Current job title: Development
Assistant
Industry: Non-profit (national office
for food banks, pantry, soup kitchens)
Department: Philanthropy (corporate
relations, cause marketing, and foundations)
Years worked in this industry: 2
Years worked in this department: less
than 2
Special training or attributes needed or helpful to
get job in this industry (or specific department): No
training, my role is mostly general administrative. The vice president brought me in. I was her assistant at another high-profile charity.
Number of
managers and/or staff supported: 1 –VP, 2 + Directors (some
are contract based – but director level), 3 managers, and 5 staff. Also serve
as the department VPs’ daily interface to Exec Admin for President of office
and corporate donor relations.
Typical work hours: 7am -4pm – flex
time to accommodate my commute.
Weekends or overtime hours: I am
compensated financially for overtime, which is about one hour a week.
General salary range
(Note: This is a general figure or range provided by survey respondent and may
NOT be an exact salary in order to
give survey respondent some privacy. Also you must take into account that
the number of years worked in industry/department may contribute to this
salary as well as criteria such as level of position and person reports
to, required hours and geographical location.): approx. $34,000
Benefits (direct or indirect): The
health care is Blue Cross Blue Shield---it has been a fairly good provider
Lingo you might hear in this industry:
We really stay away from language that cannot speak to the general public,
internally and externally.
A typical day on the job: Heavy meeting
planning, travel planning, creating agendas for each meeting or trip.
High-volume email correspondence and interaction between myself and the
department and other department heads or admins.
Positive things about being an administrative
professional in this industry: Learning about the
organization, the diversity in each administrator roles and utilizing each
others strengths.
Negative things about being an administrative
professional in this industry: The recognition of the work I
do; externally I have been recognized publicly to my VP or upper
Management person more than internally.
Type of workspace/office:
Primary responsibilities as an administrative
professional in this position: Coordinating schedules,
meeting planning and preparation, travel planning and preparation,
disseminating information from VP to team or organization or corpate contact
and providing direction to any type of potential donor or public contact.
Top thing(s) incumbent admin would require of job
applicants seeking to be her/his position replacement: Proven
proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
Office machines or equipment operated regularly:
PC and copier.
Technology (hard) skills used regularly:
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Internet Explorer, Results+
Critical soft skills: Attention to
details (projects and planning them change 2+ times before finalized – it
can ensure your understanding of expectations), open communication style
(for working with all levels of people), ability to change and be flexible
to the requests or needs of the department (meetings and travel are in
constant motion here – especially for the VP’s so you won’t be stunned
each time well laid plans go astray)
Pace of this position: fast
Geographical region: Midwest U.S.
Karen Porter, The Administrative Professional Job Performance and Career Success Coach™