Development Intern, Operations
Company Description
Ravinia, North America's oldest music festival, stands today as its most musically diverse, presenting over 140 different events throughout the summer. These concerts run the gambit from Yo-Yo Ma to John Legend to the annual summer residency of the nation's finest orchestra, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
The 36-acre park is nestled in a gently wooded area that makes it an enchanting place to experience music. Guests can bring their own picnics or eat at one of the park restaurants.
Our Mission
As a nonprofit organization, community outreach and music education initiatives are our mission. Over 80,000 people are served through Ravinia's Reach*Teach*Play programs each year, ensuring that great music remains accessible to all.
Job Description
The Development Intern: Operations provides support to the Development Department at Ravinia as an important member of the Operations team. This position plays a role in assisting with Ravinia’s annual fund campaign, gift entry and processing, providing exceptional customer service to Ravinia’s 4,700 individual donors, planning and executing events, and playing a vital role in the VIP Donor Concierge Service assisting Ravinia’s most generous donors. The position offers an opportunity to gain valuable experience in fundraising, philanthropy, donor relations, and day-to-day operations of a world renowned non-profit arts organization.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide outstanding customer service and assistance with dining reservations, ticketing, and other requests to all of Ravinia’s donors, during the donor ticket request period in March, April, and throughout the summer.
- Assist in tracking the Donor Concierge ticket and dining reservation waitlist in a very detailed manner for sold out concerts.
- Answer a high volume of phone calls and email inquiries from current and prospective donors during the donor ticket request period and the summer. Phone calls and email can exceed upwards of 75 per day per team member.
- Learn and utilize Ravinia’s three software platforms to perform various core job functions such as reserve, sell, and exchange tickets; place dining reservation requests; process donations; and track waitlists.
- Represent the Donor Concierge Service in the utmost professional and respectful manner to ensure the highest level of service for Opus and Guarantor donors on the phone, in Ravinia’s restaurants, and throughout the park.
- Collaborate with the Manager, Donor Relations and Operations and the Manager, Annual Fund Campaign in planning various VIP events including but not limited to tracking event RSVPs using The Raiser’s Edge, designing invitations, assembling event materials, generating event correspondence, and event execution.
- Assist the Manager, Donor Relations and Operations with donor research projects aimed at increasing number of annual donors.
- Use data in ticketing system SRO to analyze donor parking usage for highly attended concerts.
- Update donor records in all three of Ravinia’s software platforms as needed and maintain accurate contact information.
- Special projects and other duties as assigned, including providing administrative support for Development department as needed, and assisting at various department events throughout the year such as season previews, donor receptions, annual Music Matters benefit, and Women’s Board Gala.
- Provide assistance to the box office on public sales day by assisting patrons by phone.
- Assists in concert duty coverage.
Qualifications
Knowledge and Skills Required:
- Superior customer service, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Capability to multitask and manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Ability to quickly learn and then utilize various technology platforms
- Ability to handle stressful situations
- Comfortable working with high level donors face to face
- Excellent listening skills
- Extremely detail oriented
- Ability to accept feedback
- Strong desire to grow professionally
- Capability to problem solve quickly, calmly, and effectively in a variety of situations
- Work well in a team environment across departments as well as independently
- Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint
- Experience working in databases. The Raiser’s Edge is a plus, but not required
Education and Experience:
- Some college or higher preferred
- Experience in customer service, fundraising position preferred
Additional information
- This is a valued position that contributes heavily to the success of the Development Department and Operations team. Applicant must be prepared to dedicate their summer and to work many evenings and weekends.
- This is a full time position to start immediately and will go through the end of the season in mid-September.