National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) Development Associate

About the Job:The Development Associate provides administrative and operational support for NIJC's development and fundraising activities. This role has primary responsibility for processing donations from direct mail, online fundraising, donor-advised funds, stock donations, bank transactions, employee giving and employer match, grants, and other sources. The Development Associate supports donor stewardship by drafting and issuing acknowledgment letters for donations via USPS mail and email. The Development Associate also enters donation and donor database into NIJC's customer relationship management (CRM) system, Little Green Light, and maintains the integrity of the database through regular data quality management. Additionally, the Development Associate supports NIJC's fundraising campaigns and events, including the Human Rights Awards Luncheon, year-end appeal, and 5K for Immigrant Justice.The Development Associate reports to the Director of Development and is a member of the five-person development team. NIJC is a hybrid workplace. The Development Associate is expected to work from NIJC's downtown Chicago office two days per week, with flexibility for additional days during high-volume donation periods.Essential Duties and FunctionsDevelopment Operations (50%)

• Manage gift acknowledgment process, including the drafting of acknowledgment letters, to ensure that all donations are acknowledged in a professional and timely manner in accordance with established protocols
• Process donations by receiving and scanning checks, monitoring online donations, and providing the necessary information to Heartland Alliance's donor information systems team for gift entry into the donor database
• Monitor and maintain the organization's donor databases to ensure information is accurate and current, including performing regular data quality management projects (such as duplicate record cleanup, address updates, etc.)
• Maintain development calendar to track fundraising activities, including events, appeals, and grant applications and reports.
• Serve as the primary contact for donors and potential donors with administrative questions about contributions to NIJC and provide exemplary customer service
• Manage the monthly donor process including updating donor payment information and ensuring annual tax letters are sent
  
  

Fundraising and Event Support (40%)

• Assist with the planning, design, and production of fundraising events, including producing invitation lists from NIJC's donor database and other data sources; coordinating logistics (i.e., inventorying and ordering required materials and supplies, liaising with event venues and vendors); supporting fundraising by tracking outreach and follow-up with event sponsors and attendees; and generating reports and analysis post-event
• Support NIJC's annual appeal and other fundraising campaigns, including generating mailing lists from NIJC's donor database; participating in strategy and goal development; communicating with donors and prospects; ensuring accurate coding and entry of gifts into the donor database; and developing appeal language for online fundraising
• Support the Director of Development and Associate Director of Major and Individual Giving with donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, including providing regular reports on donations and conducting prospect research to identify new donors
• Support proposals, reports, and meetings with funders and donors, including by maintaining and providing up-to-date organizational documents and developing materials
  
  

Team Work (10%)

• Work collaboratively with Development and other teams on shared goals, including strategic and team planning
• Participate in regular Development team, cross-departmental, and organization-wide meetings
• Represent NIJC at special events, business networking events, and community outreach events
• Other duties as assigned
  
  

Qualifications:To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in a related field, such as communications, marketing, English, etc. At least one year of experience (can include internships or part-time positions) in development operations, fundraising, nonprofit administration, event coordination, or similar area. Prior experience in development operations and donation processing is strongly preferred. Familiarity with philanthropy, immigration, legal aid, and/or issues related to civil/human rights is beneficial.
• Language Skills: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills and ability to manage complex, multi-step tasks.
• High attention to detail, consistent and reliable follow-through, and ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Self-starter who will take initiative and work independently to achieve results, but can also collaborate and contribute positively to team efforts.
• Computer Skills: Strong computer skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite. Experience with Little Green Light or comparable donor management software strongly preferred.
  
  

Competencies:

• Planning/Organizing - Prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; plans for additional resources; sets goals and objectives; organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; develops realistic action plans.
• Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events; able to multi-task and lead in a fast-paced environment.
• Dependability - Follows instructions, responds to management direction; takes responsibility for own actions; keeps commitments; commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals; completes tasks.
• Quantity - Meets productivity standards; completes work in timely manner; strives to increase productivity; works quickly.
• Written Communication - Writes clearly and informatively; edits work for spelling and grammar; varies writing style to meet needs; able to read and interpret written information.
  
  

NIJC, NFP makes all hiring and employment decisions, and operates all programs, services, and functions without regard to race, receipt of an order of protection, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, amnesty, physical or mental disability, protected veterans status, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, use of FMLA, VESSA, military, and family military rights, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relationsBy submitting your application, you acknowledge and consent to undergo a comprehensive background check as part of the employment process. This background check will be conducted in compliance with applicable state and federal laws.