Cultivation Coordinator, The Pomona Plan

The Claremont Colleges Services; Claremont (CA); Hybrid; USD 36,506 - 42,678; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits package

Job summary

The Claremont Colleges Services is seeking a Cultivation Coordinator, based in Claremont, California. This role involves providing cultivation and analytics support, serving as the primary contact for prospective donors, and performing a variety of administrative tasks to support gift officers in the cultivation and stewardship of life-income donors. Qualifications include a high school diploma, three years of experience in development, and excellent communication skills.

The position offers an hourly rate of $26.50 to $30.98 and a competitive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 3 years in development at a major academic institution preferred.
• Experience in planned giving preferred.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Responsibilities

• Answer inbound calls from prospective donors and capture marketing sources.
• Provide administrative support for gift officers.
• Maintain the CRM for donor cultivation and stewardship.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Data management

Attention to detail

Education

High School Diploma or GED

College or advanced degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Raiser's Edge

Salesforce

Cognos

Tableau

Job description

About Pomona College

Located near Los Angeles, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona College is known for small classes, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, and a range of student research and leadership opportunities. Pomona is a member of The Claremont Colleges.

Job Purpose

The Cultivation Coordinator provides cultivation and analytics support for the Office of the Pomona Plan, serving as primary contact to answer and screen inbound calls from prospective donors and as primary administrative support for the cultivation and stewardship of life‑income donors. The role works independently and collaboratively, performing a broad range of marketing, analytical, clerical and administrative support for the Office of The Pomona Plan and assisting gift officers with planning and follow‑up on donor visits.

Essential Functions

• Donor Cultivation and Stewardship
  • Answer inbound calls from prospective Pomona Plan donors using a cultivation script; capture marketing source and connect callers with the appropriate gift officer.
  • Serve on the Pomona Plan marketing subgroup and act as liaison to the Advancement Communication team coordinator for marketing strategy, implementation, and tracking.
  • Provide administrative support for gift officers in cultivation and stewardship activities for life‑income donors, including finalizing and mailing proposals and responses to inquiries.
  • Maintain the CRM for donor cultivation and stewardship—enter new prospects, proposals, opportunities, call reports, marketing sources, and appeals.
  • Collaborate with gift officers to plan and follow up on donor visits; prepare visit letters, files, reports, and tele‑conf during off‑campus visits.
  • Negotiate campus schedules for donor visits, build agendas, troubleshoot problems, and provide exceptional customer service during campus visits.
  • Prepare or finalize call reports and correspondence after gift officer visits; update CRM and coordinate reminders for future visits.
  • Monthly: pull relevant life‑income donor list, hand‑inscribe standard birthday messages on stewardship cards, mail them, and document in CRM.
  • Annual: lead the effort to send holiday gifts to select life‑income donors, interface with the holiday gift vendor, procure stewardship items (e.g., polo shirts, notebooks), and manage vendor relationship and budget alignment.
• Data Management and Analytics
  • Independently develop lists through CRM for print/email marketing, office statistics, metrics, portfolio ratings, and custom list pulls.
  • Provide expertise on data management questions and serve as lead liaison to Advancement Services for custom list pulls.
  • Lead monthly close for cultivation analytics and related reporting metrics, including a report on leading cultivation indicators.
  • Pull or collaborate with Advancement Services to provide custom reports on proposal activity and other cultivation activities as requested.
  • Act as lead contact on CRM implementation, customization, enhancement, and maintenance.
  • Research and maintain a database of key industry statistics, including comparative commercial annuity rates and IRS discount rate projections.
• Administration
  • Primary point of contact for the Pomona Plan Office with the Advancement division; route calls and assist staff with workflow organization.
  • Answer phones, greet visitors, and manage incoming mail.
  • Assist senior leadership with organizing paperwork, managing mail, returning calls, and preparing correspondence and reports.
  • Maintain proficiency in Windows, MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and other required software.
  • Maintain Outlook calendar for the Office, reflecting staff trips, vacations, and commitments.
  • Help lead weekly team meetings: prepare template agenda, collect submissions, capture notes.
  • Organize team events such as yearly retreats and convocation lunch celebrations.
  • Coordinate office space, supplies, and facilities requests; oversee expense reporting and processing; track expenditures against budget.
  • Lead the digitization project for all office files while preserving historical data.
• Donor Relations
  • Provide clerical assistance to the donor services team on routine tasks.
  • Support donor services team with CRM maintenance for gifts and donor services.
  • Assist with bequest administration on a transitional basis, including correspondence, mailing labels, file setup, copying, and mailing.
• Professional Development
  • Maintain current knowledge of planned giving via newsletters and publications.
  • Pursue training on CRM and database programs through webcasts and IT seminars.
  • Develop proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other programs.
  • Expand training in project management and develop training in PG Calc Manager planned gift calculation software.

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or GED required; college or advanced degree preferred.
• Experience: Preferred 3 years in development at a major academic institution; 2 years in planned giving.

Required Knowledge & Critical Skills

• Demonstrated effectiveness and clarity of verbal and written communication; excellent interpersonal skills in a diverse environment.
• Discretion, tact, and attention to detail; ability to sustain positive working relationships within Advancement and across the College.
• Basic math and statistics to create analysis and reports.
• Knowledge of best practices for data management in the planned giving field.
• Operating computers with Microsoft Office and professional software such as Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, Cognos, Tableau, PG Calc Manager, prospect research tools, and internet research.
• Understanding of technology use to assess and improve departmental systems and processes.
• Ability to meet multiple deadlines and work independently and collaboratively.
• High standard of integrity and ethics.

Required Hours

The regular hours for this full‑time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Holiday, weekend, and evening work hours may be required. Travel may be required. Regular hours may vary due to needs of the College or division. Pomona College has a remote work policy that may be implemented at the discretion of the manager and is subject to business needs.

Hourly Rate

The hourly rate for this role is $26.50 to $30.98 per hour, with a competitive benefits package. Salary considerations include education, training, relevant prior experience, and performance in prior roles. All staff positions are ineligible for visa or permanent resident card sponsorship. As a California employer, Pomona College requires all employees to be residents of California.

ADA/OSHA

This job description defines the essential duties of this position. The College expects that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of this job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others. It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Disclaimer

This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required. When duties and responsibilities change, the College will review and update this job description as necessary.