Development Associate

Since 1990, EARTH (Escuela de Agricultura de la Región Tropical Húmeda) University has been preparing and empowering young leaders to ethically and sustainably transform food systems, protect and enhance the livelihoods of food producers, and regenerate our planet. EARTH’s approach offers students the opportunity to learn about agricultural sciences, food systems, ethical entrepreneurship, and social and environmental challenges through experiential, student-centered learning, and by living together with peers from all over the world. With ~3,000 alumni worldwide, we are building a global network of change agents working to transform food systems with practices that are good for both people and our planet.

EARTH University Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity that provides financial assistance and other support for the programs and initiatives of EARTH University. The Foundation is an independent organization that closely coordinates with EARTH University, including its leadership, academic faculty, finance, communications, and operations teams in Costa Rica and other countries.

A newly created position, the Development Associate will join the organization during a time of growth as we execute our 2027 strategic plan. Key to our strategic plan is a significant expansion of EARTH’s global fundraising as we elevate the organization’s profile among philanthropic audiences in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Africa—and build relationships with new high-net worth individuals and leading private and public institutions.

The Development Associate will have a wide-ranging role, engaged in all elements of our development operation. From fundraising and board engagement to prospect research, development communications, and development operations, the Associate will play an integral role. The ideal candidate is someone eager to learn more about all aspects of fundraising and comfortable balancing different and varied work. This position reports jointly to the Executive Director and the Deputy Director.

Essential Functions

• Portfolio Management: Partner with the Executive Director and Deputy Director to provide effective support for their donor portfolios including the creation of meeting briefings, drafting donor correspondence, and working internally with colleagues at EUF as well as EARTH University to shape donor materials including proposals, reports, presentations, etc.
• Board Engagement: Partner with the Executive Director and Deputy Director to manage fundraising engagement plans for Board members, tracking relevant information and keeping profiles/activities current in Raiser’s Edge.
• Administrative Support: Manage calendars for Executive Director and Deputy Director, draft expense reports, and provide basic administrative support to other areas of development operation (e.g. scheduling meetings, etc.).
• Foundation Board Support: Manage all logistics associated with EARTH University Foundation’s board meetings each year (x4) including scheduling, preparation of materials, recording minutes, reports, etc.
• Development Communications: Partner with Deputy Director and other members of the team to develop and launch a regular email communications program for EARTH supporters. This will require collaboration with Donor Stewardship, Marketing, and other internal teams—and a proven ability to think strategically and communicate crisply.
• Development Operations: Partner with Database Coordinator to support and strengthen our operational processes including data entry, reporting, moves management, and more.
• Prospect Research: Utilize research tools to identify new prospects, develop strategy, draft meeting briefings, etc.
• Finances: Partner with Database Coordinator and Accounting Team to support and strengthen our financial processes including expense management and tracking, financial reporting, etc.

Qualifications and Experience

• 4+ years of relevant work experience, ideally in the nonprofit sector.
• A commitment to the mission and ideals of EARTH University and the ability to articulate its vision and programs in a compelling manner.
• Excellent writing, editing, proofreading skills—and strong attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Spanish is desirable.
• Ability and desire to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds and to promote a positive working environment, a spirit of cooperation, and the necessary flexibility to manage change. Appreciation for multiculturalism and a global society.
• Ability to interact with and collaborate with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders, such as Board members other VIPs and colleagues at all levels of the organization.
• A self-starter who works well independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment, can manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize workload, and ensure deadlines are met.
• Ability to work with budgets and financials.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, while exercising discretion and personal judgment where appropriate.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) required and development database like Raiser’s Edge or CRM experience desired.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally, including regular trips to EARTH University in Costa Rica.
• High emotional intelligence and sense of humor.