Development Coordinator or Manager

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) is a member-based nonprofit organization championing better design of cities and towns to improve lives and strengthen communities for all. For thirty years, CNU has been the only organization reforming city-building across the country, gathering the broad spectrum of practitioners and advocates who share our mission. By highlighting impactful design principles and lowering barriers to change, CNU amplifies the grassroots power of our thousands of members to build and rebuild their cities and towns in ways that improve sustainability, accessibility, and equity.

What we do:

• We convene a broad spectrum of multidisciplinary practitioners and advocates working on reforming city-building, driving change in communities across the US and beyond.
• We share best practices in urban design, policy, and implementation, opening doors for our members to enact meaningful change in their communities.
• We amplify the grassroots power of our members working to build/rebuild their cities and towns in ways that improve sustainability, accessibility, and equity for years to come.

We are seeking a Development Coordinator or Manager to play a critical role in supporting the launch of a suite of fundraising activities for the organization, in partnership with the President and Board of Directors. This opportunity is ideal for someone interested in gaining development experience and strengthening their event-planning skills in an entry-to-mid level role. 

Essential Functions:

Build, Maintain, and Implement Development Systems - 25%

• Assist in the refinement of a recently-completed Development Plan that incorporates a range of strategies including annual appeals, major donors, corporate and individual appeals, social media and special events.
• Coordinate implementation of development activities from this plan. Assist with the production and implementation of appeal campaigns and other fundraising communications and strategies. 
• Collaborate with the Resources and Engagement Teams on design and implementation of communications and marketing to align with development priorities.
• Create and refine the acknowledgment process for recognition of individual donors, in partnership with the President.
• Maintain constituent records in the donor database, ensure overall data integrity. 
• Track and analyze fundraising efforts to inform future development strategies. Run reports, synthesize information, and share frequent updates about current and prospective donors with the Executive Director and President.

Donor Research and Prospect Management - 25%

• Build and maintain lists of prospective donors and potential partners, based on geographical, topical, or other priorities.
• Locate and maintain list of key foundation contacts and corresponding grant information.
• Identify fundraising opportunities, including in-kind donations, for key events, including annual or topical gatherings.
• Provide briefing materials for the President, staff, or board members on prospective donors prior to meetings, trips, or other events. 

Administrative Support of Development Committee and President - 25%

• Function as staff point-person for all development activities. 
• Support monthly Development Committee meetings, including building the agenda in partnership with the President, sending out board packet materials, and managing the calendar of meetings. 
• Provide logistical support for the President, Committee Chair, and others as needed to schedule in-person fundraising trips, meetings, or events. 
• Periodically attend networking events with the President, Committee Chair, or others as needed to increase professional network, refine relationship management skills, and enhance CNU’s outreach and capacity.

Donor Support and Acknowledgement - 25%

• Organize and execute periodic development events, including logistical / planning support, such as the annual Lifetime Member Reception or other VIP events.
• Work with the Membership Manager to ensure individual donations are recognized at the appropriate level, including personal notes or other acknowledgements. 
• Regularly review and update the acknowledgement process to ensure donors are receiving up-to-date information; recommend improvements.
• Ensure donors are recognized onsite at events as necessary, including working with the Engagement Team to fulfill any promised programmatic or communications benefits as a result of corporate sponsorship or major gifts.
• Coordinate and execute special mailings, including holiday, thank you, save-the-date, or other letters or cards. 

Qualifications

The Development Coordinator or Manager should be creative, attentive, communicative, and ready to roll. This position requires self-motivation and the ability to self-manage to meet deadlines and execute tasks. In a fully remote office environment, communication and reliability are key. The Development Coordinator should have a Bachelor’s Degree and two years of experience, ideally working in fundraising, events coordination, or administrative support in the nonprofit sector. To be considered at the Manager level, we would like to see an additional three years of experience in the above. Most importantly, the Development Coordinator or Manager will need to demonstrate they have the following skills:

• Interpersonal communication. This includes the ability to stay connected to other remote staff, regularly provide check-ins or updates to supervisors or other team members, the comfort to ask questions and reinforce priorities. 
• Project management. This includes the ability to see how to complete a task from start to finish, understanding at which point to update supervisors or other team members, being able to identify all partners that should be involved or notified, and completing tasks on time. 
• Creativity. This position requires inventing new systems, but also identifying new ways to achieve goals. Creativity - and the ability to follow through with creative ideas - is key. 
• Upward management. This position regularly interfaces with the President, Board of Directors, donors, and partners. The ability to understand what information supervisors and partners need to know to do their jobs is a major requirement of success in this position. 
• Reliability. This includes demonstrated ability to complete projects on time and ensure balls are not dropped.
• Connectedness. A remote work environment is not ideal for every personality type or person. To be successful at CNU, candidates must demonstrate they are capable of growing relationships online, communicating effectively and regularly with all team members, and understanding that making yourself (and your work) known to others is a personal responsibility. 
• Organization. The systems-building portion of this role requires a high-level of organization, systems-thinking, and strategy. 
• Understanding the mission. CNU is distinct from other place-making organizations because of the intersectionality of New Urbanism. The ideal candidate will come to CNU with a passion for leveraging the built environment to offer social, economic, and environmental benefits to more people, but will also dedicate themselves to understanding - and being able to communicate about – CNU and New Urbanism effectively.

Classification:

Exempt

Reports to: 

Senior Director of Operations, or Executive Director if the Senior Director position is vacant.

Supervisory Responsibility:

None

Work Environment:

CNU is an intentionally remote organization with staff operating across the country. While each staff person is responsible for understanding their own ability to manage time and tasks, it is expected that 1.) each employee will complete a 40-hour work week, 2.) that all staff have an overlapping window of working 10am-4pm ET regardless of the time zone in which they live, and 3.) that all staff will be available for phone calls / zoom meetings from a desk during their work day. Additional policies and expectations regarding remote work and staff culture can be found in CNU’s handbook. 

Physical Demands:

The Development Coordinator or Manager position is a largely sedentary role, performed remotely. While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to communicate clearly and effectively through email, phone, and zoom. 

Travel:

All employees are expected to gather quarterly for staff retreats and attend our annual Congress. The Development Coordinator will also travel occasionally to assist with fundraising and development events, including occasional donor meetings and gatherings. Estimated travel will be less than 25%. 

Salary and Benefits: Salary based on experience within the range of $50,000 - $75,000. Benefits package includes medical, dental, retirement, holidays, and paid time off.

To Apply: Please email a cover letter and resume to resumes@cnu.org by September 20th, 2024. Position will be open until filled. 

CNU is an equal opportunity employer with fulfilling careers in design, placemaking, innovation, leadership development and administrative support. Diversity is a critical source of strength for us. Different racial backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, ages and points of view contribute to our effectiveness as an organization. We will prioritize candidates that reflect diverse backgrounds.