Donor Relations and Engagement Coordinator

Socket.dev; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 30,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, seeks a Donor Relations and Engagement Coordinator to support the Office of Advancement. You will coordinate donor, alumni, and institutional engagement activities, manage logistics for events, prepare materials, and provide onsite and administrative support under leadership supervision.

The role emphasizes event execution, budget tracking, and stewardship communications, with collaboration across departments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or current enrollment in a bachelor’s degree program.
• One to two years of experience in administrative support, event coordination, hospitality, customer service, or a related area.
• Experience using Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends to support events.
• Experience working in a fundraising, advancement, nonprofit, higher education, arts, or cultural organization.
• Experience using a customer relationship management or donor database system
• Strong organizational, time-management skills, attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and meet established deadlines.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and customer-service skills.
• Ability to interact professionally with donors, alumni, guests, vendors, and colleagues.
• Ability to follow established procedures and work both independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to exercise discretion when handling confidential donor and institutional information.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and respond calmly to event-related needs.
• Basic knowledge of event coordination and administrative practices.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
• Ability to learn and accurately use Advancement databases and other institutional systems.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates logistical arrangements for donor, alumni, and institutional events, including room reservations, catering requests, and campus service submissions.
• Maintains event calendars, timelines, task lists, and other tracking documents to support the timely completion of event-related activities.
• Tracks event registrations, RSVPs, guest lists, attendance, and other participation information.
• Prepares and organizes event materials, including invitations, name tags, signage, programs, and printed collateral.
• Conducts vendor research, gathers cost estimates, and assists with coordinating vendor services and deliverables.
• Provides onsite support for event setup, registration, guest assistance, event execution, and breakdown.
• Responds to routine event-related questions and communicates logistical information to guests, vendors, and internal partners.
• Assists with invoice processing, purchasing documentation, and basic budget tracking in coordination with team members.
• Provides production and administrative support for donor stewardship initiatives, including mailings and materials preparation.
• Enters and updates event, donor, and engagement information in Advancement systems and databases.
• Organizes and maintains accurate electronic and physical files related to events, donor relations, and stewardship activities.
• Performs other related duties as assigned to support the goals and priorities of the Office of Advancement.

Skills

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Event coordination

Customer service

Donor databases

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Current student

Tools

CRM system

Advancement databases

Microsoft Excel

Job description

About SAIC

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world's most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC's undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O'Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

About the Department

The Advancement Office at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) plays a vital role in supporting the school's mission to educate and empower the world's most influential artists, designers and scholars. Advancement partners strategically with the internal and external stakeholders to build enduring relationships, secure philanthropic support and steward resources that enhance the students experience, fuel academic excellence and strengthen SAIC’s impact locally and globally.

The team leads a broad range of activities including fundraising, major and planned giving, advancement services and operations, alumni engagement and donor relations. By leveraging best-in-class systems, data insights and creative engagement strategies. Advancement ensures that SAIC can continue to provide world-class resources from faculty support and scholarship funding to state-of-the-art facilities and innovative programs. Collaborations across departments, thoughtful stewardship and a commitment to community and creative are at the heart of the office's work.

Position Summary

The Donor Relations and Engagement Coordinator supports the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Office of Advancement by coordinating the logistical and administrative components of donor, alumni, and institutional engagement activities. Under the direction of the Associate Director, Donor Relations and Engagement and in collaboration with the Executive Director, Advancement Strategy and Operations, the Coordinator supports the execution of events, engagement programs, and stewardship activities. This position helps ensure the smooth implementation of these activities by coordinating logistics, maintaining accurate records, preparing materials, and providing onsite and administrative support.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates logistical arrangements for donor, alumni, and institutional events, including room reservations, catering requests, and campus service submissions.
• Maintains event calendars, timelines, task lists, and other tracking documents to support the timely completion of event-related activities.
• Tracks event registrations, RSVPs, guest lists, attendance, and other participation information.
• Prepares and organizes event materials, including invitations, name tags, signage, programs, and printed collateral.
• Conducts vendor research, gathers cost estimates, and assists with coordinating vendor services and deliverables.
• Provides onsite support for event setup, registration, guest assistance, event execution, and breakdown.
• Responds to routine event-related questions and communicates logistical information to guests, vendors, and internal partners.
• Assists with invoice processing, purchasing documentation, and basic budget tracking in coordination with team members.
• Provides production and administrative support for donor stewardship initiatives, including mailings and materials preparation.
• Enters and updates event, donor, and engagement information in Advancement systems and databases.
• Organizes and maintains accurate electronic and physical files related to events, donor relations, and stewardship activities.
• Performs other related duties as assigned to support the goals and priorities of the Office of Advancement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or current enrollment in a bachelor’s degree program.
• One to two years of experience in administrative support, event coordination, hospitality, customer service, or a related area.
• Experience using Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends to support events.
• Experience working in a fundraising, advancement, nonprofit, higher education, arts, or cultural organization.
• Experience using a customer relationship management or donor database system
• Strong organizational, time-management skills, attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and meet established deadlines.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and customer-service skills.
• Ability to interact professionally with donors, alumni, guests, vendors, and colleagues.
• Ability to follow established procedures and work both independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to exercise discretion when handling confidential donor and institutional information.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and respond calmly to event-related needs.
• Basic knowledge of event coordination and administrative practices.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
• Ability to learn and accurately use Advancement databases and other institutional systems.

Physical Requirements

The position may require standing or walking for extended periods during events and moving event materials or supplies weighing up to 25 pounds.

Compensation & Benefits

Please click on the links below to view our competitive, comprehensive benefits package:

• Hiring Range: $22.20 - $27.74 per hour
• Benefits
• PTO Overview
• Job Classification: Non-Exempt
• Employment Category: Full time
• Grade Level: 5

If you are accessing this listing from a third party, not all links to salary and benefits information may work. Please visit our career page at saic/artic.edu/employment for complete information.

Union

This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by AFSCME Council 31.

Accessibility

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following page:

Accessibility Accommodation for Applicants

Equal Opportunity Statement

The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals compliant with federal and state laws. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at [e-mail].