Development Specialist (Chicago / Hybrid)

Description

Work. Serve. Thrive.

Imagine a place where your talent can make a meaningful difference in peoples' lives. Working at Feeding America is a uniquely rewarding experience in which our employees work together as vital parts of a much larger mission. We are innovative, mission-focused, diverse, collaborative, values-driven and focused on results.

Feeding America is the nation's largest charity and the leading domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States. Our mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.

Learn more about Feeding Americahere.

This position is based out of Feeding America's Chicago office. At Feeding America, we believe in offering a flexible work environment. Employees can be in the office an average of 2 days a week (when not travelling for work) and work from home on other days. Employees also have access to a 30-day "work anywhere" program during the course of each calendar year that can be combined with PTO and/or holidays.

The Opportunity The Development Specialist serves as a valuable member of the Strategic Gifts team, systematically managing an audience of annual Feeding America donors. This position drives engagement to meet annual and long-term fundraising targets. In service of neighbors facing hunger, this position promotes collaboration with network members and internal colleagues engendering trust in our national, individual relationship management process.

Compensation

Here at Feeding America national organization, equality is central to our mission and is an integral part of our compensation policies and structures. As such, we maintain transparent salary ranges and clearly defined practices for how our team, including new hire salary offers, moves through these ranges. You can expect us to offer the best salary up front based on these clearly defined pay practices with little room for negotiation. We make exceptions for highly experienced (multiple years of at-level experience) new hires in accordance with our pay practices. Once hired, employees have the opportunity to progress through salary ranges via regular merit increases and step promotions.

Salary Range: $80,000 - $85,000 Based on Experience

Responsibilities:

• Cultivates, stewards and solicits a portfolio of "low-touch" major gift and mid-major donors with consistent, timely and multi-dimensional communications.
• Creates and implements annual calendar of strategic programming that increases donor familiarity of and loyalty to our mission and 2030 Strategic Plan.
• Identifies opportunities to engage new potential donors in fundraising efforts. Strategically monitors trends in donor behavior and charitable sector and adapts engagement plans using data-driven decision making.
• Writes fundraising and stewardship materials, letters and proposals in alignment with organizational best practices and in collaboration with colleagues in MarCom.
• Effectively communicates with donors in-person, by phone and email building strong, personal relationships.
• Documents activity in CRM and develops plans for analyzing and reporting key performance indicators and return on investment.
• Collaborates with Relationship Managers and provides operational support for engagement plans that complement Leadership Annual Gift strategies.
• Assists with planning and execution of group stewardship activities, including donor and network-facing events in partnership with the Donor Engagement Team.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of experience leading annual giving strategies in a nonprofit organization.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office suite. Experience with or interest in learning fundraising software and SharePoint.
• Superior verbal/written communication skills and an eye for detail when proofreading.
• Knowledge of fundraising best practices, especially annual giving programs.
• Experience developing donor strategies, prospect lists and research, briefing and gift request materials and donor stewardship for major donors and prospects.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with all levels of staff, volunteers, donors and prospective donors.
• Ability to manage up and across different staff levels to bring projects to completion.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Analytical skills and strong attention to details.

Required Leadership Competencies:

• Fosters an Enterprise Mindset
• Fosters an Open and Supportive Environment
• Leads with Accountability
• Collaborates Internally and Externally
• Focuses on People and Teams
• Manages Organization and Business Complexity
• Communicates with Impact and Influence

Feeding America's goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging and contribute to a culture that values differences, ideas, and experiences. We intentionally seek out diverse perspectives and skills on our teams, knowing that it makes us stronger as an organization and better equipped to serve our neighbors in need. We encourage all individuals, including those from historically under-represented communities and individuals with lived experience of hunger, to apply. Feeding America participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.