Coordinator, Partnerships Operations

Association of Fundraising Professionals; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 57,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid holidays

Healthcare coverage

Retirement plan

Tuition assistance

Transit benefits

Job summary

MIT Solve seeks a Coordinator, Partnerships Operations to streamline stewardship, fundraising processes, and program coordination. The role supports funders, partners, and Solver programs, coordinating across Relationship Managers and Global Programs teams. It combines operational rigor with a focus on process improvement and clear communication.

You will work with CRM tools, prepare materials, and help manage events, ensuring timely handoffs and accurate reporting across multiple platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum 2 years of relevant experience in project coordination, fundraising operations, partnerships, or donor stewardship.
• Experience using a CRM to track relationships, pipeline, and reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for external audiences.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to execute operational tasks independently and improve processes across teams.

Responsibilities

• Stewardship & Fundraising Operations: Create, own and maintain stewardship calendars and engagement plans for funders and donors; draft materials and ensure timely deliverables.
• Fundraising Coordination: Test AI-enabled prospect research tools, coordinate top-of-the-funnel outreach, and track fundraising pipelines across platforms.
• Executive Engagement Coordination: Schedule external meetings for executives, prepare briefing materials, and track follow-ups.
• Maintain accurate records and touchpoint history in Salesforce and related systems.
• Identify recurring challenges and propose more effective, automated approaches.
• Support events and stakeholder engagement in collaboration with Marketing and Programs teams.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

Project coordination

CRM experience

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

HubSpot

Job description

Overview

Solve is an initiative of MIT. We believe that to achieve a more sustainable and equitable future for all, we need new voices and ideas. We launch open calls for exceptional and diverse solutions to the most pressing global challenges, from anyone, anywhere in the world. Selected innovators get the backing of MIT and our community of supporters to scale their impact and drive lasting change.

The Coordinator, Partnerships Operations sits at the intersection of Solve's fundraising and program teams. The coordinator owns and improves the coordination systems, information flow, and follow through that enable Solve to steward funders and partners, develop new relationships, and deliver the programs those partners make possible. This role works closely with colleagues who manage funder relationships and colleagues who lead Solve's Global Challenges, custom programs, and Solver Scaling Program. The coordinator has broad exposure to philanthropy, social innovation, program delivery, and senior external stakeholders.

This role does not independently manage a fundraising portfolio or lead a program. Instead, the coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that important commitments, communications, processes, and handoffs happen accurately and on time. It is an excellent opportunity for an early-career professional who enjoys bringing structure to complex work, writing clearly, and finding better ways for teams to operate.

The Coordinator reports to the Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships & Philanthropy and works closely with Relationship Managers on Solve's Strategic Partnerships & Philanthropy and Global Programs teams. You're the person for this if you enjoy not just running processes, but also improving them—spotting where a workflow can be simplified, automated, or better documented across Solve's tools and teams.

Work Environment

MIT Solve embraces a flexible workplace culture where:

• Staff are encouraged to work on the MIT campus but may work remotely from within the US on a regular basis
• In-person attendance is required for specific events throughout the year
• Presence in Cambridge is required for four weeks annually, plus at least one week during onboarding

Responsibilities

Stewardship & Fundraising Operations

Funder Stewardship

• Create, own and maintain customized stewardship calendars and engagement plans for current funders, partners, and donors, flagging key dates (contractual or reporting) and touchpoint opportunities for Relationship Managers.
• Liaise with Relationship Managers to manage and track stewardship/donor relations processes end to end: manage timelines, gather information across teams, and draft materials, ensuring accuracy and timeliness of deliverables throughout.
• Connect funders to program delivery: surface funders and prospects who could serve as challenge judges or mentors, map funders to specific Solvers, plan public recognition opportunities, and coordinate with the Global Programs team on fit and follow up.
• Serve as an additional point of contact for Global Challenge prize funders and sponsors on Challenge-related communications including event invitations, prize announcement coordination, prize selection, and ongoing follow-up.
• Produces new and modifies existing donor reports, updates, correspondence, meeting materials, and other stewardship communications.
• Maintain accurate records and touchpoint history in Salesforce and related systems.

