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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Development Coordinator

💰 $ - $

NonprofitFundraisingDevelopmentEventsDonor Relations

🎯 Role Definition

The Development Coordinator supports the fundraising and donor relations operations of a nonprofit or mission-driven organization by coordinating campaigns, managing constituent databases, preparing grant and proposal materials, organizing stewardship and cultivation events, and providing day-to-day support to development staff and leadership. This role plays a pivotal part in executing integrated fundraising strategies, maintaining accurate gift records and acknowledgements, and strengthening relationships with individual, corporate, and foundation donors.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Development Assistant or Fundraising Assistant (entry-level fundraising support)
  • Events Coordinator with nonprofit or fundraising event experience
  • Volunteer Coordinator or Community Outreach Associate with stakeholder engagement experience

Advancement To:

  • Development Manager (lead role overseeing staff and campaigns)
  • Major Gifts Officer or Major Gifts Coordinator (relationship-focused fundraising)
  • Grants Manager or Senior Grants Officer (specialized grant funding leadership)

Lateral Moves:

  • Communications or Marketing Coordinator (donor communications and storytelling)
  • Program Coordinator (programmatic implementation aligned with fundraising)
  • Database Administrator or CRM Specialist (if focusing on systems and data)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Serve as the primary administrator of the donor management system (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Bloomerang), ensuring accurate data entry, gift coding, segmentation, and reporting to support monthly and quarterly fundraising targets.
  • Process and reconcile all incoming gifts (online, mail, in-kind and pledge payments), prepare daily/weekly deposit reports, and coordinate with finance to ensure timely posting and receipting of gifts.
  • Draft, personalize, and send timely donor acknowledgement letters and tax receipts in accordance with organizational policy and IRS regulations, and maintain a tracking system for acknowledgements.
  • Maintain and update donor profiles, contact histories, and giving patterns to produce prospect lists for major gifts officers and program teams, including flags for stewardship or upgrade opportunities.
  • Support the planning and execution of annual fundraising campaigns (year-end appeals, giving days, membership drives), including creation of timelines, collateral coordination, list segmentation, and post-campaign analysis.
  • Assist Program and Development leadership with grant proposal preparation: gather program and financial attachments, proofread narratives, maintain grant tracking calendars, and submit proposals and reports via online portals on schedule.
  • Coordinate logistics for cultivation and stewardship events (small donor coffees, major donor briefings, donor recognition events), including venue management, RSVP tracking, run-of-show, materials preparation, and post-event follow-up.
  • Conduct prospect research using public records, donor research platforms, and internal data to identify potential major donors, foundations, and corporate partners, and prepare briefing notes for gift officers.
  • Prepare regular development reports and dashboards (pipeline status, donor acquisition/retention rates, pledge tracking, KPIs) for the Development Director, Executive Director, and Board development committees.
  • Manage direct mail and email appeal logistics: oversee print timelines, proof development, mail house coordination, and A/B testing for messaging performance and response optimization.
  • Support stewardship programs by producing customized donor impact reports, creating stewardship plans for donor segments, and coordinating recognition opportunities (naming, event acknowledgement, benefits fulfillment).
  • Assist with managing corporate sponsorships and contracts: track deliverables, ensure sponsor benefits are delivered, and compile post-event sponsor recognition and ROI summaries.
  • Maintain a comprehensive calendar of solicitations, grant deadlines, stewardship touchpoints, and development events to ensure consistent, strategic outreach and compliance.
  • Support volunteer engagement for fundraising activities by recruiting, training, scheduling, and supervising volunteers who assist with events, mailings, and donor outreach efforts.
  • Coordinate gift agreements, pledge reminders, and payment schedules; follow up on outstanding pledges and provide donors with payment receipts and required documentation.
  • Create and update content for fundraising communications including appeal letters, stewardship emails, case statements, donor impact stories, and web updates in collaboration with communications staff.
  • Facilitate relationships between program staff and development team to translate program outcomes into compelling fundraising narratives and to ensure funder requirements are met.
  • Uphold donor confidentiality and data security best practices; ensure compliance with privacy policies and gift restrictions when recording and using donor information.
  • Provide administrative assistance to the development team: schedule donor meetings, coordinate travel logistics for fundraising visits, prepare meeting briefs and follow-up notes, and maintain organizational filing systems.
  • Conduct post-campaign and post-event evaluations to capture lessons learned, donor feedback, ROI metrics, and recommendations for process improvements and future strategy.
