Development Associate

Position Overview

The Development Associate supports the organization's fundraising efforts by providing key administrative and project management support across donor engagement, events, communications, and development operations. Reporting to the Senior Donor Relations Manager, and working closely with the Development Operations Coordinator, the Development Associate will play a vital role in donor stewardship, prospect research, event logistics, and campaign execution.

Duties and Responsibilities

Donor Stewardship & Communications – 30%

-       Draft and coordinate the mailing of donor acknowledgments, thank-you letters, and stewardship materials.

-       Assist in the preparation of donor reports, mailings, and communication materials.

-       Help coordinate donor touchpoints, including birthday and holiday outreach.

-       Maintain accurate CRM donor records in coordination with the Development Operations Coordinator.

Fundraising Campaign Support – 25%

-       Assist with the execution of annual appeals, Giving Tuesday, and other digital and direct mail fundraising campaigns.

-       Coordinate and execute sustaining monthly donor and symbolic adoption programs.

-       Help prepare collateral and mailing lists.

-       Track responses, performance metrics and survey data for fundraising campaigns.

Event Coordination – 20%

-       Support logistics for fundraising events, including donor salons, cultivation events, and the annual Musical Appetizers fundraising benefit.

-       Coordinate invitations, RSVPs, venue/vendor communication, and on-site materials.

-       Assist with follow-up and acknowledgment efforts post-event.

Prospect Research & Pipeline Support – 15%

-       Conduct research on individuals, foundations, and corporations to support donor identification and cultivation.

-       Help maintain and update donor and prospect pipelines in collaboration with the Senior Donor Relations Manager.

-       Prepare research briefs for donor meetings and events.

-       Research and track potential funding opportunities across a range of institutional and workplace giving channels to support donor pipeline development.

Administrative & Departmental Support – 10%

-       Assist with scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, taking meeting notes, and maintaining files and calendars.

-       Provide administrative support to the Development Committee.

-       Support department-wide projects and tasks as needed.

-       Collaborate with team members to ensure smooth day-to-day development operations.

Qualifications

-       1-2 years of professional experience in development, fundraising, or other related non-profit work.

-       Meticulous attention to detail and ability to operate with a high degree of professionalism.

-       Excellent time management, planning, and organizational skills.

-       A conscious and capable communicator with an eye for written and visual communication.

-       Open to feedback and responsive to direction and coaching.

-       Ability to multi-task and work well independently and as a team.

-       Experience using fundraising software, The Raiser's Edge CRM preferred not but required.

-       Experience with prospect research, donor outreach, and event coordination preferred not but required.

-       Proficiency with Office 365, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this role is $40 - $50K per year. Salary ranges at WCC are standardized based on role level and function.