Executive Assistant, Development

JOB OVERVIEW:

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer (CDO), the Executive Assistant, Development serves as a strategic administrative partner responsible for maximizing the effectiveness of Development leadership and supporting the operational success of the department.

The Executive Assistant provides comprehensive executive support to the Chief Development Officer, administrative support to the Vice President, Development, and coordination support for activities that advance fundraising productivity and departmental effectiveness. This role requires exceptional organization, discretion, project coordination, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

The primary focus of this position is supporting the Chief Development Officer and enabling Development leadership and frontline fundraisers to devote more time to donor engagement, relationship management, and revenue-generating activities.

Priority Framework

Success in this role is measured by the following priorities:

Executive support to the Chief Development Officer
Fundraising productivity and donor engagement support
Development department operations and administration
Strategic projects and special initiatives

What a Typical Day Might Look Like:

Executive Support (Primary Responsibility)

Provide comprehensive executive support to the Chief Development Officer, managing a complex calendar, scheduling meetings, coordinating travel, preparing expense reports, and ensuring alignment of priorities.
Anticipate the needs of the Chief Development Officer by proactively managing schedules, preparing meeting materials, tracking commitments, and ensuring timely follow-up on action items.
Prepare agendas, briefing materials, presentations, reports, and correspondence for executive meetings and external engagements.
Serve as a liaison between the Chief Development Officer and internal and external stakeholders, exercising professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment.
Coordinate leadership meetings and department-wide meetings, including scheduling, logistics, materials preparation, and follow-up.
Support the Board Development Committee, including scheduling meetings, preparing materials, maintaining records, coordinating logistics, and tracking follow-up actions.

Fundraising Productivity Support

Support the Chief Development Officer's portfolio of major and principal donor relationships through scheduling, briefing preparation, donor tracking, stewardship coordination, and meeting follow-up.
Coordinate donor engagement activities, including meetings, cultivation events, stewardship opportunities, and special donor communications.
Assist with fundraising reporting, portfolio reviews, prospect tracking, and pipeline management activities.
Partner with Development Operations to maintain accurate donor records, CRM updates, action tracking, and fundraising reports.
Support acknowledgment, stewardship, and donor communication processes to ensure timely and consistent donor engagement.
Provide targeted administrative support that increases fundraiser productivity and allows frontline fundraisers to focus on donor-facing activities.

Department Operations

Support the Vice President, Development with scheduling, expense reporting, administrative coordination, and department-wide initiatives.
Manage departmental administrative processes, including invoice processing, budget tracking support, purchasing requests, and financial documentation.
Coordinate onboarding activities for Development staff, including scheduling, resources, and introductions.
Maintain departmental records, files, shared resources, and administrative systems.
Facilitate communication and coordination between Development and internal departments including Finance, Human Resources, Marketing & Communications, Information Technology, and Executive Office teams.
Support logistics for department meetings, retreats, trainings, and staff engagement activities.

Strategic Projects and Special Initiatives

Support select Development initiatives and cross-functional projects by coordinating meetings, maintaining timelines, tracking deliverables, and documenting next steps.
Assist with process improvement efforts designed to increase departmental efficiency and effectiveness.
Perform other related duties as assigned in alignment with departmental priorities and available capacity.

Qualifications

Required:

Minimum of 5 years of executive assistant, administrative, office management, or related experience supporting senior leaders.
Exceptional organizational, project management, and time-management skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
High degree of professionalism, confidentiality, discretion, and judgment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.

Preferred:

Experience supporting senior executives in a nonprofit or fundraising environment.
Familiarity with donor databases, fundraising CRM systems, or constituent management systems.
Experience supporting volunteer leadership, committees, or boards.

Key Competencies

Executive Support and Prioritization
Organization and Project Coordination
Relationship Management
Communication and Follow-Through
Initiative and Problem Solving
Confidentiality and Professional Judgment
Collaboration and Customer Service
Adaptability and Flexibility