Job Description
Department:
Center for Small Town Jewish Life
Pay Rate Type:
Hourly
Employee Type:
Job Summary:
The Development and Engagement Specialist supports the mission of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life (CSTJL) by coordinating donor relations, advancement communications, and community programs that build meaningful connections between Colby College and Jewish communities across Maine and beyond. Reporting to the Director of Development, this position provides critical support for fundraising events and stewardship activities. The Specialist serves as a key liaison among donors, campus partners, and community members, helping to advance CSTJL’s visibility, reach, and impact.
Essential Functions and Key Responsibilities
To perform successfully in this position, an individual must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily as well as possess education/experience, employ the knowledge, skills, and abilities as listed in representative fashion. Colby College actively supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. This listing of essential duties is not all-inclusive, but representative; other duties may be assigned.
Support the Director of Development in executing CSTJL’s advancement and stewardship strategies, including donor outreach, communications, and event coordination.
Research and identify new foundation funding opportunities aligned with organizational priorities
Maintain foundation grant calendar and ensure timely submission of all deliverables
Track grant requirements, deadlines, and reporting activity
Plan and manage logistics for development events - both on campus and in partner communities across the state.
Maintain accurate and confidential donor and program records in the CRM system.
Assist with the creation of donor communications, acknowledgement letters, impact reports, and marketing content that convey the Center’s mission and achievements.
Collaborate with Advancement and Communications staff to ensure consistency in messaging, branding, and engagement materials.
Serve as a welcoming, professional representative of CSTJL when interacting with visitors, alumni, trustees, and community partners.
Provide administrative support for meetings, mailings, follow-up communications, and post-event reporting.
Position Qualifications
Education and/or experience:
Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience
One to three years of experience in development, advancement, event coordination, communications, or a related field.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to create clear, compelling, and accurate correspondence and reports.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build positive relationships across diverse audiences - including donors, alumni, students, faculty, and community partners.
Highly organized, proactive, and adaptable to changing priorities in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.
Strong attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and professional judgment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite; ability to learn tools such as Airtable, Adobe Creative Suite, Eventbrite, SurveyMokey, and Workday.
Appreciation for Jewish traditions, culture, and civic engagement, with curiosity and openness to cross-cultural experiences.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively with minimal supervision..
Working Conditions/Schedule
This is a part-time position (approximately 15-20 hours per week). Some evening and weekend hours are required to support CSTJL events and programs.
Physical/Mental Demands
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this position and/or may be encountered while performing essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
To successfully perform the essential functions of this position, an employee must be able to maintain appropriate confidentiality with regard to employee data, documents, issues, etc., and respect privacy needs of employees and past employees with regard to the same.
The ability to comply with highly inflexible deadlines is required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position; there will be multiple occurrences of sudden, urgent task completion required.
There may be occurrences of employees, past employees, members of the general public, and others who express opinions, may exhibit strong emotions, which will require the employee to interact professionally, diplomatically, and appropriately in such situations.
While performing the essential duties of this position, an employee would frequently be required to move around the office space as well as within hallways, meeting rooms, and other parts of the campus facilities.
There may be multiple/daily instances of prolonged personal computer use which would include keyboard and/or mouse usage as well as viewing a computer monitor.
An employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds to perform essential position functions.
Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
The overall work environment requires the mental ability to shift focus quickly due to interruptions; an employee must be able to mentally track multiple projects and tasks as well.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate; however, there may be unexpected instances of somewhat loud sounds.
To Apply:
Interested candidates should apply electronically by clicking the “Apply Now” button on the Colby College website. Please upload a cover letter and resume to your application.
