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Philanthropy Support Specialist
Customer Service
USD 39.9-44.7 / year
Posted on Sep 3, 2026
Job Posting
Philanthropy Support Specialist
Department: Philanthropy
Reports to: Vice President of Philanthropy
Status: Full-time, hourly, benefitted position
Hours of Work: Standard Monday – Friday workweek, generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Occasional need for weekend or after-hours work in support of events and projects.
Position Overview
The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for a Philanthropy Support Specialist who works directly with the Vice President of Philanthropy and other senior fundraisers on behalf of the principal and major gifts function and the philanthropy team. This critical executive partnership and project management/administrative role helps advance the Seattle Aquarium's mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment by providing timely, consistent project management and partnership on donor moves management, often working independently and exercising sound judgment in handling confidential and sensitive donor matters, through a range of programmatic duties in a fast-paced environment. Knowledge of principal and major gifts work, nonprofit organizations, project management, board of directors management, and a proven track record in a rapidly shifting, detail-oriented role handling confidential material are essential. The Philanthropy Support Specialist communicates directly with principal and major donors, external partners, and members of the board of directors, along with internal audiences. This role helps staff the Advancement Committee of the board of directors, along with the board pipeline for the Board Governance & Nominations Committee.
The Seattle Aquarium recognizes that various marginalized communities are being disproportionately impacted by environmental harm while not having access to lead the conversation on conservation and environmental education. We are partners in changing that narrative and seek a Philanthropy Support Specialist who can work within philanthropy through an equity-centered lens.
Essential Functions:
Principal and Major Gifts work
- Internal project manager for the Seattle Aquarium Sustaining Initiative (AQSI), a multi-year strategy and invitation to donors to support the mission-critical work of the Aquarium. Includes managing the core functions of the initiative, including quarterly impact reports and proposals, administering and tracking the AQSI Teams channel and AQSI suite of materials, and partnering with the VP Philanthropy and senior fundraisers on anchor outreach and events.
- Partners with VP and senior direct fundraisers on a highly dynamic slate of principal and major gift solicitations and cultivations by calendaring key activities, preparing timelines, preparing written donor briefings for donor visits, updating research already on file, and scheduling donor meetings and debriefs.
- For twice-monthly donor strategy meetings with the President & CEO, VP and senior fundraisers, manages all administrative aspects of those meetings: calendaring, refreshing donor names and supporting materials on the agendas, and capturing and tracking action items, including working with the solicitation teams between meetings to ensure action items are advancing as planned.
- Supports the VP with principal donor communications, occasionally representing the VP when needed to answer and address questions from principal donors and their staff; drafts VP portfolio revenue forecasts; records donor activity in Raisers Edge database
- Partners with VP Philanthropy to provide high-level stewardship of select donors in the VP’s portfolio, including personalized outreach, special invitations, and custom recognition opportunities
- Manages donor meeting logistics, including scheduling, preparing materials, managing presentation technology, sending donor correspondence and meeting reminders, and creating a welcoming and accessible environment including greeting donors and running presentations when required.
Board Committee work
- Provides staffing support to the co-chairs of the Advancement Committee and VP Philanthropy including scheduling meetings, developing and distributing agendas, recording minutes, and managing/tracking action items.
- Partner with VP Philanthropy to prepare board pipeline/nominations materials for Board Governance & Nominating Committee.
- With the President & CEO and VP Philanthropy, updates and facilitates the annual demographics survey of the board.
Administrative work (support to Vice President of Philanthropy and Philanthropy Department)
- For VP of Philanthropy: manage a robust and highly dynamic calendar of internal and external appointments; create, obtain and solicit items for weekly and monthly agendas and PowerPoints including Philanthropy team, executive team, all staff, board of directors and committee meetings; compile and disseminate documents for meetings.
- Maintains the timeline and framework for quarterly updating and reporting on department goals and benchmarks. Coordinates annual refresh of goals and metrics, including providing reminders to key stakeholders and program leads.
- Prepares monthly updates for presentations to board committees and the board.
- Maintains timeline and processes for onboarding of new department staff, yearly performance evaluation schedules for VP with team members, and team planning offsites.
- Manages purchasing, shipping/receiving, purchase orders and approval of invoices for the department.
- Provides general support for signature philanthropy functions and priority needs.
- Contributes to the effort to build a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization through excellent customer service.
- Honors the rights of our donors under the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Code of Ethics.
- All Aquarium staff and volunteers are expected to participate in advancing and integrating into their work Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Regenerative practices in alignment with our S.A.L.I.S.H. Values.
- Other duties of a similar nature as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: The skills and abilities listed below may be demonstrated through a combination of relevant cultural and community programs, jobs, internships, volunteer experience, and/or formal or informal education. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.
