Development Associate

Make a bigger difference


POSITION OVERVIEW:
Join a fun-loving and hard-working Development team as the Development Associate. This pivotal role serves as the operational backbone of the department, managing cross-functional projects, driving collaboration between development departments, and leading quality control efforts. The Development Associate will support the execution of special initiatives and donor relations strategies across our Individual Giving and Events teams. This role is a cornerstone of our broader vision to elevate and grow our fundraising capabilities.

The ideal candidate will have experience in fundraising, leadership development, sales, and/or customer service. He/She/They will be curious and willing to learn other disciplines within the fundraising field, including prospect research, event coordination, compliance, project management, and data quality control. In addition to managing key administrative functions of the department, the Development Associate will support the Director of Individual Giving, Director of Events, and Chief Development Officer in the day-to-day operations and big picture thinking. Comfort and poise working with donors, strong organizational skills, and a team-first attitude are a must. Knowledge of fundraising operations, donor research, solicitation techniques, and the New York philanthropic landscape is a bonus.

As a critical production engine on the Development Team, the Associate will collaborate with marketing, helping create and project manage fundraising campaigns. She/he/they will be responsible for preparing all donor research reports for agency staff and lay solicitors. They will conduct and systematize quality control of the department’s events and individual gift acknowledgement letters. They will directly staff select lay committees helping schedule meetings, cultivate and develop leadership, plan events, and increase fundraising. This is a hybrid role with expectations around staffing donor and volunteer events, including travel throughout the five boroughs required and occasional nights and weekends to support programming.


ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
• Support and staff the Young Leaders Committee; assist in all programming, one on one relationship building, and deepening engagement with the agency.
• Develop and maintain a portfolio of 30–50 mid-level donors and prospects, including (but not limited to) young leaders, teen advisory parents, and key volunteers.
• Collaborate closely with the marketing team to conceptualize, develop, and execute multi-channel fundraising campaigns (e.g., year-end, fiscal year-end, and holiday appeals).
• Serve as the liaison and project manager for collaborations between individual giving, marketing, events, and volunteers.
• Provide responsive and thoughtful donor relations, handling inquiries, stewardship efforts, and special requests.
• Oversee the production and accuracy of donor acknowledgment letters and manage donor data integrity across platforms.
• Conduct donor and prospect research to support major gift solicitations and overall donor cultivation strategy.
• Participate in planning and execution of donor and volunteer meetings and events, occasionally outside regular business hours.

CORE COMPETENCIES for the position include:
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized with excellent time management and multitasking ability.
• Collaborative team player with a proactive and positive attitude.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills across diverse audiences.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to support long-term planning and donor engagement goals.

EDUCATIONAL / TRAINING REQUIRED:
• Bachelor's Degree and 2+ years relevant work experience.
• Ability to keep many balls in the air at once.
• Able to work evenings and weekends on a limited basis to fulfill job responsibilities. Travel between the five boroughs.


EXPERIENCE REQUIRED / LANGUAGE PREFERENCE:
• 2+ years of related experience, including knowledge of development/fundraising, sales, or customer service.
• This individual must be able to work individually on projects and be a team player.

COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED:
• Experience with donor databases (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Samaritan).
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (formulas, pivot tables, VLOOKUP).
• Comfortable using social media and conducting online prospect research.

WORK ENVIRONMENT / PHYSICAL EFFORT
• Occasional evening and weekend hours required; some local travel.
• To perform the essential functions of this job, the candidate is routinely required to sit (90% of the time) and stand (10% of the time)


We are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.