attention to detail are key.
• Directed and self-starting attitude; ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
• Strong computer skills and competency in Microsoft Office Suite products, particularly Microsoft Excel, is necessary.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet strict deadlines and bottom line goals.
• High degree of confidentiality must always be exercised.
• A significant portion of our donor base is grateful patients and families. A high degree of empathy and sensitivity is required.

This position will evaluate current programs and create and execute approved plans to expand and diversify the donors and participants for the events assigned in order to broaden our donor base and create even more inclusive events. Experience with diverse donors is a plus.

Application Requirements:

Resume and cover letter required with application submission.

Working Conditions: 

Partially remote (2-3 days on-site each week). Some weekend and evening overtime is required during peak times.

Division of Philanthropy Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity Commitment Statement: 

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow’s physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

We’re stronger together.

In the Division of Philanthropy, we believe in the power of different voices. We encourage authenticity and diversity of every individual within our community. Our collective voices – donors, volunteers, staff, and patients alike – allow us to work together towards a world without cancer. Committed to being a place of inclusivity, belonging, and change, these are our core values.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other groups as protected by law.