ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Educare DC serves over 350 children from birth to five years – and their families – through our state- of-the-art center and through community partnerships. Building on the program foundations of Early Head Start and Head Start and accredited by NAEYC, Educare DC promotes school readiness by providing high-quality, comprehensive early learning programming for children who are historically underserved due to systemic racism, eliminating the opportunity gap often experienced by low-income communities. Educare DC is part of the 25-school Educare Learning Network that serves as a platform for broader change, inspiring high-quality programs in communities, improving public policies nationally and within each state, and demonstrating a comprehensive, research-based approach to the first five years of life and learning. Educare DC draws on a blend of private and public dollars, including federal childcare funding, Early Head Start, Pre-K, and other state and federal funding streams.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Development Specialist will provide general administrative support to Educare DC's development department. This position supports the department goal of raising over $2.4 million each year in private funds. The Development Specialist is responsible for accurately recording all donations, supporting timely and accurate donor communications and outreach, assisting with prospect research, and maintaining the confidentiality of all donor information.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP

The Development Specialist reports to the Senior Director of Development.

RESPONSIBILTIES

Fundraising

• Work closely with the Senior Director of Development to execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy in order to achieve annual fundraising goals.
Support the outreach of the Senior Director of Development to individual major donors, foundations and corporations with prospect research, data entry into the database, and related administrative tasks.
Support community level fundraising with local groups and collaborate with the Development team on all United Way and Combined Federal Campaign programs.
Participate in charity events and other relevant fundraising events, as assigned by the Senior Director of Development.
Support the production and implementation of year-end solicitation campaigns and annual fund stewardship activities, including creating materials, pulling send lists, mail merges, and communicating with vendors for the printing and sending of materials.
Accurately record all gifts and pledges into the CRM database and provide tax acknowledgement letters to donors in a timely fashion, in coordination with the Development Team and Finance Team.
Assist in sending pledge reminders and acknowledgments to donors.
Assist in providing weekly reporting on donor/fundraising information as requested by management.
Maintain and update donor records in the CRM database, ensuring a consistent high degree of accuracy for donor data including data entry, tracking and coding systems.
Assist the Development team with creating new records for donors in the CRM database, entering notes for donors and attaching appropriate documentation to donor records (i.e. – award letters).
Assist with CRM queries as needed (i.e. – looking up donor records, checking giving history, etc.).
Administrative
Assist in the creation of materials and correspondence to support fundraising and stewardship activities, including appeal letters and emails, donor stewardship pieces, impact reports, acknowledgement letters, event invites, and email campaigns, working with external graphic designer as needed.
Maintain Educare DC donor swag inventory and support with donor appreciation initiatives.
Support stewardship efforts by assisting the department with gathering stakeholder testimonials.
Support the Development team with the Grant Process (i.e. – drafting Grant Cover Sheets, emailing relevant departments, etc.), as needed.
Other relevant duties as assigned.
Assists in production and distribution of mailings and reports.

Events and Meetings

• Support fundraising and donor engagement events, by assisting with logistics, including the invitation and RSVP processes.
Coordinate volunteer opportunities with existing corporate partners who are current donors. Coordinate additional volunteer opportunities, as assigned.
Assist with meetings and tours, including scheduling support, room reservation and setup, assembling donor packets and donor swag bags.

EXPERIENCE AND ABILITIES

• A minimum of one year experience in fundraising, preferably with a proven success in fundraising efforts.
Highly organized with remarkable attention to detail.
Ability to efficiently prioritize, manage projects, and meet deadlines.
Motivated self-starter, with creative problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
A commitment to continuous learning.
Exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality in all aspects of donor, volunteer, staff, and organization information.
Significant proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Proficiency with fundraising databases (Bloomerang) and design tools (Canva, Adobe Suite) a plus.
High commitment to data integrity.
Ability to work independently with little supervision.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in a related field with one year of relevant fundraising experience.

ADDITIONAL JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Clearance of background checks as required by local, state, and federal regulations.
Annual physical exam, drug screen and TB tests, and Covid-19 vaccination are required as a condition of continual employment as required by Educare DC, state, and federal regulations.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Advanced command of the English language and grammar, both verbal and written.
Experience working successfully with a culturally diverse staff and clients.
Regular attendance is a necessary and essential function.
Ability to work flexible hours as needed (i.e – to attend community meetings, conferences or events).