Fundraising Coordination

• Use and help improve AI-enabled prospect research and workflow tools through testing, feedback, quality control and thoughtful usage.
• Coordinate top-of-the-funnel outreach: prepare tailored outreach communications and collateral, develop prospect research summaries, and identify the relevant program area and appropriate Relationship Manager, with proper tracking and follow-up.
• Manage fundraising pipeline tracking systems, and reporting across multiple platforms (Salesforce, Asana, HubSpot), in coordination with the Operations & Impact team.
• Create new reports and refine existing tools to give Relationship Managers and leadership clear visibility into activity, priorities and performance.
• Manage supplier registration and grant portal application processes including collecting necessary information, supporting documentation, and working with Relationship Managers to ensure submission deadlines are met.
• Coordinate internal Strategic Partnerships & Philanthropy team operations by managing meeting agendas, documenting decisions, tracking action items, and guiding follow-up across internal teams.
• Identify recurring administrative or coordination challenges and propose more effective, consistent or automated approaches.
• Support cultivation and stewardship events, including prospect meeting logistics, and managing invitations, registration, and event communications in collaboration with the Marketing team.

Executive Engagement Coordination

This role provides day-to-day scheduling support to Solve's Executive Director and Director, Strategic Partnerships & Philanthropy. Scheduling is a core part of the work above as it is how prospects and funders move through the pipeline and are stewarded.

• Coordinate external scheduling for Solve's Executive Director and Director of Strategic Partnerships & Philanthropy, with a particular focus on funder, prospect, and partner meetings.
• Prepare meeting logistics, briefing materials, background information, and relevant Solve collateral.
• Serve as a professional and responsive point of contact for external scheduling requests, resolving conflicts and communicating changes promptly.
• Track meeting outcomes and ensure that agreed follow-up is assigned and completed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum 2 years of relevant experience required in project coordination, fundraising operations, partnerships, or donor stewardship.
• Experience working in a CRM to track relationships, pipeline, and reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including drafting professional correspondence for external audiences.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to independently execute operational tasks, solve routine problems, and interpret policies or procedures.
• Comfortable working across teams, explaining processes, and supporting cross-functional collaboration.

Beneficial Qualifications

Strong candidates will have some of the following:

• 2-4 years of experience supporting fundraising, donor relations, partnerships, or business development.
• Experience with Salesforce and/or Hubspot.
• Experience supporting events, sponsorships, or high-touch stakeholder engagement
• Comfortable using LLMs or automation tools to support research, drafting, or workflow efficiency.
• Prior experience in a nonprofit, university, or mission-driven organization.
• Ability to anticipate team needs, manage ambiguity, and proactively identify process improvements.

Benefits

The minimum expected pay for this position is $63,200, with a final offer based on experience and equity considerations. This is a full-time position. Solve team members are expected to spend four weeks a year in Solve's Cambridge offices, plus a week during the first month for onboarding.

As an MIT Solve employee, you are eligible for a number of benefits, perks, and discounts, including:

• Time Off: 12 paid holidays and special Institute holidays (including Juneteenth and Patriots' Day). 3 weeks of paid vacation your first year; 4 weeks after your first year
• Healthcare: comprehensive healthcare coverage, including fitness reimbursements through enrollment in an MIT medical plan, free counseling sessions through MIT MyLife Services, and hormone therapy/gender-affirming surgery
• Retirement: MIT Pension Plan with full vesting after 3 years; MIT will match up to 5% of your pay in contributions to the 401(k) Plan
• Transportation: Free, unlimited subway and local bus use, and subsidies for MBTA station parking and the commuter rail; Subsidized annual BlueBikes membership; MIT Bicycle Commuter Reimbursement Program (up to $300/year)
• Tuition assistance: Up to $5,250 per calendar year for eligible employees
• Free access: Institute of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and more
• MIT Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• Backup Child Care benefit

MIT Solve is committed to inclusion and diversity to build a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more diverse our team is, the better we can achieve our mission of solving world challenges.

MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.

Employment contingent upon the satisfactory results of a background check.