Part-Time Membership & Donor Coordinator for Pacific Zen Institute

About Pacific Zen Institute:

The Pacific Zen Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a culture for transformation through meditation, koans, the arts, and conversations about the deepest matters. Founded in 1987 by John Tarrant Roshi in his home in Santa Rosa, we adopted the name The Pacific Zen Institute in 2000 as our membership and leadership vision grew. 

The koan tradition was born in response to chaotic, difficult times in ancient China when war, famine, and political instability gripped the culture. It grew as a path that befriended uncertainty and revealed gates to freedom amidst even the most dire circumstances. We consider koans as “vials of ancient light” handed down to us by the ancient teachers to help navigate our own times, and our tight-knit and growing community is dedicated to preserving their wisdom. Learn more about us at www.pacificzen.org.

We offer regular online gatherings, as well as many in-person retreats each year. Our members range in location from California to Chile, with most of us located throughout the United States. During the pandemic our community size and engagement increased significantly, and we are now developing more efficient and robust systems for managing and engaging with our beloved folks. This is where we would love your help as part our small, fiercely dedicated team.

Position Summary & Key Responsibilities: 

This part-time role (approximately 15 hours/week) is responsible for welcoming, tracking, and troubleshooting with our members and larger community. In the world of Zen, we would call it a bodhisattva role, as its spirit is to help folks feel connected, appreciated, and cared for as part of our community, as we rely deeply on their support of all kinds to do what we do.   

Ideally, you are comfortable with spreadsheets as well as online membership/data management programs. We are currently in the process of migrating to Little Green Light as a more efficient tool for tracking and connecting with our folks, and ideally you would support and lead this process. Familiarity with online platforms like Mailchimp and WordPress is also ideal, but if you're relatively web savvy, it's easy to show you the ropes. 

Specific Duties Include:

·       Welcoming new PZI members: Sending welcome emails, sending new member invites to our Google Group PZI Talk, adding new members to Mailchimp database, adding new member info to Member List and/or CRM

·       Tracking memberships and donations: Tracking new and recurring membership dues, daily updating of the Member List and/or CRM, contacting members whose dues have lapsed, sending Patron thank-you letters, sending end-of-year tax letters

·       Responding to member questions and requests for troubleshooting: Responding to member queries and issues regarding event and retreat registration, Zoom access, membership dues questions, scholarships, donations, how to volunteer or help PZI

Minimum Experience, Skills, & Qualifications 

·       18 months+ of a combination of education and experience in nonprofit fundraising and/or related field that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the previously outlined job responsibilities 

·       Demonstrated knowledge using a CRM (Bloomerang, Salesforce, Razor’s Edge, Little Green Light, etc.) to record and manage donor data  

·       Demonstrated knowledge using Microsoft Office Suite (with an emphasis on Excel)  

·       Ability to problem solve with a genuine interest in how data is collected and can improve decision making 

·       Close attention to detail to ensure highly accurate donor data 

·       Commitment to continued learning around database management best practices  

·       Proven ability to exercise initiative and independently carry out responsibilities 

·       Strong commitment to confidentiality of donor and organizational information 

Desired Experience, Skills, & Qualifications 

·       Strong working knowledge of nonprofit fundraising fundamentals  

·       Bring something new to PZI through your personhood, talents, lived experience, etc. You are an addition to our culture 

·       Passion for cultivating the inner-life and psychospiritual transformation   

Compensation & Details

·       This is a part-time, remote, contractor position. The hourly wage ranges from $30-$35/hour depending on education and experience. 

·       Hours can be flexible, though membership will need timely support during pre-event registration periods

·       You must provide your own computer and other equipment.