Development Assistant

Job Summary

The Development Assistant manages, optimizes, and coordinates the daily operations of the fundraising department. Core daily duties include maintaining accurate donor records within the organization's CRM system, running operational reports and mailing lists to support annual giving campaigns, drafting polished acknowledgment letters and tax receipts, preparing professional donor packets and presentation slide decks, tracking development expenses against operational budgets, and assisting with remote event coordination.

Foundational Capabilities & Prerequisites

• Non-Profit Development Footprint: Minimum of 3 years of progressive professional experience operating directly within non-profit development, fundraising campaigns, donor relations, event coordination, or a closely related institutional advancement field.
• CRM Database Competency: Practical experience using complex CRM platforms, donor management databases, or constituent tracking software. Prior experience navigating Tessitura or highly similar specialized fundraising databases is highly preferred.
• Linguistic Standard: Exceptional written and verbal English communication skills, equipped to independently compose compelling donor correspondence, formal proposals, and polished acknowledgments.
• Software Tool Stack Literacy: Advanced, demonstrable proficiency operating within both Microsoft Office suites and Google Workspace tools.
• Operational Habits: Deep, meticulous attention to detail, strong administrative document formatting skills, and a proven capability to manage multiple project deadlines independently.
• Educational Credentials: A formal Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional industry experience is required.

Preferred Professional Multipliers

• Advanced Campaign Exposure: Previous experience supporting complex fundraising campaigns, annual giving programs, or donor segmentation frameworks.
• Stewardship Literacy: Practical knowledge of modern donor stewardship best practices and remote event coordination models.
• Mission Alignment: A strong, demonstrable passion for supporting mission-driven organizations and philanthropic initiatives.

Technical Tool Stack Architecture

As a Development Assistant, you will manage workflows and compile data across the following software infrastructure:

• Donor Relationship & CRM Systems: Tessitura, Salesforce Non-Profit Cloud, Raiser's Edge, or similar relational database frameworks
• Collaboration & Productivity Suites: Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Data Reporting & Analytics: Spreadsheet macro formatting, donor segmentation filtering, database query builders
• Communication & Event Utilities: Zoom, Slack, automated direct-mail architectures, digital email marketing tools

Key Responsibilities

1. Development Operations & CRM Management

• Maintain accurate, clean, and comprehensive donor and prospect profile records within the organization's core CRM database.
• Process incoming donations, enter gifts accurately against appropriate campaigns, and ensure the timely generation of polished acknowledgment letters and valid tax receipts.
• Manage data hygiene routines, merging duplicate profiles and updating constituent contact records to prevent communication gaps.

2. Campaign & Data Administration

• Build and run operational data reports, target mailing lists, and donor analytics dashboards to support multi-channel fundraising campaigns.
• Track donor interactions, log stewardship activities, and document prospect pipeline movements to assist major gift officers.
• Execute database queries to segment donor lists based on giving history, location, or affinity markers for targeted outreach.

3. Donor Communications & Engagement

• Support the execution of donor acquisition, retention, and engagement initiatives across digital and print mediums.
• Assist with the preparation and rollout of direct mail, email newsletter updates, and digital fundraising campaigns.
• Coordinate the auditing and compilation of official donor recognition listings for annual reports or event programs.

4. Administrative Support & Financial Coordination

• Prepare professional donor packets, corporate sponsorship presentations, and board meeting materials with high aesthetic and formatting standards.
• Coordinate team calendars, schedule meeting agendas, and manage follow-up task tracking for the fundraising executives.
• Generate transparent financial, fundraising, and constituent reports as requested by leadership.
• Track development expenses, manage vendor invoices, process staff reimbursements, and monitor operational budgets.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Event Assistance

• Work closely with internal departments to coordinate multi-channel fundraising initiatives and preserve brand consistency.
• Assist with the logistical coordination of donor events, stewardship webinars, and corporate sponsorship activations.
• Help assemble grant proposals, compile stewardship documentation, and archive historical giving proof.

Core Competencies & Operational Strengths

• High Data Rigor & Hygiene: Approaching data entry with an analytical eye, understanding that clean CRM inputs prevent financial and communication errors.
• Formatted Professional Writing: Writing elegant, concise donor acknowledgments that maintain professional boundaries while conveying authentic organizational gratitude.
• Project Prioritization: Balancing transactional data entry with complex administrative tasks without letting deadline targets slip.
• Independent Resourcefulness: Troubleshooting database discrepancies or software issues using internal documentation before escalating to leadership.
• Absolute Discretion: Handling sensitive financial data, private addresses, and donor profiles with complete ethical security and confidentiality.

Skills Required:

• Computer / Software / It / Data