- Minimum five years of direct development, fundraising or membership experience, including project management or high-level support experience supporting an executive and team required, ideally in a non-profit organization.
- Experience handling complex donor-related projects and highly confidential information and interactions with donor relations or partnering with/supporting a philanthropy leader in a non-profit setting preferred.
- Able to plan ahead to meet deadlines on time, prioritize conflicting needs; handle matters expeditiously; and follow-through on projects, often with tight deadlines and quick turn-around.
- Customer service and solutions oriented; committed to helping ensure the department runs efficiently and effectively; A collaborative and proactive approach, with flexibility to adapt to changing priorities.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects with accuracy and thoroughness, and proven experience taking initiative and using independent judgment in non-routine matters.
- Excellent time management with ability to prioritize and work with a high level of accuracy within a fast-paced environment.
- Exceptional attention to detail, highly organized and effective planning and project management skills to anticipate donor, committee, VP and department needs; able to track long-term strategies/projects.
- Strong communication skills: Oral, written, and strong interpersonal communication skills to work effectively with high-level donors and stakeholders.
- Excellent Microsoft Office (Excel, Power Point, Outlook and Word) experience required. Experience working with donor databases such as Raiser’s Edge preferred. Experience setting up and working with meeting technology such as presentation software such as Power Point, projectors and laptops preferred.
- Demonstrates alignment with the Aquarium’s Mission, S.A.L.I.S.H. Values, and commitment to regenerative and equity-centered practices.
Experience, education and certifications: We will consider various combinations of relevant experience and education in order to meet minimum requirements.
- Associate degree or combination of equivalent education and experience in an office environment. BA preferred.
Working Conditions:
- Hybrid virtual/in-office model with minimum three days in office, including Thursdays.
- Flexibility for evening or weekend work throughout the year to support philanthropy events.
- Office work is performed in a semi-private work area. Donor tours will occur in Aquarium exhibit areas, possible outdoor field excursions and off-site donor meetings.
- Work is highly collaborative in nature and requires the ability to meet in person, talk on the phone and via Zoom/Teams, and listen well for understanding. Work is highly collaborative and involves in-person, virtual, and phone communication; active listening and clear communication are essential.
- Some exposure to elements. Employees are in campus environments with multiple buildings, outdoor and semi-covered areas. Travel between Aquarium buildings and meeting sites in all types of weather.
Confidentiality:
- This position maintains a high level of confidentiality related to donor cultivation and other fundraising efforts. This includes access to fundraising software, donor database and lists, and executive email communications.
Salary and benefits: $39.90 - $44.70/year. Dependent on experience. Please include salary expectations in your application materials. Full-time staff are eligible for the Seattle Aquarium’s comprehensive benefits package to include medical, vision, dental, an employer-funded health reimbursement account, medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long-term disability, 403b retirement fund with employer match, access to a subsidized ORCA pass, a Seattle Aquarium Family Plus membership and generous paid time off.
How to apply: The Seattle Aquarium is committed to expanding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive conservation movement. We are invested in building an Aquarium with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, languages, cultural ways of knowing, and life experiences. We know research shows that society has conditioned communities of color, trans and gender non-conforming people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and other marginalized candidates to more frequently not apply to a job because they don’t feel that they meet all of the qualifications listed even if they are qualified. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.
Interested candidates should upload a résumé to our online application to be considered. Application review will begin immediately.
Please let us know if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for this job by emailing us at jobs@seattleaquarium.org.
Note: If offered the position, candidates must pass a background check. Conviction record is not an automatic disqualifier; we are a second chance employer.
About the Seattle Aquarium: The Seattle Aquarium is a respected authority on Puget Sound, the Salish Sea and the world’s one ocean. Our team increases awareness and drives the change needed to preserve and protect our marine environment by providing excellent care and wellbeing for over 5,000 animals to create an inspiring visitor experience, offer engaging daytime and evening events, conservation education programs for people of all ages and backgrounds, community outreach to marginalized populations, research that advances understanding of animals in our care and their counterparts in the wild, advocacy and policy work, an award-winning volunteer program, high-impact marketing and communications, and more.
Our values, developed in conjunction with our staff, include commitments to adopting and promoting sustainable practices, creating awe-inspiring experiences, constantly learning and improving, fostering an inclusive community, maintaining scientific credibility through evidence-based practices and honoring our unique place by using our location and history as a lens for larger understanding.
Proudly accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, we’re among the top 10 aquariums in the U.S. by attendance, and we welcome over 1 million people each year guided by our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment. Learn more at SeattleAquarium.org.