Posted on December 26, 2012

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Development Associate

EarthRights International (ERI) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization (NGO) with offices in Washington DC, Thailand, Peru, and Myanmar/Burma. ERI combines the power of law and the power of people in defence of human rights and the environment. Specializing in legal actions against perpetrators of earth rights abuses, training for grassroots community leaders and advocacy campaigns, we seek to end earth rights abuses, and to promote and protect human and environmental rights in the communities where we work. For more information about ERI’s programs, visit www.earthrights.org.

ERI is seeking to fill the position of Development Associate to be based in its Washington D.C. office to provide support to the Development Program including the maintenance and management of ERI’s existing grants and funding as well as assisting in the development and implementation of new funding strategies aimed at diversifying ERI’s funding sources. The Development Associate will play an important role by providing both administrative and substantive support to the Development Program and participating in all fundraising activities including donor communications and public relations, appeals, and special events, as well as liaising with the Communications Program on our online donor communications strategy.

Major Responsibilities: The Development Associate/Assistant will be responsible for assisting the Development Coordinator, US Office Director, Executive Director, Communications Coordinator and other staff to maintain and expand ERI’s funding from private foundations, as well as to aid in the development of new sources of income from individuals, events, and other institutional funders. Under the primary supervision of the Development Coordinator, the Development Associate will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Assisting in the production of grant proposals and reports, including conducting background research, drafting written materials, producing financial reports and compiling supporting materials.
2. Supporting the development of ERI’s online donor outreach and social media strategy and production of communication materials
3. Assisting in the development and implementation of funding strategies, including the development of new funding programs for individuals.
4. Processing donations and preparing acknowledgement letters and other correspondence.
5. Maintaining foundation files and database.
6. Maintaining the donor/constituent database and creating database reports as needed.
7. Engaging in preliminary research to identify new individual and foundation funders.
8. Coordinating donor mailings, both email and postal, including annual appeals.
9. Drafting fundraising letters and appeals.
10. Assisting in the planning and implementation of events.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelors degree in a related field.
• Excellent writing skills, including the ability to present information concisely and effectively.
• Demonstrated interest in human rights, environmental, international, and/or development issues; familiarity with legal and campaign strategies preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal and intercultural communication skills.
• Strong research and organizational skills
• Interest and enthusiasm for fundraising and communicating with people.

Preferred:

• 1-2 years experience in development, including the preparation of grant proposals and reports
• Experience with donor databases and/or constituent management systems (e.g. CiviCRM, DemocracyInAction, GiftWorks, DonorPerfect)
• Experience using social media as an outreach or advocacy tool
• Experience with finance software (Quickbooks) and producing simple financial reports
• Experience with event planning
• Previous involvement with conducting a capital campaign
• HTML proficiency
• Fluency or proficiency in Spanish

The successful applicant will work well in multicultural teams and with diverse constituencies. S/he will be self-motivated, work well under pressure and be able to handle several projects at one time. S/he will have good judgment and, ideally, a sense of humor. Individuals with law degrees are not encouraged to apply – this is a Development Program position with little opportunity to directly engage in ERI’s litigation or other Legal Program work.

This is a fulltime position. Salary is commensurate with experience. Benefits include health insurance and contributions towards an individual retirement account, as well as generous vacation, sick and personal leave time. ERI offers an informal, friendly work environment with highly committed staff.

EarthRights International is an equal opportunity employer.

Application Instructions

To Apply: Application deadline is January 7, 2013. Please send a cover letter summarizing what you would bring to this position and why you want to work with ERI, along with your resume, one original writing sample (8 pages or less), and three references. Email applications are highly preferred. Send email applications to: devjob@earthrights.org.

Send regular mail applications to:

Attn: Development Search
EarthRights International
1612 K Street
Suite 401
Washington DC 20006