SUMMARY
The Executive Assistant serves as the primary executive support to the Executive Director of Development. This role provides high-level strategic, administrative, and operational support including managing priorities, communications, scheduling, donor and leadership briefings, drafting correspondence, coordinating follow-through on key initiatives, and supporting selected events.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Note: While this listing is an extensive representation of essential duties of the position, it is not necessarily all-encompassing; additional duties may be assigned as needed to meet Development needs.
1. Executive Support
· Correspondence: Responsible for the initiation of the Executive Director's correspondence and donor contact reports. Transform dictated concepts or rough notes into professional communications for a range of recipients, including Abbey leadership, Board members, major benefactors, and colleagues.
· Briefing Preparation: Prepare comprehensive briefing materials. Synthesize donor data, conversation history, and key objectives into clear, accessible and actionable summaries.
· Calendar Management: Manage a dynamic schedule across multiple internal and external contacts. Prioritize scheduling requests for donor engagement and strategic work. Ensure the calendar reflects benefactor meetings, Abbey leadership commitments, and dedicated focus time.
· Travel Coordination: Arrange travel itineraries for donor visits, conferences, and institutional engagements. Prepare complete travel packets including logistics, meeting agendas, and background materials.
· Expense Administration: Process receipts, credit card reports, and expense reimbursements for the EDD accurately and on time.
2. Project & Initiative Support
· Strategy Tracking: Organize and track development initiatives across the full spectrum of fundraising activity – from annual giving to campaign-level planning. Maintain working documents that evolve with changing priorities.
· Signature Events: Assist with donor development events, including the Seminarian Benefit Dinner, donor appreciation gatherings, and other cultivation events in collaboration with Events and Communications teams.
· Consultant Coordination: Schedule meetings and coordinate logistics with external consultants engaged in fundraising planning and campaign-related work. Track project timelines, organize deliverables, and ensure all documentation is accurate and on schedule.
· Special Projects: Conduct research, compile data, and prepare materials for strategic planning initiatives, program reviews, and institutional effectiveness processes as assigned.
3. Donor Stewardship & Data Integrity
· Data Integrity: Document all donor interactions in the CRM (Raiser’s Edge) in accordance with Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) standards. Maintain accurate current records for the Executive Director's portfolio and support donor record retention, stewardship tracking, and related administrative processes.
· Hospitality Coordination: Coordinate logistics for donor visits, including meals with Abbey leadership, Hilltop tours, special events, and stewardship touchpoints with attention to detail and a genuine spirit of welcome, anticipating guest needs in advance with the Events team.
· Stewardship Communications: Draft acknowledgment letters, in coordination with the Communications team, personalized updates, program updates, briefing materials, and other stewardship-related communications that support donor engagement and reflect the Abbey’s mission, values, and institutional tone.
4. Board & Monastic Liaison
· Board Support: Organize and prepare materials to submit for Board and committee meetings, including agenda items, briefing documents, and post-meeting action summaries.
· Monastic Community Coordination: Coordinate scheduling, communications, and project workflow with monastic members assigned to the Development office. Maintain awareness of the Abbey’s liturgical calendar and prayer schedule to ensure Development activity is appropriately integrated with the rhythm of monastic life.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
None. However, may coordinate the work of monks assigned to Development, volunteers, work-study students, or temporary staff as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS
Ability to perform essential job duties with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to safety or health of employee or others. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
· Proven competence in complex office administration, including calendar management across multiple stakeholder groups, correspondence management, digital filing, document and presentation preparation, and project workflow coordination.
· Collaborative engagement with faculty, staff, monks, and external stakeholders in a mission-driven community.
· Exceptional organizational and time-management abilities, with the capacity to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.
· Superior written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft polished correspondence, reports, briefings, and presentations for a range of audiences.
· Demonstrated ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive materials with integrity.
· Some travel is required. Must have reliable transportation.
· Experience in faith-based institutional advancement, nonprofit development, or higher education administration.
· Working knowledge and understanding of (a) the Catholic Church, (b) academic institutions, (c) Catholic Abbey and Seminary environments desired; expectation is that this knowledge to be acquired within the first six months in the position.
· Familiarity with fundraising operations, donor relations, and CRM systems (Raiser's Edge NXT).
· Experience supporting senior leaders whose primary focus is donor strategy and external engagement.
· Project management experience or certification.
· Scent-Free Policy: While at work, employees are expected to be free of any discernible smells or scents, including but not limited to tobacco, body odor, or personal care products/fragrances.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
· Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
· Minimum 3–5 years of experience providing executive-level administrative support (C-Suite, President, Senior Vice President, or equivalent)
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Superior written and verbal communication skills are essential. This role requires the ability to draft, edit, and produce polished professional documents – including correspondence, briefings, reports, and donor communications – with accuracy, clarity, professionalism, and sensitivity to audience, while reflecting the Abbey’s mission, values, and institutional tone.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Solid analytical and numerical skills, including accurate expense processing, budget tracking, and data interpretation sufficient to support financial administration and reporting.
COMPUTER SKILLS
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint) required. Working knowledge of CRM database systems required; experience with Raiser’s Edge NXT strongly preferred. Ability to learn institutional platforms and tools as assigned.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS None.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
· Ability to regularly sit, stand, bend, stoop, and occasionally reach overhead.
· Will frequently (several times per week) lift small boxes weighing up to 15 pounds.
· Will occasionally enlist assistance in lifting larger objects (i.e. boxes of paper, envelopes, etc.) weighing up to 50 pounds.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
· Occasional evening and/or weekend work required for donor events, board meetings, or strategic initiatives. Must be available beyond standard business hours as needed.
· Professional office environment within a historic monastic setting.
Application Process
Timeline:
Application Deadline: April 15, 2026
Estimated Start Date: asap
Required Materials: Submit to hr@mtangel.edu
Cover letter explaining your qualifications and interest in this opportunity
Current resume highlighting relevant experience
Process:
Final candidates – onsite interviews
Reference and background verification for final candidate
Hourly:
$20.00 - $25.00 DOQ
Contact Information:
Human Resources Department
Mount Angel Abbey
1 Abbey Drive
Saint Benedict, OR 97373
Email: hr@mtangel.edu | Phone: 503-845-3909
Learn more: Home - Mount Angel Abbey
Mount Angel Abbey is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment where qualified candidates contribute to our welcoming, mission-focused community.