External Affairs and Membership Coordinator

Position Overview

The Spencer Museum of Art (SMA) is seeking an External Affairs and Membership Coordinator who values building relationships with the Museum’s many audiences, is committed to the details, and practiced in strong communication skills both digitally and in print. By supporting membership and external affairs, the person in this role will help drive the Museum’s mission and strategic plans through data collection and management, as well as donor communications and membership program administration. The ideal candidate will have experience in data management and donor relations, exceptional writing and editing skills, and programming and project management experience.  

To fully participate in the Museum’s membership program and to directly interact with audiences, the person in this position will serve as one of the primary staff members on-site on Saturdays, providing front-line support at the Welcome Desk for visitor experience activities. Strong customer service, communication, research and writing skills, confidentiality, and adaptability are imperative.

The Spencer Museum of Art explores the capacity of art to spark curiosity, inspire creativity, and create connections among people. The Museum, located on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence, houses an internationally known collection that is deep and diverse, currently numbering approximately 48,000 artworks in all media.

Job Description

55% - Membership Program

• Maintain donor files and donor database related to Museum Advancement activities, including tracking correspondence, information, and meetings related to donors, donor prospects, and foundations.
• Participate in fundraising tracking, evaluation, and reporting of constituent data and donor engagement goals in tandem with the SMA and KU Endowment Association (KUEA) Development Team.
• Serve as liaison with KUEA in managing membership acknowledgement and renewal program.
• Produce monthly, quarterly, and annual fundraising campaign reports for the membership program.
• Create and regularly update letter templates for membership solicitation, renewals, and gift acknowledgements.
• Draft, update, create mailing lists, and mail correspondence, solicitations, invitations and other campaign mailings, both physical and digital, to donors and board members.
• Assist in managing the logistics for Friends of the Art Museum Board meetings, including scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, managing board membership, taking minutes, and archiving meeting materials.
• Work with SMA’s Development Team to build membership base by planning and convening groups internally, cultivating new partnerships, and sustaining existing friends and supporters of the museum through personalized connection.
• Help answer the SMA mainline phone, process donor incoming mail, monitor the membership email address, and maintain an accurate email list for FAM members and the FAM Board.
• Help prepare packets for donor visits and fundraising meetings as needed.
  
  
  

20% - Visitor Experience Research

• Manage onsite operations at the Museum’s Welcome Desk during Saturday public hours, and other weekday/weekend hours as needed, including but not limited to welcoming and orientating guests, overseeing shop sales, and capturing visitor feedback to gain insights on visitor experience.
• Support major public events and programs.
• Design surveys and other instruments to gather feedback about development-oriented activities and museum engagement.
  
  
  

20% - Events and Marketing

• Coordinate Friends of the Art Museum member events, including facilitating the creation and mailing of invitations, collecting attendee responses, marketing, and leading event planning and execution.
• Assist Director of External Affairs in creating print and digital communications for FAM and other key audience groups, including maintaining and writing content for the SMA’s E/News.
• Research new vendors and contractors for FAM events.
  
  
  

5% - Other Duties as Assigned

• Participate in museum- and campus-wide initiatives and trainings.
• Attend all staff meetings.
• Assist and participate in other initiatives as they arise and in concert with supervisor.
  
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Communications, Arts Administration, Marketing, Nonprofit Management) plus at least one year of full-time professional experience in external affairs, membership, donor relations, or a closely related field.
• Excellent writing and editing abilities, as evidenced by a cover letter, resume, and a writing sample (e.g., donor communication, press release, or newsletter), as evidenced in application materials.
• One year of experience producing concise reports and written documents that synthesize a wide range of information sources and demonstrate strong attention to accuracy and detail.
• Two years experience in Microsoft Office 365 (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat Pro, demonstrated by previous job duties or certifications.
• General digital literacy, including use of CRM systems, cloud-based collaboration tools, and email marketing platforms, as evidenced in application materials.
• One year of experience in roles requiring project coordination, task tracking, or document management, with clear evidence of strong attention to detail (demonstrated through resume bullet points or references).
• Available to work Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., plus occasional evenings and weekends with advance notice, including Thursdays until 8:00 p.m. Availability must be affirmed in the application or interview materials.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Two or more years of professional experience in membership, donor relations, nonprofit development, or a related role.
• Six months of professional experience planning and executing public-facing or internal events, including managing logistics, vendors, or communications.
• One year of experience in a customer service or public-facing role, including direct interaction with clients, visitors, or donors in-person, by phone, or digitally.
• Experience working or volunteering for an arts organization, museum, cultural institution, or other public-centered nonprofit, preferably in a role involving external communication or audience engagement, as evidenced in application materials.
  
  
  

Additional Candidate Instructions

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume
• List of three (3) professional references
• Professional writing sample (2-3 pages maximum)
  
  
  

Only complete applications will be considered.

Application review begins Monday, June 30, 2025. and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants are identified.

Contact Information to Applicants

Elizabeth Kanost

elizacat@ku.edu

785-864-0142

Advertised Salary Range

43,000-45,000

Application Review Begins

Monday June 30, 2025

Anticipated Start Date

Monday July 21, 2025