Entry Level Events Assistant Jobs in Portland, OR

Summary Description:  
The Advancement Services & Events Coordinator is an entry-level role designed to support core database operations, donor stewardship, alumni engagement, and campus event management. The ideal candidate will manage daily gift processing, support alumni outreach initiatives, execute internal/external event operations, and handle essential administrative duties. This position requires an agile self-starter who thrives in a collaborative environment and can seamlessly manage overlapping project timelines.
Essential Functions:
Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities
1. Gift Processing & Data Management (~40%)

• Donation Processing: Oversee daily gift processing activities, including entering pledges, recurring gifts, event contributions, grants, matching gifts, and stock transfers into the university CRM (Salesforce and Colleague).
• Receipting & Acknowledgments: Generate, proofread, and distribute timely donor acknowledgment letters, tax receipts, and annual giving statements.
• Data Integrity: Update donor and alumni records with demographic changes, communication preferences, and relationship mapping based on returned mail and staff updates.
• Financial Reconciliation: Coordinate with the Finance/Accounting team for monthly reconciliation of gift revenue, matching batch entries against bank deposits and lockbox statements.

2. Event Management (Internal & External) (~35%)

• Event Execution: Manage logistical details for core Advancement events, alumni gatherings, internal departmental meetings, and external facility rentals.
• Client & Vendor Coordination: Serve as the point of contact for external clients renting university space; negotiate basic logistics (catering, equipment, room setups), conduct site visits, and manage rental contracts.
• Master Calendar Support: Review, approve, and maintain room requests on the university Master Calendar to resolve scheduling conflicts.
• Invoicing: Create client invoices, track event accounts receivable, and submit documentation to the business office.
• On-Site Support: Conduct pre- and post-event walkthroughs, provide support during events, and coordinate post-event evaluations to ensure customer satisfaction.

3. Alumni Coordination & Administrative Support (~25%)

• Alumni Outreach: Assist the Director with executing alumni engagement strategies, preparing regional or affinity-based outreach, and handling inquiries from the alumni network.
• Platform Management: Set up and maintain online event ticketing, giving forms, and peer-to-peer fundraising platforms.
• General Administration: Manage office supplies and merchandise inventory, track department timelines, maintain procedural documentation, and answer general advancement phone lines or emails.
• Student Supervision: Assist in training and reviewing the work of student workers or department interns as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

• Technical Proficiency: Comfort working inside CRM databases (Salesforce and Colleague) and the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, intermediate Excel).
• Attention to Detail: High level of accuracy in data entry and financial record-keeping.
• Communication & Stewardship: Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to interact professionally with donors, alumni, university leadership, and external vendors.
• Project Management: Ability to multi-task, prioritize shifting workloads, and remain organized in a busy environment.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• Experience: 1–2 years of professional office management, administrative, fundraising support, or event coordination experience.
• Availability: Flexibility to work occasional early mornings, evenings, and weekends to support major events or high-volume giving periods.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience handling gift processing or database entries in a non-profit or higher education development setting.
• Experience using event registration or donation software platforms.

Physical Demands – Work Environment: 
The position is located in a typical office environment.  Professional/business casual attire is required.
Warner Pacific University’s Mission:  Warner Pacific is a Christ-centered, urban, diverse, minority-serving, Hispanic-serving, liberal arts University dedicated to providing students with an education that prepares them to engage actively in a constantly changing world. Our hiring practices reflect our missional commitment to being a Christ-centered institution.
Warner Pacific University’s Commitment to Diversity: Warner Pacific University is an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks a diverse workforce of committed Christians from all racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. Warner Pacific University is committed to hiring staff and faculty with an intentionality that demonstrates the importance of having an employee community that reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of the students we serve.
Employment and Lifestyle Standards: 
Warner Pacific is a Christ-centered urban liberal arts University dedicated to providing students from diverse backgrounds an education that prepares them to engage actively in a constantly changing world. The University was founded in 1937 by the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana). Central to Warner Pacific’s identity as a Christ-centered higher education institution is the policy of hiring persons whose personal and professional lives reflect:
1.   A belief in the deity of and commitment to Jesus Christ and the Christian faith, as interpreted through the historic witness of Scripture and the continuing ministry of the Holy Spirit.
2.  The practice of following Christ through day-to-day personal lifestyle choices.
3.  A vitality of Christian experience maturing in insight and application and appreciative of differing viewpoints.
4.  A commitment to life-long learning and service through personal and professional development.
5.  For teaching faculty, the expression of artful teaching, based on mastery of relevant subject matter and in an environment of purposeful and rigorous inquiry amongst a community of scholars who support one another.
6. A capability, by temperament, preparation, and will, to support students as they confront the intellectual, social, physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of their lives.
7.   A sensitivity to and support for the mission, core themes, vision, values, ethos and traditions of the Warner Pacific University community.
8. A commitment to teaching and serving in harmony with the doctrines of the Holy Bible. 
Employee Agreement:
Mission-based hiring is of critical importance to Warner Pacific University. Employees are expected to demonstrate and articulate a vital Christian faith and to live in a manner consistent with a Christ-centered lifestyle as informed by the Scriptures of the New Testament.
 
Warner Pacific’s students, faculty and staff are expected to foster an environment of mutual respect and accountability, to care for the personal dignity of others and to exercise integrity in their conduct and communication. The University environment is expected to be free from discrimination and harassment (including bullying). When an individual’s behavior has direct implications for others and/or the well-being of the University community, there may be cause for institutional involvement, regardless of where the situation occurs.
 
Warner Pacific University desires to provide a safe and healthy environment for staff, faculty, students, visitors and guests. Therefore, smoking is not permitted on University property, in its vehicles, or at any University sponsored event. The use of illegal drugs or non-prescribed controlled substances is strictly prohibited. Use of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products is strictly prohibited on Warner Pacific University campuses.
 
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Warner Pacific provides equal opportunity for employment and advancement for all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, sex, gender, national origin, citizenship status, disability, age, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status and any other status protected by laws and regulations to which Warner Pacific is subject.  All employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, compensation, benefits, transfers, and terminations are made in a manner that does not discriminate against individuals in the categories discussed above.  Because Warner Pacific is a Christian liberal arts University, the University exercises its legal right to hire Christian employees to fulfill its mission and purpose.
Click “Apply Now” to complete the online application, and submit the following:

1. Application
2. Cover Letter
3. Resume

** NOTE: All job offers are contingent upon successfully passing a background check and completing all required paperwork.