Donor Relations Coordinator | Chabot Space & Science Center

Donor Relations Coordinator | Chabot Space & Science Center

Donor Relations Coordinator (revised 7-27-26)

Chabot Space & Science Center is a non-profit science center and observatory dedicated to inspiring and educating learners of all ages about the Universe and planet Earth. Chabot’s mission is to spark and engage curiosity, deepen access and inclusion within science education, and provide opportunity for pathways into careers in the sciences.

Situated on a beautiful 13-acre campus nestled in the redwoods of Oakland’s regional parks, Chabot Space & Science Center includes immersive exhibits, hands-on learning activities, science festivals, a state-of-the-art planetarium, and is home to the official NASA Ames Visitor Center. Chabot’s research-level astronomical observatory, featuring three large scale telescopes, is the largest observatory complex free for regular public viewing in the Western United States.

At Chabot, we:

• Conduct ourselves with honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior, maintaining the trust and confidence of our community.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, valuing the diverse perspectives, ideas, and skills of our staff, volunteers, and partners, recognizing that collective efforts drive positive change.
• Encourage creativity and innovation, embracing new ideas, and approaches that advance our mission and optimize our impact and promote ongoing professional development, fostering a culture of learning, growth, and continuous improvement, where individuals are empowered to reach their full potential and contribute their unique strengths.
• Treat all individuals with dignity and respect, appreciating their unique backgrounds and experiences, fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.
• Actively seek partnership and collaboration, recognizing that working together with others strengthens our ability to make a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.
• Measure our success by the positive impact we make in our community, always seeking ways to address emerging needs, adapt to changing circumstances, and make meaningful and lasting change.
• We believe that everyone deserves a career they love. We strive to build a diverse team that reflects the people we serve; this is made possible through our commitment to fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion, equity, and connectedness.

Donor Relations Coordinator Job Summary:

The Donor Relations Coordinator is a full-time, onsite role and a key member of Chabot’s Development team. This position reports to the Director of Development and closely partners with all members of the Development team, coordinating the planning and dissemination of all communications related to donor cultivation and stewardship, including donor impact reports and other updates, special promotions and campaigns, donor profiles and other content in e-newsletters, and event invitations and follow-up. This individual also supports donor engagement, holding responsibility for timely gift acknowledgement and recognition, supporting the development and execution of member and donor events, and assisting with benefits fulfillment. This role requires an individual with exceptional people, project and data management skills, as well as the ability to develop and share compelling narratives, both verbally and in writing.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Coordinate essential donor communications, including email updates and reports, donor acknowledgements, and ongoing renewal and pledge reminders.
• Partner with Individual Giving Manager and Director to design, develop, and distribute quarterly Donor Impact Reports, managing timelines, helping to curate and draft content, and generating distribution lists.
• Coordinate the scheduling of all member/donor communications with both Development and Marketing teams to appropriately modulate Chabot’s overall communications calendar and ensure consistency and alignment around messaging.
• Conduct individual prospect research to help identify both new donors and those with the ability to upgrade their support; mine event data and attendance lists for new prospects and donor networks; prepare and/or update prospect profiles in advance of donor/prospect meetings.
• Support invitation and attendance management and prospect research for fundraising/cultivation events.
• Partner with other Development team members to engage both current and prospective donors, helping to build the individual donor pipeline on an ongoing basis.

Stewardship & Events Responsibilities

• Track and provide timely benefits fulfillment for individual donors and business partners.
• Support Individual Giving Manager in developing, scheduling, and coordinating donor programs and events, including arranging food and beverage and managing other event logistics, as appropriate.
• Coordinate appropriate documentation, communications, and tracking for donor programs and events, including managing invitations and tracking attendance, key donor interactions, and follow-up.
• Collaborate with Membership Coordinator and the Visitor Services team to provide high quality hospitality/customer relations for all donors, including conducting onsite tours for donors and prospects; monitor and respond to Development email and phone inquiries.
• Represent Chabot at exhibit openings and public programs like festivals, as well as other major events (both internal and in the community) to help promote donor and member participation.

Administrative & Data Management Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Membership Coordinator to regularly evaluate and build efficiencies in department systems and processes related to donor and member tracking and relationship management.
• Manage list generation, maintenance and updating for ongoing donor communications, including newsletters/reports, event invitations, solicitation campaigns, and other appeals.
• Maintain data integrity for individual donor accounts, including tracking of donor communications, engagement, and event attendance, as well as managing routine data clean-up.
• Reconcile contributed income reports with members of the Finance team on a monthly basis.
• Support the Director in preparing reports, prospect lists, and other collateral for Development Committee and Board meetings.
• Support Membership Coordinator, as needed, in managing and responding to requests for donations from other nonprofits.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to work well in a team environment and collaborate effectively with both staff and volunteers.
• Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, with the ability to create and manage organizational systems and tools.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to create compelling narratives for a variety of audiences.
• Ability to work independently, proactively, and to prioritize and manage multiple projects at once.
• Highly organized, detail oriented, and deadline driven.
• Knowledge of science, technology and education is helpful.
• Ability to exhibit tact and diplomacy and respect donor confidentiality.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed for events and programs.

Education and Experience:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Two or more years working in nonprofit Development or Membership.
• Demonstrated interest in science, astronomy, and STEAM education preferred.
• Proven track record in database and systems management.
• Excellent computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Constant Contact or the equivalent, GoFundMePRO and Salesforce or a comparable integrated CRM system.
• Experience dealing with high level volunteers and board members a plus.

Must be committed to working in a diverse workforce with dignity and respect, appreciating unique backgrounds and experiences, and fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements listed below are characteristic of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to work at a desk/computer up to 85% of time.
• Ability to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift 25 pounds.
• Ability to work indoors in environmentally controlled conditions, or outdoors in seasonal temperatures.
• Ability to work in sometimes loud and active environments for an extended period.
• Ability to work in crowded environments.

CHABOT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Chabot is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our employees are people with differing strengths, experiences, and backgrounds who share a passion for bringing science to the full range of our community – sparking excitement about a universe of possibilities beyond our planet. Diversity not only includes race and gender identity but also age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and many other parts of one’s identity. All our employees’ points of view are key to our success, and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility.

Experience Level : Entry Level, Mid Level