  • Build and maintain pipeline management systems for prospect cultivation, ensuring timely stewardship moves, assignment of gift officers, and clear next steps for solicitations.
  • Collaborate with digital fundraising teams to manage online giving platforms, crowdfunding pages, and social fundraising campaigns, ensuring accurate donor attribution and timely technical troubleshooting.
  • Track and coordinate restricted and designated gifts to ensure funds are allocated and reported according to donor intent and grant agreements, and notify program leads of incoming restricted funding.
  • Support the Board of Directors and development committee logistics, including preparing briefing packets, recording action items, and following up on board-led fundraising initiatives.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of fundraising best practices, nonprofit compliance requirements, and industry trends to recommend process enhancements and training opportunities for the development team.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory analysis to help the development team identify trends and inform outreach strategies.
  • Contribute to the organization's fundraising strategy and annual development plan by providing operational insights and feasibility feedback.
  • Collaborate with program teams to translate program metrics into donor-facing language and reporting templates to meet funder expectations.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile-style project coordination when collaborating with communications, IT, or digital teams on fundraising technology improvements.
  • Provide cross-functional support to communications and programs during high-priority initiatives, such as large-scale appeals or emergency fundraising efforts.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficiency with donor CRM systems (Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, eTapestry) including data entry, segmentation, and report creation.
  • Experience processing gifts, reconciling deposits, and coordinating with finance for accurate gift accounting and pledge management.
  • Proven ability to prepare grant applications and reports; familiarity with online grant portals and submission processes.
  • Strong Excel and Google Sheets skills: pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, basic formulas, and data-cleaning techniques for reliable donor reporting.
  • Familiarity with email marketing and automation platforms (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Emma) and basic HTML for email templates.
  • Experience managing event logistics and stewarding donor cultivation events with budget tracking and vendor coordination.
  • Competence using donor research tools (WealthEngine, DonorSearch, Foundation Directory, LinkedIn) to prepare prospect profiles.
  • Knowledge of online giving platforms and payment processors (Classy, Network for Good, Give Lively, Stripe) and experience reconciling online gifts in the CRM.
  • Ability to produce polished written materials: appeals, stewardship letters, case statements, proposals, and board briefs.
  • Familiarity with data privacy practices, IRS charitable contribution rules for acknowledgements, and nonprofit fundraising compliance standards.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional attention to detail and high level of accuracy in record-keeping and gift processing.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills for donor-facing correspondence, stewardship, and internal briefing notes.
  • Proven ability to prioritize and manage multiple deadlines and projects in a fast-paced environment.
  • Relationship builder with a service-oriented mindset who can work respectfully with donors, volunteers, board members, and staff.
  • Problem-solving mindset and ability to proactively identify process improvements and efficiencies.
  • Discretion, integrity, and commitment to donor confidentiality and ethical fundraising practices.
  • Collaborative team player who can work cross-functionally and support organizational priorities.
  • Adaptability and comfort with change as fundraising tactics, tools, and priorities evolve.
  • Initiative and accountability for following through on commitments and delivering high-quality outputs.
  • Customer-service orientation with a donor-centric perspective focused on long-term stewardship.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree or equivalent experience in nonprofit administration, communications, business administration, or related field; or a combination of relevant education and experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Communications, Business, Marketing, Public Administration, or a related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Nonprofit Management
  • Communications or Public Relations
  • Business Administration / Marketing
  • Public Policy / Social Work / Education (for program-aligned organizations)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years of experience in fundraising, donor services, events, or related nonprofit operations.

Preferred:

  • 2–5 years of direct experience in a development office, supporting gift processing, donor relations, and campaign execution.
  • Experience using major CRMs (Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Raiser’s Edge) and demonstrated success producing fundraising reports and maintaining development databases.
  • Experience supporting grant writing, donor stewardship plans, and event logistics for cultivation or fundraising activities.
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