Development Associate

North Lawndale College Prep

Development Associate

Reports To: Director of Advancement

Position Summary

The Development Associate is a critical, frontline fundraising position responsible for executing key strategies across all fundraising channels, with a primary focus on the annual fund, grant writing, and donor stewardship. This role supports the Director of Advancement and the CEO in meeting annual fundraising goals by managing a portfolio of mid-level donors and ensuring the efficiency of the overall development operations.

Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesFundraising & Donor Portfolio Management

• Manage a personal portfolio of annual and mid-level donors to cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts up to $10,000.
• Execute the Annual Giving Program, including direct mail campaigns, email solicitations, and online fundraising initiatives.
• Conduct prospect research to identify new individual, corporate, and foundation funding sources.
• Write, edit, and submit grant proposals and reports to foundations and corporate funders as assigned by the Director of Advancement.

Donor Stewardship & Communication

• Coordinate and personalize gift acknowledgement and thank-you processes to ensure prompt and meaningful donor recognition.
• Assist in planning and executing donor engagement and fundraising events, including logistics, invitation lists, and follow-up.
• Draft compelling fundraising and stewardship communications (e.g., impact reports, donor updates, campaign materials).
• Coordinate with the Communications staff to ensure consistency of messaging in all development materials.

Operations & Administration

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the donor database (CRM), including accurate gift entry, maintaining donor records, generating mailing lists, and pulling reports.
• Support the Director of Advancement in preparing materials for Board and committee meetings.
• Track fundraising performance against goals and provide regular progress updates to the Director of Advancement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, development, or a related field.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
• Excellent writing, editing, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficiency in using a donor database/CRM system and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• A clear commitment to the mission and values of NLCP.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Regularly required to stand, walk, sit, and interact with students and staff.
• Occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds.
• The noise level in the work environment can be moderate to loud, especially in collaborative classroom settings.

Conditions of Employment

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
• Compliance with all board policies, ISBE requirements, and relevant educational laws