Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Relations - CONTRACT Position - ~3-6 months Months)

Description

Overview

The New England College of Optometry (NECO) advances eye care through education, research, and clinical training across Greater Boston. Our community is committed to access, equity, and excellence in patient care and optometric education.

NECO seeks a short-term contractor to provide hands-on support during a peak period that includes fall and winter event management and early campaign-readiness tasks. This role is ideal for a nimble events, development, and alumni relations professional who can execute quickly, communicate clearly, and keep projects moving.

Term: Approximately October through December 2025 (exact dates to be finalized). Could extend to 6 months depending on an upcoming capital campaign assessment.

Salary: Starting at $42.00/hr. 35 hour work week. 

Key Project Areas & Deliverables

Note: This is a time-limited contract role focused on execution and near-term deliverables; long-term portfolio growth, annual visit quotas, and new program development outside the scope above are not expected within the ~3-6 month term.

• Support planning and on-site execution for NECO events, including but not limited to Grad Strong Career Fair on November 9 (run-of-show, vendor coordination, check-in, sponsor recognition, post-event recap).
• Coordinate student workers and volunteer staffing (scheduling, briefings, shift coverage). 
• Draft email updates, alumni newsletter items, appeal letters, stewardship pieces, event confirmations/recaps, and light social media copy. Coordinate with Marketing and Communications on assets and approvals.
• Prepare leadership briefings, contact reports, proposals, and thank-you letters.
• Assist with gift paperwork and acknowledgments. Coordinate with the Business Office as needed.
• Update and code event attendance, appeals, and interactions in Little Green Light (LGL); perform list pulls and simple reports.
• Ensure accurate appeal/campaign coding and basic data hygiene for records touched during the contract.
• Liaise with Alumni Board/class volunteers for event and program support.
• Track sponsor deliverables, signage/logo usage, acknowledgments, and invoicing follow-up.
• Provide project management assistance for capital campaign feasibility-study deliverables (scheduling, notes, slide prep, document organization).
• Assemble briefing packets and meeting materials for internal/external stakeholders.   
• Flex to support pressing development/alumni priorities during the contract term.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years’ experience in development, alumni relations, events, or related roles (higher ed/healthcare preferred). 
• Demonstrated strength in event logistics and deadline-driven project management.
• Excellent writing/editing skills for donor-facing communications.
• Proficiency with donor CRMs (LGL strongly preferred) and Microsoft Office/Google Workspace.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and comfortable balancing multiple workstreams.
• Collaborative, service-oriented approach with high professional judgment and discretion.
• Ability to work some evenings/weekends for events; hybrid schedule with up to 3 days/week on campus.