Associate Development Officer

Reports to: Development Officer
Location: Remote (commuting proximity to NYC, LA, DC, or Bay Area preferred)
Classification: Full-time (40 hours per week), Exempt, Union eligible
Salary range: $66,000-72,000

About Bend the Arc:

Bend the Arc is a movement of over 125,000 progressive Jews across America who are working together to achieve our vision: to transform our country to be inclusive, equitable, and supportive of the dignity of every person across race, class, gender and faith. We are the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on social change in the U.S.

We're working alongside all who are most negatively impacted by antisemitism and white supremacy to expand civil rights, defend democracy, and protect each other. We’re mobilizing in cities and states across the country and advocating in Washington to win a new future — where everyone can thrive, no matter what we look like, how we pray, or where we come from.

Bend the Arc has recently adopted a new strategic plan to guide our work in the coming years. This plan is centered on our commitment to dismantling white supremacy and advancing Black liberation in our organization, in the Jewish community, and in the US at large. We are seeking candidates who are ready to engage with a long-term organizational race equity transformation process at a historically majority white and Ashkenazi organization, as we strive to embody our racial equity commitments.

The Bend the Arc family of organizations consists of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, our 501(c)(4) organizing and advocacy arm; Bend the Arc Jewish Action PAC, the first and only Jewish PAC to advocate exclusively for progressive policies in the U.S.; and Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, our 501(c)(3) education and leadership arm.

Headquartered in New York City, we have remote staff nationwide with clusters in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Washington DC, with a network of staffed chapters, volunteer-led local groups, and affiliates organizing nationwide.

About the Position:

The Associate Development Officer is an integral member of the Development team, a department that raises more than $6 million each year across Bend the Arc’s family of organizations. The team currently consists of two Co-Directors, two Development Officers (Institutional Funding and Major Gifts), a Grant Writer, and a Development Associate. Together, the team stewards individual and major donors and institutional funders across the country.

The Associate Development Officer will hold primary responsibility for our portfolio of mid-level donors (giving from $500-1,799 annually), including stewardship, solicitation, and prospecting. They will lead our direct mail work and complementary digital fundraising efforts, and play a leading role in planning events for current and prospective donors. Additionally, this position requires regular coordination and work with colleagues across all Bend the Arc departments, and a range of consultants.

While this position does not currently hold managerial responsibilities, there is a potential growth trajectory that includes supervision of a Development Associate.

Primary Responsibilities:

Donor Relations

  • Mid-Level Donor Portfolio
    • Manage portfolio of donors giving between $500-1,799 annually, including stewardship and solicitation
    • Work with Development team, other Bend the Arc staff, and consultants on strategic direction for this portfolio
  • Prospecting
    • Coordinate ongoing prospect pipeline development with Development team, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
    • Lead development of prospecting strategies and processes across donor classes
    • Attend related conferences and events in order to identify potential prospects

Donor Communications

  • Lead our direct mail work (3-4 mailings / year), including production calendar development, drafting appeal letters and additional resources, generating mailing lists, working with mailhouse, and managing deadlines
  • Work closely with the Communications team and consultants to coordinate digital fundraising strategy and related materials (including emails, landing and donation pages, and other digital resources)
  • Occasional writing/editing of brief proposals for major donors

Events

  • Development
    • Act as project manager for donor engagement and prospecting events, working closely with the rest of the Development team
    • Perform and manage necessary follow-up from events, including support of other front-line fundraisers in following up with their portfolios
  • PAC
    • Work with PAC Director and Development Officers to plan and implement PAC fundraisers, particularly in election cycles.

