Development Associate

Description

Reporting directly to the Vice President of Development and the Director of Development, the Development Associate will support a growing development department to ensure that current, prospective and lapsed donors receive best-in-class stewardship and cultivation. As the Foundation’s work continues to expand, it’s important that our stakeholders know that their investments are being stewarded to the best of our ability. Moreover, we want Foundation donors to feel enfranchised in the daily work we are conducting in the development department on behalf of over 5.5 million military and veteran caregivers. 

Responsibilities

● Support all fundraising and execution efforts around Foundation Signature Events, including scheduling calls with event sponsors, working in tandem with the Vice President of Development and the Director of Special Events to oversee the fulfillment of sponsor benefits, organizing briefing memos for the CEO and Senator Dole, tracking guest names and special requests from sponsors and attending events to support cultivation and fulfillment efforts with all guests.  

● Participate in all fundraising efforts at the Foundation by serving as a lead connector for the development team to connect and synergize with all Foundation departments, including assisting in preparing agendas for collective team meetings and by participating in weekly staff meetings, which will include drafting a briefing for Senator Dole.

● In conjunction with the VP and Director, track upcoming deadlines, draft and ultimately submit online grant requests, updates and reports on schedule.

● Conduct extensive daily prospect research on individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations that are plausible fits for the Foundation as potential donors, whether for general support, events or programmatic funding.

● After prospect research has been conducted, work to track down individual contacts and contact information for said prospects.

● Maintain and update the Foundation’s donor database to ensure that all donor actions, notes and relevant information is current and that the database serves as a living breathing document for all Foundation staff, current and future, to utilize when reaching out to these stakeholders.

● Serve as the lead for organizing and sending out thank you letters to all Foundation donors, ensuring that these letters are sent in an expedited manner after gifts have been received and processed. This includes working with the Director of Development to have the CEO personally sign acknowledgment letters for members of the Foundation’s major donor program and helping to manage cultivation schedules.

● Assist VP and Director in supporting the CEO and Senator Dole, working to prepare our leadership for in-person meetings, calls and external engagements where funders are present.

● Attend and support Foundation fundraising events and those of organizational partners, working to expand our network while serving as an ambassador for the Foundation.

● Play a lead role in the execution of the Foundation’s fundraising and cultivation campaigns, which will include staffing call-time for leadership and supporting both online and printed appeals and stewardship efforts.

● Other duties as assigned

Requirements

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is looking for an energetic and versatile professional currently living in the DC area. The applicant should have excellent verbal and written communication skills, with extensive proficiency in the areas of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Familiarity with the Military and Veteran Community, and knowledge or prior use of Mailchimp, Salesforce, or another database system is desired, and will be considered when choosing the best applicant for this position. 

● Bachelor’s Degree, with 2-3 years’ experience in a professional office environment, nonprofit, event/hospitality management, previous fundraising/development experience preferred.  

● Prior experience providing administrative, logistical or customer support for an organization (with adequate technical proficiency both online and in-person)

● Knowledge or prior use of Salesforce (or another CRM Database) is desired.

● Highly energized, able to engage and respond on a professional level to a broad range of stakeholders; especially the ability to work with military caregivers and donors to provide excellent and timely customer service

● Must be detail oriented, with the ability to listen and communicate (both verbally and in writing) clearly and accurately

● Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet tight deadlines

● Demonstrated professional standards and unwavering integrity and ethical conduct

● Able to satisfactorily perform duties and assigned tasks with little or no supervisory oversight

● Is discreet; understands when confidentiality is required

● Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills

● Reliability/dependability

● Demonstrates energy, optimism, and passion for helping others

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume in PDF format to: 

Pavel Sullivan, Vice President of Operations 

pavel@elizabethdolefoundation.org