Job Description
About the Milken Institute
The Milken Institute is a globally minded, publicly supported, non-partisan, and nonprofit think tank headquartered in Santa Monica, with offices in Washington, DC, New York, London, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore. For the past three decades, the Milken Institute has served as a catalyst for practical, scalable solutions to global challenges by connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them. Guided by a conviction that the best ideas, under-resourced, cannot succeed, we conduct research and analysis and convene top experts, innovators, and influencers from different backgrounds and competing viewpoints. We leverage this expertise and insight to construct programs and policy initiatives. These activities are designed to help people build meaningful lives, in which they can experience health and well-being, pursue effective education and gainful employment, and access the resources required to create ever-expanding opportunities for themselves and their broader communities.
The Milken Institute’s events and programmatic activities, involve the exchange of ideas with leaders from around the world. The Institute hosts more than 200 events each year, with our annual flagship event, Global Conference, bringing together 4,500+ participants from around the world, featuring more than 900+ speakers throughout 200+ sessions over the course of the event.
About the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream
The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD) at the Milken Institute (MI) is seeking a passionate, highly organized, and detail-oriented advancement professional to join our team as an Advancement Associate. This position will provide critical support across fundraising, partnerships, events, stewardship, and executive-level administrative functions as part of the broader Advancement team. The Associate will play a key role in supporting donor and partner engagement efforts while liaising with colleagues across the Milken Institute, including Business Development, Events, Operations, and executive leadership teams.
MCAAD, the most recent center within the Institute, is catalyzing this work by operating a new type of cultural center in the heart of Washington, DC. MCAAD celebrates the ideal of the American Dream and explores the ongoing challenges people face in pursuing opportunity through exhibitions, programs, and educational initiatives. To accomplish this, we focus on four pillars of the American Dream: education, public health, finance, and entrepreneurship.
MCAAD’s physical home is a remarkable renovation of several 120-year-old historic bank buildings, including Riggs Bank, known as the “Bank of Presidents.” The Center’s main halls are on the National Register of Historic Places, and our stewardship of the property—along with adjacent buildings on 15th St NW—showcases and recognizes the history of these buildings while adapting them for use as a modern cultural center with immersive exhibit galleries. The six-building complex features nearly 300,000 square feet of space and includes a state-of-the-art theater, event and lecture spaces, a holodeck, shop, and atrium café, in addition to conference facilities, recording and broadcast studios, and the Washington, DC headquarters of several Milken Institute centers.
About the Position
In MCAAD’s early stage of being open to the public and focusing on continued growth, we are experiencing significant interest from donors, institutional partners, community stakeholders, and event organizers eager to engage with the Center’s mission and programming. Reporting to the Senior Director of Advancement, the Advancement Associate will support a dynamic and collaborative team by helping coordinate fundraising activities, donor stewardship, partnerships, executive scheduling and administration, and special events.
This role is ideal for a highly organized professional who enjoys balancing relationship management, operational coordination, and high-touch administrative support in a fast-paced environment.
Responsibilities
Advancement, Partnerships, and Stewardship
- Support donor, partner, and stakeholder engagement efforts across the Advancement team.
- Assist with stewardship activities, including donor communications, acknowledgments, benefits tracking, and relationship management.
- Coordinate tours and meetings for current and prospective donors, partners, and community stakeholders.
- Maintain accurate records, contact information, and engagement tracking in Salesforce and related systems.
- Conduct background and biographical research to support fundraising and partnership strategies.
- Help prepare briefing materials, meeting agendas, presentations, and follow-up communications for leadership and external engagements.
- Support cross-functional coordination to ensure donor and partner commitments are fulfilled accurately and on time.
Events and Engagement
- Assist with planning and execution of Advancement-related events, receptions, meetings, and special programs.
- Coordinate logistics including invitations, guest tracking, catering, room reservations, materials preparation, and on-site support.
- Serve as a point of contact for internal and external event inquiries and scheduling.
- Track event calendars, RSVPs, and engagement records across departments.
- Liaise with internal teams including Events, Operations, Hospitality, and Communications to support seamless event execution.
- Help manage event follow-up, reporting, and documentation.
Administrative and Executive Support
- Provide administrative support to Advancement leadership, including scheduling, calendar coordination, meeting logistics, travel, and expense processing.
- Support internal workflow management, project tracking, and departmental coordination.
- Assist with preparing reports, correspondence, and other materials for internal and external audiences.
- Help manage competing priorities and ensure timely follow-up on key initiatives and requests.
- Serve as a collaborative and responsive team member who contributes to a positive and solutions-oriented work environment.
- Duties as assigned.
Requirements
- The ideal candidate has a positive attitude, strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to thrive in a highly collaborative and fast-paced environment.
- Must have approximately 3–5 years of experience in advancement, fundraising, partnerships, events, executive support, or stakeholder engagement, preferably within a nonprofit, cultural institution, higher education, or public-facing organization.
- Experience supporting donor relations, events, or executive administration is strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with donor management systems such as Salesforce or similar CRM platforms.
- Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively with colleagues and external stakeholders at all levels.
- Ability to exercise discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment in handling sensitive information.
- A proactive and flexible approach with strong customer service instincts and attention to detail.
- Bachelor’s degree required.
Working Conditions & Travel Requirements
This position will work in a professional office environment on a primarily in-person schedule consisting of five (5) days per week reporting in-person to the Washington, DC office location. Occasional remote work may be permitted on Mondays and Fridays, subject to business needs and manager approval. Please understand, this schedule is subject to change at the Institute’s sole discretion.
This person will also be required to travel occasionally to other offices and/or venues to assist with events as needed, requiring occasional work outside of traditional hours. Additionally, this position requires interacting virtually on a regular basis with Milken Institute staff based in other locations in the United States and around the world.
Note
The statements herein are intended to describe the overall nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.
We are interested in qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States. Please note, we are not sponsoring visas at this time, being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment.
Please submit resume and cover letter illustrating how your experience and skills will contribute to the department and any unique qualities you bring to the position. If applying via Indeed, please upload your resume and any supporting documentation as one attachment. Any application that does not include both a resume and cover letter will be rejected. If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact our Human Resources department to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.
Our Culture
The Milken Institute is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.
Every person at the Milken Institute is treated with respect, supported with resources and training, and exposed to a broad range of experiences. We foster a space for growth with opportunities to share knowledge and passion with both clients and colleagues. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Our leadership is actively involved in our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and fostering a culture that creates opportunities for everyone.
Benefits
- Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Plan - 403b (5% match)
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Paid Time Off (Personal, Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Family Leave (Maternity & Paternity)
- Fertility Support
- Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
- Flexible Spending Account (FSAs)
- Pet Insurance Discount
- Training & Development:
- LinkedIn Learning – over 15,000 self-guided classes offered
- Annual Mentor Program
- Wellness Resources:
- Employee Assistance Program
- CALM app membership