NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Description

Position Overview:

Reporting directly to the Chief Development Officer (CDO), the Senior Associate, Board Relations and Strategic Planning will support the advancement of organizational priorities. The position will ensure the CDO can focus on strategic decision-making and business activities to achieve ambitious fundraising goals. The role collaborates closely with the Rainforest Alliance (RA) Board of Directors, Committees, and the Executive Office (EO) on all board related matters to: map out and schedule meetings; request, organize, and prepare materials; ensure Board governance and compliance to policies and processes; provide effective communication, event coordination, and meeting management; and supervise logistical tasks. This role plays a crucial role in facilitating collaboration between the organization’s Board and the various departments or teams within the organization. This position acts as a bridge, ensuring that the Board’s decisions, guidance, and initiatives are conveyed to relevant internal stakeholders while also providing the Board with insights, updates, and feedback from RA leadership. Travel will be required for Board meetings and RA events.

Key Responsibilities:

Board Relations (50%)

• Meeting Management: In collaboration with CDO, Chief Strategy Officer and Corporate Secretary, handle Board meetings, including working with stakeholders to settle agendas, scheduling, driving preparation of required materials, distributing materials, and providing logistical support.
• Collaborate proactively with relevant parties to ensure all necessary information is prepared and available for Board discussions.
• Regularly communicate key updates, strategic initiatives, financial information, and decisions made by the Board to appropriate departments, teams, and stakeholders within the organization. Ensure accurate and timely distribution of relevant materials.
• Maintain accurate records of Board meetings, decisions, and actions; prepare meeting minutes, resolutions, and other relevant documentation as needed to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Build and nurture positive relationships with Board members, executives, and other stakeholders. Serve as a point of contact for Board members seeking information or clarification about organizational matters.
• Maintain a close partnership with the Executive Leadership Team to ensure shared goals are achieved, including information sharing, preparation for meetings and events, ongoing relationship management, and mapping of Board leads and prospects.
• Assist in the onboarding and orientation of new Board members, providing them with necessary background information, context, and resources to quickly integrate into their roles. Maintain working knowledge of latest and best practices in Board affairs and share with Executive Office and Board as relevant.
• In coordination with Board Chair and Executive Office, facilitate goal setting and assessments of the full Board collectively, members individually, Committees, Board officers, and alignment with Annual Plan.
• Draft Board updates on behalf of Chief Development Officer in coordination with relevant colleagues and develop Board outreach materials.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information with the utmost discretion and professionalism, adhering to ethical and legal standards.

Executive Support (50%):

• Provide comprehensive administrative support to the Chief Development Officer.
• Draft, proofread, and prepare correspondence, reports, and presentations to include talking points for internal and external stakeholders.
• Support CDO priorities through high-level writing, creating PowerPoint presentations, drafting talking points, conducting research and other tasks.
• Assist CDO with internal and external meetings, including preparation of meeting strategy and briefing documents, agendas, taking and transcribing meeting notes, intake on call reports and follow-up activities, videoconferencing and in-person venue needs.
• Handle CDO’s travel itineraries, including researching and booking flights, trains, rental cars, accommodations, ground transportation and other logistics.
• Handle expense reports and reimbursements. Track expenses and file reports in compliance with RA policies.
• Support the management and maintenance of Salesforce records with activities, call reports, meeting notes, event attendance, and/or gift notes, including scanning and attaching all relevant documents to the constituent record.
• Provide logistical support to development staff, helping to streamline communication across the department.
• Plan team meetings and agendas, coordinate scheduling, and assist with confirming guest speakers.
• Serve as a liaison between the development team and other departments within the organization.
• Coordinate team inputs and develops content for internal communications vehicles, such as Confluence, email groups, and other internal communications.
• Assist in organizing team meetings and retreats, preparing agendas, taking meeting notes, and tracking action items.
• Provide surge capacity for special projects and initiatives as needed.
• Contribute to project management as needed.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 5-7 years of administrative experience, preferably providing executive and board-level support in a nonprofit setting. Global/international organization experience is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills, both written and verbal, include active listening and emotional intelligence.
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to think ahead, engage proactively, and take initiative.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and donor management software (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, or similar).

Personal Characteristics:

• Strong interpersonal abilities are needed to build and maintain positive relationships with Board members, executives, and colleagues.
• Accurate record-keeping, meeting coordination, and information dissemination require meticulous attention to detail to avoid errors and ensure compliance with protocols.
• Due to involvement in sensitive discussions and confidential information, maintaining the highest level of integrity, professionalism, and discretion is critical.

Job Level: 4

Salary: For USA based candidates only: 

• National Salary range (Excluding NY and DC) – $53,029- $75,755
• New York Salary Range – $63,044- $90,006
• Washington DC Salary Range – $60,983- $87,118