Development Specialist

NC Counts Coalition is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization committed to building a

healthy, just, and equitable North Carolina through cross-sector partnerships that advance systemic

solutions for communities facing systemic barriers, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, low-wealth, immigrant,

and other communities.

BACKGROUND:

The Development Specialist will work closely with NC Counts’ communications and leadership team,

and the Executive Director in the areas of fundraising, public relations, and donor management to

create and operationalize a development strategy in support of our vision for an equitable, just, and

empowered North Carolina. We are looking for a strategic and creative development professional to

help us translate our recently developed strategic framework into measurable goals, objectives, and

outcomes. Specifically, the Development Specialist will provide leadership and vision for outreach

activities, leverage fundraising skills, and foster relationships with donors. The Development

Specialist must have strong communication, teamwork, and fundraising skills, a steadfast work ethic,

and be able to travel nationally to grow this dynamic organization with a budget of approximately

$3,500,000.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

Strategic Planning:

• In partnership with NC Counts’ leadership team, design and oversee the execution of a comprehensive development plan to sustain and grow philanthropic support, continue to steward institutional giving, and develop and expand our individual giving program.

Grant Management:

• Research potential grant opportunities and relevant data for grant drafting.
• Develop strategies for securing grants with input from the leadership team.
• With the leadership team, write compelling grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and reports to communicate the organization's mission, programs, and impact effectively.
• Ensure accurate, complete, and timely submission of grant applications and reports, adhering to funding organization requirements.
• Collaborate with program staff to gather necessary information and data for proposals and reports.
• Track all grants, manage deliverables, and ensure compliance with grant agreements.
• Draft and edit cultivation emails, donor correspondence, and other materials to ensure professionalism and clarity.
• Maintain and manage a management system, including data entry, gift reporting, donor acknowledgment, and generating fundraising reports.
• Create reports to show fundraising progress and evaluate the effectiveness of current and past campaigns.
• Schedule meetings with prospective and current supporters as needed.
• Perform administrative tasks such as filing, data entry, and maintaining organized systems to support fundraising efforts.
• Complete deliverables with a hands-on approach, including drafting letters and emails to assist in leading fundraising efforts.

Development Operations:

• Support implementation and management of the NC Counts’ CRM (HubSpot) to ensure strong and clean data entry processes, and the production of analytical data utilized to measure success and set goals for the team.

Board Support:

• Work with the Director of Communications to coordinate the Board of Directors development committee, convening the committee 4 times per year in support of the development strategy, leveraging the time, talent, and generosity of Board members.

Donor Cultivation & Relationship Management:

• In coordination with the Development Team staff, steward relationships with NC Counts’ donors and prospects; foundation and institution contacts and prospects; and sponsorship contacts and prospects.
• Serve as a thought partner to our Executive Director, helping to strategize around how to best utilize her time and talents in service of development goals.
• Develop new and creative ideas for recruitment, cultivation, and stewardship of donors including special events, house parties, property donations, alumni outreach, etc.
• Develop and implement NC Counts’ annual fundraising plan.
• Secure financial support from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
• Develop and foster ongoing relationships with major donors.
• Creating and implementing a strategy for a large, sustained base of annual individual donors.

Donor Communications:

• Collaborate with the Director of Communications to create strategies, systems, and processes to advance shared development and communications goals, working in partnership to manage the development of new print and digital materials for NC Counts and the organization’s donor audience including materials for direct mail, planned giving, program information, and annual report.

Program Planning & Strategy:

• Collaborate with the senior leadership team and other team members to deepen understanding of programmatic strategy in order to best advise on funding strategies, timelines, and opportunities, both in the short and long term, helping to deepen our capacity for impact.
• Lead and support events

Finance:

• On an ongoing basis, ensure open communication and proactive coordination of fundraising activities with the operations staff to produce and reconcile accurate revenue reports and monitor cash flow to inform timely decision-making.
• Developing and tracking proposals and reports for all foundation and corporate fundraising.

QUALIFICATIONS:

First and foremost, we are looking for talented people with diverse backgrounds and shared

experiences with the communities our organization serves, who are inspired by our mission, and who

are highly motivated to dismantle systemic racism and inequities and build an equitable North

Carolina. We are a team that believes in the value of collaboration (even when it’s messy), working

hard, communicating clearly, and aiming for excellence while also holding space for joy, compassion,

and community care. This position is for you if you are a strategic thinker who can manage the

day-to-day details of planning, reporting, and transforming ideas into deliverables while also holding

the bigger picture of NC Counts’ multi-year strategy, You will also have a track record of mobilizing

resources in support of a vision, and using evaluation tools and metrics to support accountability.

We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. We encourage you to apply, even if

you do not believe you meet each one of our qualifications as described below.

Experience & Expertise:

• 5+ years of progressively responsible relevant development experience at a nonprofit organization.
• Demonstrated ability to build out a plan of action to implement strategy while also maintaining productivity flexibility, pivoting and adapting as new information and opportunities arise.
• You have an understanding of practices, theories, and policies involved in both institutional and individual giving practices, with experience of developing, writing, and securing grants of $100K+ and experience building and managing an individual giving program.
• Familiarity with the North Carolina and national philanthropic landscape, especially with organizations and leaders who share our interest in mobilizing philanthropy as a tool for community power building. An awareness of the potential and challenges that philanthropy holds, especially for BIPOC-led organizations and an interest in the ongoing conversations about increasingly popular models of philanthropy that seek to address historical harms (e.g. trust-based philanthropy, pooled funds, giving circles, liberatory philanthropy etc.

Skills and Other Attributes:

• Excellent written, verbal, and electronic communication skills. Able to craft compelling cases for both institutional and individual funders and support executive leadership with messaging for a variety of audiences and formats.
• Strong project management skills and experience across multiple aspects of development operations, including experience with donor CRM databases like HubSpot, nonprofit 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) compliance, donor privacy policies, and maintaining development-related files.
• Highly-relational leader with strong interpersonal skills and leadership experience who genuinely enjoys mentoring and growing a team.
• Effective and persuasive communication experience with strong presentation, speaking, written, and nonverbal skills.

Equity and Inclusion:

• Shared lived experiences with historically marginalized communities and a demonstrated commitment to advancing racial equity, social justice, and inclusive organizational culture.
• Familiarity with the challenges and systemic barriers facing BIPOC communities in NC.
• Proven ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with multicultural coalitions, community organizations, and stakeholders.

Work Requirements:

• Flexibility to work remotely while maintaining focus and meeting deadlines.
• Availability to attend occasional in-person meetings.
• Availability to travel across North Carolina and occasionally nationally, as needed.
• Reliable access to a phone, internet, and transportation.
• Flexibility to occasionally work outside standard Monday-Friday, 9-5 hours.

Experience in Social Change:

• Demonstrated commitment to building power with BIPOC, LGBTQ+, immigrant, and other historically marginalized communities and an understanding of how to align your professional practices with stated values.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategies into actionable plans in complex, fast-paced environments.

Environmental Conditions and Physical Demands

• Manual dexterity sufficient to type, operate technology and equipment, create and edit content, etc.

Other Preferred Qualifications

• Experience navigating and working effectively within complex collaborations, especially with regard to power dynamics and/or lines of difference.

DISCLAIMER

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and

responsibilities to this job at any time.