Development Associate, Annual Programs

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston seeks a Development Associate, Annual Programs to lead the Museum Council young professional membership group and support essential administrative operations and donor service. Reporting to the Assistant Director, Annual Programs, the role strengthens MFA’s next generation of supporters and ensures a welcoming experience for all donors.

Key duties include coordinating membership renewals, events, and communications; managing donor records and Tessitura data;

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 1–3 years of experience in customer service, event coordination, nonprofit administration, membership programs, fundraising, or related field preferred.
• Proficient in MS Word and Excel; experience with mail merges.
• Experience maintaining and extracting data from CRM databases.
• Excellent customer service, communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate Museum Council membership enrollment and renewals, event programming, and communications.
• Manage member inquiries by phone and email with timely, professional responses.
• Handle acknowledgements, member cards, and benefits fulfillment.
• Collaborate with Development, Communications, and Membership teams to recruit and transition members.
• Provide staff support for Annual Programs operations, donor records, and Tessitura data management.
• Support event planning with invitations, RSVPs, and guest communications.
• Assist Museum Council volunteers and Chairs; help plan meetings and outreach.
• Oversee annual programs admin tasks and small-scale mailings.

Skills

Customer service

Event coordination

Nonprofit administration

Membership programs

Fundraising

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

CRM databases

Job description

Position Overview:

The Development Associate, Annual Programs serves as the lead staff member for the Museum Council young professional membership group and works closely with all members of the Annual Programs team to support essential administrative operations and donor service. Reporting to the Assistant Director, Annual Programs and under the direction of the Director, Annual Programs, the Associate plays a critical role in fostering the Museum’s next generation of supporters and supports the team in creating a welcoming and engaging experience for all MFA donors.

Essential Functions

Museum Council (approximately 60% of the role)

The Associate coordinates all aspects of the Museum Council program including membership enrollment and renewals, event programming, and communications.

Member renewals, recruitment, and service:

• Manage monthly renewal of Museum Council members and solicit strategic upgrades in consultation with Annual Programs colleagues to support participation growth.
• Serve as a resource to 250+ Museum Council member households, including fielding telephone and email requests in a timely and professional manner.
• Generate and send accurate and timely Museum Council acknowledgements.
• Ensure fulfillment of member cards and benefits.
• In collaboration with Development colleagues and Museum Council volunteers, identify and engage prospective members.
• In collaboration with colleagues in Communications, Annual Programs, and Membership, suggest and support strategies to recruit Museum Council members from general membership.
• Work closely with Annual Programs colleagues to successfully transition Museum Council members to the Patron Program.
• Maintain confidential donor records and files.

Event planning:

• In collaboration with Special Events and Annual Programs colleagues, execute events designed to bring Museum Council members closer to the Museum. Identify opportunities to improve the member experience and maximize budget.
• Track and respond to event RSVPs and ensure timely and accurate event communications.
• Collaborate with curators, volunteers, and speakers on event content, and oversee invitations.
• Attend all Museum Council events and serve as a welcoming presence.

Volunteer support:

• With support from the Assistant Director, Annual Programs, support the Museum Council Chair, Vice Chairs, and Steering Committee; collaborate to determine topics of discussion and new projects.
• Consult regularly with the Chair to maintain consistent and comprehensive communication about the program.
• Channel the enthusiasm of the Steering Committee volunteers to organize, attend, work the room, and improve events and other opportunities for member engagement.
• Collaborate with Committee to retain new members through welcome outreach and engagement.
• Support volunteer-led meet-ups as appropriate.

Annual Programs Administrative Operations (approximately 30% of the role):

• Generate, organize, proof, and execute weekly acknowledgments for Annual Programs donors
• Organize, proof, and execute other essential small-scale mailings and correspondence across Annual Programs, including monthly renewals, annual season announcement, prospect solicitations, stewardship outreach, and other projects.
• Serve as the Annual Programs team expert on digital membership cards. Provide timely, responsive, and professional service to all Annual Programs members, including assisting with digital membership cards and ticket reservations.
• Support maintenance of accurate data in Tessitura for all Annual Programs donors.
• Maintain the Annual Programs team calendar and schedule meetings.
• Support accurate calendar holds, event invitations, and web pages for all events.
• Track Annual Programs supply and collateral inventory, maintain order in storage spaces, and place orders for new supplies as needed.

Secondary Functions (approximately 10% of the role):

• Support timely and accurate recording of Annual Programs event invitations, RSVPs, and attendance in Tessitura database. Respond to member RSVPs and event questions.
• Staff Patron Program events and volunteer meetings as needed.
• Hire and supervise MFA Pathways Interns, on occasion
• Perform other related duties as required.

Requirements and Characteristics

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience required
• One to three years of experience in customer service, event coordination, nonprofit administration, membership programs, fundraising, or related field preferred
• Solid working knowledge of PC-based Microsoft Word and Excel, such as mail merges
• Experience and facility with maintaining and extracting data from CRM databases
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and follow through.
• Excellent customer service, communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to handle delicate and confidential information
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize assignments
• Good problem-solving skills, with ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Proven ability to work both independently and as a team player.
• Experience with event planning desirable
• A commitment to support the Museum’s values of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA)
• An interest in or affinity for working in an art museum or cultural institution.
• Flexibility to work occasional evening and weekend events as needed
• Must be able to move about the Museum comfortably, lift up to 50 lbs with effort, and sit at a desk for long periods of time.

Salary Range

Full-time Salary 35 hours per week

Salary: $50,000 - $54,000

This position is affiliated with the UAW union

The MFA is an equal opportunity employer. The community and audience we serve is diverse, and we wish to foster that diversity in our workplace. Toward that end, the MFA does not discriminate against individuals in hiring, employment or promotion on the basis of race, religion, color, sex/gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, handicap or disability, veteran or military status, political belief, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.