Development Associate

The organization

SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young is a national non-profit organization that empowers, educates, and supports young people who stutter and the world that surrounds them. Through summer camp, speech therapy, and creative expression, SAY builds a community of acceptance where young people who stutter gain confidence and communication skills.

Our Vision

A world where every voice matters.

We believe that every young person who stutters has a voice that matters and it is a voice that deserves to be heard! When you support SAY, you make anything possible in the life of a child who stutters.

Over 80 million people stutter on a daily basis, including about 5% of all children. Young people who stutter often face unimaginable fear and cruelty from a world that doesn't understand them. Over time, they may recoil from the world, silencing themselves to hide their stutter, embarrassment and shame. Young people who stutter may also feel incredibly isolated and alone, and many face daily ridicule, teasing and bullying.

Since 2001, The Stuttering Association for the Young, a non-profit 501(c)(3), has offered comprehensive, innovative programs that address the physical, social and emotional impacts of stuttering. Through our life-changing programs, we have witnessed the transformation that occurs when children who stutter develop the self-confidence, lasting friendships and support they need to express themselves fully and thrive. We’re all better off when young people use their voices, reach their full potential, and flourish.

OUR PROGRAMS

SAY offers a range of programs, including:

Camp SAY: Our 2-week ACA-accredited sleep-away summer camp provides a uniquely fun, highly immersive and transformative experience for young people who stutter. More at: CampSAY.org

Confident Voices (NYC) and SAY: DC Weekend Programs: Our unique approach helps young people develop essential communication skills, forge new friendships and fully express their thoughts, ideas and dreams using visual and performing arts.

Speech Therapy: We help young people who stutter build self-confidence, enjoy greater independence, increase school participation and advocate for themselves.

Learn more at www.SAY.org

The opportunity

SAY continues to grow and expand our programs. For over 23 years, we’ve made our regular, year-round programs available at no cost and our summer camp and speech therapy programs available at a “pay what you can” rate. As a result, we’ve never turned away a family based on financial means. In order to continue this important legacy, we are seeking to add a member to our team focused on development.

Working closely with our Executive Director and Development Manager, this role will execute on many of the day-to-day tasks required both to manage our existing donor base and cultivate new donors and philanthropic avenues.

Responsibilities:

• Develop in-depth knowledge of SAY’s current programming, events and initiatives
• Work closely with SAY’s Executive Director and Development Manager to support execution on a development plan and contribute to our team’s efforts to raise our $2.3 million annual budget
• Serve as the go-to member of the team processing gifts, updating our database, and tracking all aspects of individual donations including acknowledgements
• Regularly work inside our current CRM (Blackbaud/Raiser’s Edge) to update records and run reports as needed and to clean up records to maintain accuracy
• Learn and execute on tasks within auction/fundraising platform (currently One Cause) for use at special events and to ensure gifts are processed and logged inside CRM
• Accomplish proactive research to identify new corporate, foundation & government funding opportunities, and help manage a growing portfolio of donors and prospects
• Work with team to submit grant applications to institutional funders (like foundations) by leading on details like accessing grant portal and gathering relevant information and documents needed to apply assuring compliance with requirements
• Actively participate in fundraising for SAY’s special events including soliciting and securing items for auctions and ensuring auction item delivery
• Lead on certain special event tasks to ensure logistics run smoothly
• Support multiple annual appeals by helping execute vision and handling details like mailings
• Like all of our staff, serve as an effective representative of SAY when engaging with external audiences whether in-person or virtually to build strong relationships

Qualifications

• Two years of experience in development
• Experience with CRM, especially Blackbaud/Raiser’s Edge, is a plus
• Strong attention to detail
• Facility with data entry to keep database current as well as conducting research and donor engagement
• Willingness to learn about the stuttering community and build an understanding of relevant funding universe for our work
• Team player willing to support our mission as part of a small team
• Discretion regarding donor information and maintenance of confidentiality

Salary range for this role is $60-70K/year

Strong preference for applicants based in NYC or DC. This is a hybrid role with some work performed in-person at NYC office for local team members. Outstanding candidates based elsewhere will be considered with some travel required to NYC and DC.

Benefits include access to employer-paid health and dental insurance after 60 days employment, 2 weeks paid time off plus office closed Dec 24-Jan 1, sick leave, and access to retirement account

In order to apply for this position, send a tailored cover letter and resume, to Development@SAY.org