Administration and Department Operations

  • Manage vendor and consultant relationships held by the Development team, including processing of invoices and check requests (approved by Co-Director of Development)
  • Manage back-end payment processing in conjunction with Communications & Finance
  • Work with Development Associate to manage and refine department operations and processes, including gift entry and acknowledgement, and pledge tracking

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Minimum of 3-5 years of related experience in nonprofit development; experience with transferable skill sets (e.g. organizing, communications) may contribute to this total
  • Strong commitment to justice and equity, familiarity and alignment with Bend the Arc’s mission and vision, and desire to work at a values-based organization with a high emphasis on intentional workplace culture
  • Experience participating in organizational change or transformation work around racial equity and Black liberation in a multiracial community is a strong plus -- including commitment to doing this work in various ways at the interpersonal, team, organization, and structural levels.
  • Strong writing skills
  • Ability to communicate organizational mission, values, and current work clearly and effectively with donors both in writing and in interpersonal communication
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information
  • Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively
  • Ability to efficiently and accurately manage multiple deadlines and tasks
  • Openness to giving and receiving feedback; orientation toward iterative growth individually, at the team level, and organizationally
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and familiarity with Google platforms (including Gmail and Google Docs) and Slack.
  • Experience with databases such as Raiser’s Edge and NationBuilder a plus.

Essential Physical Tasks:

Bend the Arc is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application/interview process and to perform essential job functions. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application by emailing [email protected]. Must be able to sit in a stationary position for prolonged periods of time, and constantly operate a computer and other office machinery. Must identify and discern large amounts of correspondence, fundraising, proposals and reports. Must occasionally travel by air and ground transportation and move about to attend conferences, events and an annual staff retreat/conference in accordance with organizational guidelines on travel due to COVID.

Compensation and Benefits:

This is a full-time, exempt position, with occasional evening and weekend work based on need. This position is eligible for Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice's collective bargaining unit. The annual salary range is $66,000 - $72,000, commensurate with experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package:

  • Medical, dental and vision benefits fully paid for by Bend the Arc for individual coverage and employer contribution of 80% toward monthly premiums for dependent and family coverage;
  • Long and short term disability benefits fully paid for by Bend the Arc;
  • 401K with employer contribution of 2% after your first year;
  • Paid time off including:
    • 15 vacation days during your first three years with an increase to 20 vacation days in your fourth year12 sick days per year
    • 23 paid holidays each year
    • Caregiving / Personal Leave of Absence policy with a Paid Leave Benefit that covers 3 weeks of paid leave for each year of employment, up to 12 paid weeks after four years on staff
    • Fully paid sabbatical of up to 12 weeks for long-term employees;
  • Adoption Assistance Program providing reimbursement of up to $1,500 for qualified adoption expenses;
  • Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account;
  • Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account for eligible health related expenses;
  • Commuter Benefits;
  • Employee Assistance Program;
  • Life Insurance fully paid for by Bend the Arc;
  • And more!

In addition to this benefits package, Bend the Arc has a commitment to a thriving and intentional organizational culture, as well as a commitment with staff and board to be in ongoing practice and learning around racial equity and inclusion.

Bend the Arc is working 100% remotely due to COVID, and does not currently have a hard date for returning to in-person work. We offer a stipend to facilitate remote work, if needed. We regularly update our policies for in-person gathering to reflect CDC guidelines and best practice.

To Apply:

Frequently cited statistics show that women and structurally marginalized and/or underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Bend the Arc encourages you to apply and break that statistic, as no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. We look forward to your application.

Please submit your resume and a cover letter to [email protected] with “Associate Development Officer” in the subject line of your message. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, preference will be given to applications received before Friday, September 23.

Please submit your resume and a cover letter sharing 1) How your experience and skills are a good fit for this role 2) What role do you see grassroots donors playing in this current political moment? Only those applications submitted with a cover letter will be reviewed by our hiring team.

Due to the number of applications we typically receive, we sincerely regret that someone from our hiring team will not be able to respond to all applicants. Only those considered for the position will be contacted to interview. No phone calls please.

Bend the Arc values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture because we recognize that diversity within our staff helps us organize and work well with diverse Jewish and progressive constituencies. Candidates should be willing to work within the Jewish community, but may be of any (or no) faith or background.

We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction. Bend the Arc is an equal opportunity employer.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understand the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with the position.