Development Associate

Summary

The Development Associate (Associate) supports the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Advancement Team in fundraising, primarily through gift and data entry, producing acknowledgment letters, and preparing correspondence. They also provide general administrative support related to individual and institutional donors/prospects and may work directly with individual and institutional donors in an administrative capacity. The Associate will work to fulfill our objective of operational excellence in donor stewardship as described in the organization’s strategic plan.

Representative goals of this position include:

• Amending and/or creating new donor data entry processes, responsive reporting systems (for internal team and board), and improving data fidelity and reliability.
• Executing gift entry, acknowledgment, donor flagging (identifying notable information as defined by the development team) to relevant staff), list development and maintenance, administrative tasks and processes, among other duties as assigned.
• Learning and understanding the Alliance’s giving programs, yearly donor cycle, and using that information to drive process improvements.
• Improving administrative capacity, allowing for proactive department growth (both in terms of gifts and gift amount and internal team expansion) that will align with the Alliance’s emergent plan.

A typical week might include:

• Donor gift entry, including processing of checks and electronic gifts, donor flagging (notable increase or decrease), creating of acknowledgment letters, entering donor notes, ensuring data accuracy
• Executing alliance mail campaigns (ex: Annual Report, Watermarks, Annual Appeal, End of Year Appeal)
• Collaborating with the Data Manager and other staff to update process documents and manuals and create process documentation where none currently exists.
• Maintaining a departmental calendar to identify shared key dates for deliverables
• Collaborative conversations with in-office staff on events, process improvements, donor knowledge, etc.
• Administrative support for donor-centric events and gatherings
• Attending All-Staff, Advancement Team, and Donor Data Management meetings – with the expectation of participation and contribution
• Meeting with an ad hoc team to develop improvements to processes that are inefficient or ineffective

The Associate reports to the Vice President of Development.

Responsibilities

• Implement gift processing, including accurate and timely gift entry and printed acknowledgments
• Collaborate with the Data Manager on the development of standard operating procedures for Salesforce. Work with the Data Manager to generate internal reports.
• Help ensure the integrity of data in the fundraising database (Salesforce) through accurate data entry and correction of errors and merging of duplicate records
• Revamp the existing acknowledgment processes to be more efficient and strategic in supporting donor stewardship
• Maintain a library of acknowledgment letters, updated annually or as needed to create meaningful and specific recognition of donors
• Evaluate and update departmental reporting in close consultation with the Operations Team to ensure Salesforce records are reconcilable to our accounting records
• Support fundraising events by tracking guest registrations and gifts, preparing attendee lists, and day/night of administrative support
• Be alert to donor trends or variations in giving (upgrading, downgrading, recaptured) and alert the Development Team
• Manage bulk mailing processes, working closely with vendors to ensure accurate and timely delivery. Create mailing data files for print vendors.
• Manage and maintain the Development Team calendar for internal meetings/timelines, and ensuring that timely information is shared with the right people.
• Additional administrative support as required (ex: research, purchases, vendor management)

Additional Duties

As assigned or needed, for example, administrative support on research, purchases, vendor management, etc.

Work Relationships

The Development Associate will work closely with the Development Team, the Data Manager (on the Operations team) the broader Advancement Team, the Operations Team, and the Executive Assistant.

Supervisor Responsibilities

None

Physical Demands/Work Environment

A hybrid environment with at least 1x day in the office per week. No physical demands.

_________________________________________________________________

Knowledge/Skills

• At least three (3) years experience in data entry, correspondence, and usage of customer/client database (Salesforce preferred). Requisite experience in gift entry/processing, gift acknowledgment, large mail campaigns, and process management
• Rigorous attention to detail with minimal errors when entering donor data
• Solid interpersonal skills in working with an internal team that has a clear delineation of responsibilities along the path of effective donor stewardship
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills with a proven ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines. Strong problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team with a positive, solution-focused, can-do attitude
• Ability to communicate both verbally and in writing with diplomacy and tact to donors based on donor needs. Strong listening, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Independent worker capable of making decisions on their own; can-do-attitude, self-motivated, resourceful, and flexible
• Three (3) years of experience with essential administrative support to an organizational team, including scheduling meetings, managing calendars, and preparing correspondence. Contribute to a smooth-running team operation.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products, particularly Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Understands and upholds Alliance for the Great Lakes values of community, relationships, courage, integrity, and optimism
• Demonstrated alignment with our external and internal operating principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a background check.

• This position is full-time and consistent with Alliance employment policy. The Alliance has defined salary ranges that are evaluated annually, and it is customary for candidates to join at the lower half of the range to leave room for learning and development in the role. It is uncommon for starting salaries to fall above the mid-point. The salary range for this position begins at $50,000, and we negotiate salaries with final candidates based on their experience in similar roles and expertise related to the qualifications.
• Excellent benefits, including medical, dental, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, FSA, 11 paid holidays plus the business days between 12/26 and 12/30 (staff who must work on any paid holidays may take those holidays at another time subject to the employee handbook), 3 weeks' annual vacation to start + PTO, and Fidelity 401(k) with employer match of up to 6% of salary, eligible after 30 days.
• This is a hybrid position for candidates living in the Greater Chicago area. The Development Associate is expected to be in the office at least 1x day per week, with seasonal variation (ex, end of year-giving) requiring more frequent in-office time. Occasional evening or weekend hours may be required.