West Coast Development Associate

Common Sense (https://www.commensensemedia.org/) is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.

Every day, millions of families turn to Common Sense for trusted advice and unbiased ratings. We offer the largest library of independent age-based and educational ratings and reviews for everything your kids want to watch, play, read, and learn.  Our movie and TV ratings are available on Apple TV, Target.com, Xfinity, Vudu.com, and many other partner platforms, helping kids and families make smart media choices. Through our schools program, we provide educators with a curriculum that teaches the essential digital citizenship and literacy skills every student needs to succeed. More than 100,000 member schools across the country use our ratings and free curriculum and content. We also work with policymakers, industry leaders, and legislators to improve the media and education landscape for kids, families, and schools.

The West Coast Development Associate is responsible for assisting and supporting Common Sense's West Coast fundraising efforts. You will work with senior development staff in identifying, researching, cultivating, and stewarding major and leadership gifts on the West Coast (primarily the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles).

Common Sense has just completed a new three-year strategic plan with an exciting vision for growth. This position is a fantastic opportunity for someone interested in learning the ins and outs of fundraising from a team of professionals committed to mentoring and providing them the tools and programs they need to succeed in the role.

EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Full-time (40 hours per week)

REPORTS TO: Vice President of Development

LOCATION: San Francisco, CA

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

Donor Research, Cultivation, and Stewardship

• Conduct prospect research and prepare bios for major and leadership donors in collaboration with senior development staff.
• Develop briefing documents for meetings with prospective major donors in collaboration with senior development staff.
• Prepare updated major donor lists and progress reports.
• Manage all aspects of donor stewardship for major gifts for Bay Area and LA, which includes:
  • Communicating with donors (if appropriate) in the case that a pledge remains unpaid.
  • Providing regular stewardship lists to senior development staff.
• Participate in daily stewardship activities for individual gifts.
• Provide administrative and logistical support for the Bay Area and Los Angeles Regional Advisory Councils, e.g., preparing meeting materials, presentations, communications, etc.

Database and Gift Administration

• Maintain donor and prospect contact records in Salesforce database.
• Track gifts and moves in Salesforce for major donors.
• Process and track major donor gifts and pledges in Salesforce.

Donor Events Support

Provide event-logistics support for fundraisers, cultivation events and other regional events, including:

• Attend all event-related meetings; record and distribute meeting minutes.
• Update the event budget with actual costs.
• Coordinate with vendors and process invoices accordingly (e.g., event production staff, catering, A/V, etc.).
• Coordinate high-touch invite personalization for senior development staff.
• Manage seating lists, including follow-ups with sponsors to collect guest names, logos, and recognition preferences.
• Provide on-site logistical support (e.g., putting together collateral, staffing the registration table) for in-person donor engagement events as needed.

WHAT YOU BRING:

• Bachelor's degree
• 2 years of work experience, ideally in fundraising position
• High level of proficiency creating presentations; experience with Google Slides
• Experience using databases and CRM platforms, preferably Salesforce
• Experience with portfolio and/or project management
• Excellent written communication skills
• Exceptional time management and organizational skills and ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines
• A professional demeanor whether speaking to others in person, over the phone, via email, or through letters
• Superior organizational and problem-solving abilities with acute attention to detail
• Technical savvy with a variety of office technologies (e.g., Google Workplace, Zoom, etc.)
• Ability to work well alone

WHAT WE OFFER:

• Work with passionate professionals.
• Comprehensive health benefits: medical, dental, and vision.
• Matching 401(k).
• Work/life balance.
• Gym and wellness incentives.
• The opportunity to make a difference in the lives of kids and families!

APPLY NOW

Common Sense values the diversity of its employees and is an equal opportunity employer. For more information on our values, please visit our statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Common Sense will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. However, job offers are made on the condition that the applicant subsequently passes a criminal background check. If the background check indicates a prior criminal conviction, we will conduct an individualized assessment to determine whether the conviction should result in denial of employment.