Philanthropy Coordinator

Indiana Biosciences Research Institute; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) is seeking a Philanthropy Coordinator to provide essential operational support for the Philanthropy team. This full-time role will manage gift processing, donor acknowledgments, and maintain Salesforce CRM best practices while supporting prospect research, portfolio management, and event coordination.

The coordinator will help strengthen donor engagement, improve data integrity, and enable senior fundraising staff to focus on cultivation,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 2+ years of relevant experience in philanthropy, nonprofit operations, donor relations, advancement services, development operations, CRM administration, or related field preferred.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage accurate donor, gift, and prospect information.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear donor profiles, acknowledgments, and briefing materials.
• Experience planning and supporting events or meetings, including logistics, materials, vendor coordination, and on-site set-up.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite required.

Responsibilities

• CRM Data Management: develop best practices for donor data entry and relationship tracking.
• Prospect Research & Portfolio Support: identify, research, profile prospective donors and maintain a qualified pipeline.
• Gift Processing & Donor Stewardship: record, track and process gifts; generate donor acknowledgments and tax receipts.
• Department Operations & Collaboration: schedule appointments, provide general admin support, coordinate donor mailings and events.
• Executive Support Collaboration: backup support across the executive team and manage complex calendars.

Skills

Strong organizational skills

Attention to detail

Written & verbal communication

Event planning & logistics

Discretion with confidential info

Microsoft Office proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

IBRI is poised to transform life sciences—and for millions of people, even life itself.

The Opportunity:

The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute is seeking a Philanthropy Coordinator to provide essential operational support for the Philanthropy team. This new, full-time role will manage gift processing and donor acknowledgments from receipt through acknowledgment, establish and maintain Salesforce CRM best practices, and support prospect research, portfolio management, pipeline and metrics reporting, campaign and event support, and meeting preparation for philanthropy leadership. The Philanthropy Coordinator will play a key role in strengthening donor engagement, improving data integrity, supporting moves management, and enabling senior fundraising staff to focus on cultivation, solicitation, and strategic relationship‑building.

Responsibilities:

CRM Data Management

• Participate in the development and implementation of best practices for donor data entry and relationship tracking.
• Assist with prospect generation and wealth screening tools, including data imports, record matching, account creation, and de‑duplication as new contacts are acquired.

Prospect Research & Portfolio Support

• Identify, research, and profile prospective donors to support donor acquisition and engagement strategies.
• Maintain a qualified prospect pipeline and support moves management activities.
• Prepare briefing materials, donor profiles, and meeting support for the Chief Philanthropy Officer and Senior Director, Philanthropy.

Gift Processing & Donor Stewardship

• Accurately record, track, and process gifts in accordance with the Gift Acceptance Policy and gift processing standard operating procedures, keeping gift records and donor histories complete and accessible.
• Generate timely donor acknowledgments and tax receipts to support strong stewardship and compliance.
• Help document and refine gift processing procedures as gift volume grows.

Department Operations & Collaboration

• Schedule and coordinate appointments, meetings, and calendars for philanthropy leadership.
• Provide general administrative support, including data entry, correspondence, file maintenance, and expense and invoice processing.
• Coordinate donor and stakeholder mailings, including appeals, invitations, and stewardship correspondence.
• Support planning, logistics, and on‑site set‑up for donor cultivation events, tours, and meetings.

Executive Support Collaboration

• Provide seamless backup support across the executive support team, ensuring continuity for assigned leaders and portfolios during absences, high‑volume periods, or changing business needs.
• Contribute to and uphold shared team processes, including intake systems, executive calendars, documentation standards, and workflow best practices to drive consistency and operational efficiency.
• Own and proactively manage complex, rapidly evolving calendars for two IBRI team members, anticipating scheduling needs, resolving conflicts, and strategically prioritizing commitments in alignment with organizational goals and business priorities.
• Partner closely with executive support colleagues to coordinate meetings, communications, and cross‑functional activities, ensuring a high level of service, responsiveness, and collaboration.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 2+ years of relevant experience in philanthropy, nonprofit operations, donor relations, advancement services, development operations, CRM administration, or a related field preferred; candidates with less experience may be considered with the right skills and potential.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage accurate donor, gift, and prospect information.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear donor profiles, acknowledgments, and briefing materials.
• Experience planning and supporting events or meetings, including logistics, materials, vendor coordination, and on‑site set‑up.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience using Salesforce or another donor CRM/database.
• Experience with gift processing, donor acknowledgments, prospect research, or moves management.
• Familiarity with philanthropy operations, nonprofit fundraising, or advancement services.
• Interest in supporting a mission‑driven organization focused on advancing life sciences and improving human health.

Compensation:

Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits offered commensurate with experience.

About Us:

The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) is a first‑in‑class translational medicine institute dedicated to advancing life sciences in the race to eliminate disease and improve human health and life.

By connecting early‑stage biotech companies with cutting‑edge life science discoveries —and backed by the mission and resources of industry leaders, investors, and philanthropic partners—IBRI is successfully evolving a new, independent model to conquer disease, uniting previously fragmented forces in the quest for cures.

Carefully curating and supporting early‑stage companies with investment, talent, and space, IBRI strategically accelerates drug discovery. Our work benefits from the relatively low cost of living and doing business here, allowing more resources to be directed toward science.

Fueled by the same entrepreneurial creativity as the groundbreaking scientific work we support, IBRI’s labs advance research across the frontiers of diabetes, metabolic disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and rare pediatric diseases. Our ambitious public–private vision cultivates talent while efficiently bridging the gap between research‑driven inquiry and profit‑driven drug development.

At IBRI, cures are launched on a clear pathway to clinical trials, enabled by the combined resources and experience of our academic and industry partners, without the typical pressure to deliver rapid results for commercialization. IBRI labs pursue breakthroughs that might never happen elsewhere. Our novel financing model ensures that when discoveries are ready for clinical trials, the intellectual property is sold back to industry or spun off, creating a direct stream of revenue.

By every measure, the IBRI model demonstrates a novel approach that delivers rewards. Scientific bench work is nurtured, drug discovery is advanced, workforce development is continuous, investors see returns, and donors see impact. Most importantly, IBRI’s structure and portfolio of accomplishments matter to the patients whose lives are improved—or even saved—by this forward‑looking approach to life sciences.

IBRI is driven to bring next‑generation therapies to market with an understanding of the complex pressures that often bind innovation to economics. After more than a decade, the evidence is clear: IBRI is poised to transform life sciences—and for millions of people, even life itself.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The IBRI provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and does not discriminate based on age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.