Development Associate

OPPORTUNITY

The Development Associate is responsible for overseeing and managing fundraising platforms including our donor management and on-line giving platforms. They will also contribute to donor reports and proposals, conduct prospect research, send donor acknowledgements, and coordinate fundraising inputs and deadlines across the organization. The Development Associate will be an important member of the Development team and report to the Director of Development. The successful candidate will be a pro-active and detail-oriented person, with excellent communication skills, who will work with staff across the organization and engage with outside stakeholders.

ORGANIZATION

The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) supports the disability rights movement around the world by resourcing organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to advocate for equal rights and full participation in society. The Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRAF), DRF’s sister organization, supports advocacy for legislative change. DRF/DRAF currently works across Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the Caribbean. The Funds are grounded in a participatory and gender transformative approaches and follow grant making, peer learning, and advocacy strategies to support OPDs to advance the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), including in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Disability Summit commitments, and other key international frameworks.

At DRF/DRAF, we believe our people are what make us great. Reflecting our values and participatory approach, persons with disabilities are leaders and decision makers at all levels of our organization – including our staff, Board, and Grant Making Committee. We value teamwork and a supportive work environment. Our goal is to find individuals who are good at what they do and passionate about our mission.

To learn more about the Disability Rights Fund, please visit https://disabilityrightsfund.org/

Requirements

Development systems and administration (50%)

＼    Administer all systems including donor management (Salesforce) and DRF’s donation platforms, including but not limited to data entry; report generation; interface customization, dashboard creation, updating user profiles, fields, etc.; integration management.

＼    Stay up to date on platform updates and trainings.

＼    Collaboration with the Finance team to reconcile records and ensure contract renewals and vendor contracts are completed and up to date.

＼    Ensure all DRF information is updated on all other external platforms and sites.

Donor Meetings and Engagement (20%)

＼    Attend donor network and 1-1 meetings with DRF donors.

＼    Organize preparatory materials, take notes, provide summary reports, track action items, and facilitate relationships with donors and donor networks.

＼    Maintain donor and funder relations through appropriate communications, including phone and video calls, emails, and written personal notes.

＼    Coordinate, draft, and send monthly donor communications.

Fundraising Support (20%)

＼    Draft and send donor acknowledgement letters.

＼    Gather relevant data and inputs from DRF staff, revise previously developed content, create new content, and manage grant proposal deadlines and tasks.

＼    Conduct prospect research for foundations, individuals, government donors, and corporations.

＼    Liaise with external grant writers and other consultants.

Internal Coordination and Learning (10%)

＼    Track and share upcoming internal and external funder deadlines on a regular basis with staff across the organization. Respond to questions regarding proposals and information requests.

＼    Coordinate with Communications team on printing and mailing of annual report and other collateral and digital newsletters, website, blog, and social media messaging relevant to fundraising.

＼    Coordinate with Finance, Disability Movements, and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning teams to ensure compliance with DRF’s grant agreements and integrate information across internal data and information platforms.

＼    Participate in internal cross-functional working groups.

＼    Grow personal knowledge about disability rights, the countries in which DRF works, and the philanthropy sector.

＼    Other duties and projects as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Development Associate candidate will have:

＼    2 years of experience working in and administering donor management and/or customer relationship management software.

＼    Highly organized and detail-oriented, and able to effectively manage multiple projects and competing demands.

＼    Excellent oral and written professional communication skills including editing skills (US English).

＼    Comfortable developing relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and donors.

＼    Ability to navigate ambiguity, adapt to change, take accountability and responsibility, and to work effectively within the team and across the organization.

＼    Some experience in fundraising, with interest in growing knowledge/skills.

＼    Some experience working across cultures and geographies and comfortable collaborating within a diverse workplace.

＼    Curious, pro-active, and committed to knowledge sharing with strong critical thinking abilities.

＼    Openness to ongoing learning, feedback, and growth.

＼    A commitment to the human rights of persons with disabilities. 

＼    Excellent technology skills (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.); willingness to learn additional applications and accessible technology as necessary.

＼    Fluency in English.

＼    Live in and/or ability to work in Eastern Standard Time working hours.

Preferred, but not required qualifications are:

＼    Philanthropy sector and/or fundraising experience.

＼    Salesforce experience and/or Certification.

＼    Experience writing grant proposals.

＼    Experience in cross cultural work teams and in a remote office environment.

＼    Working knowledge of the philanthropy and nonprofit sectors in the US and worldwide.

＼    Knowledge of international development and human rights frameworks.

＼    Knowledge of international disability rights and/or building cross-movement collaboration.

＼    A connection to disability rights and some knowledge or understanding of international disability rights and specifically, the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

＼    Experience with relevant technology platforms like Canva, GuideStar, content management systems, etc.

＼    Fluent or professional competency in languages other than English, preferably French or Spanish.

Benefits

LOCATION, COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Location: DRF operates globally, and all staff work remotely.

DRF offers excellent benefits (health, vision, dental, life insurance, retirement plan contributions), and generous vacation, holiday, and sick time, as well as two organizational wide wellness weeks, comprehensive parental leave, and a commitment to professional development and growth. More details can be provided upon request. Salary range is between $55,000-60,000 USD/equivalent. More details can be provided upon request.

This is a full-time, 35 hours per week position reporting to the Director of Development. This position is primarily remote but will require international travel (approximately 10% of the time), depending on safe travel conditions. Standard working hours within Eastern Standard Time zone (UTC+5) will be most common, however working hours may vary at times according to operational and personal needs. The position will be part of a global team spanning different time zones, so the candidate must be able to accommodate early/late meetings when needed to work effectively.

TO APPLY                                                                 

We will consider all applications regardless of whether every knowledge, skill or ability noted above can be demonstrated. Please note due to the volume of applications we may receive we may not respond personally to every application. For additional questions about this position please contact us at [email protected]. Please contact [email protected] for reasonable accommodation requests. The application deadline is April 8th. No decisions will be made prior to the application deadline date. Applications received after the deadline may be reviewed but not guaranteed.

The Disability Rights Fund is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.