Development Assistant

The Wolf School; East Providence (RI); On-site; USD 38,000 - 52,000; Part time

Job summary

The Wolf School in East Providence, RI seeks a Development Assistant to support the Director of Development and the Advancement Team. This role manages donor records, handles mailings, processes gifts, and helps with the annual fund and capital campaign.

The ideal candidate is organized, possesses strong writing and communication skills, and has Raiser's Edge experience. Availability for occasional events and weekend commitments is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 2–4 years of professional experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, or related field.
• Prior experience with donor databases required, Raiser's Edge preferred.
• Event planning experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Accurately record and process contributions received through mail, online platforms, ACH, wire transfer, and other channels.
• Enter and track pledges received through various giving campaigns.
• Accurately maintain donor records in Raiser's Edge NXT, including contact information, employment, and relationships.
• Create necessary queries in Raiser's Edge NXT in addition to pulling mailing lists and reports to support appeals, communications, and reporting.
• Draft, produce, and manage timely gift acknowledgments.
• Serve as an active member of the Advancement Team, Development Committee, Discover the Difference Committee, and Wolf School Parent Organization.
• Available for occasional events or weekend events as needed.
• Take the lead on planning Discover the Difference, including as the point person for venue selection, managing event volunteers, cultivation of event sponsors and auction items, and more.
• Help develop and implement strategies and events for alumni to keep them connected and engaged.
• Help develop and implement strategies and events for alumni families to keep them connected to Wolf and cultivate reengagement.

Skills

Donor database management

Event planning

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Raiser's Edge

Job description

Official job description

Job Title

Development Assistant

Employer and Location

The Wolf School

East Providence, RI

Position

Part-Time (minimum of 24 hours)/Full Time

Reports To

Director of Development

About the School

The Wolf School inspires Complex Learners to discover confidence, compassion, and a love of learning to reach their full potential. The Wolf School, a small independent day school in East Providence, Rhode Island, was founded in 1999 to provide a unique educational environment for children with complex learning challenges. The goal was to create a school that would provide children with the opportunity to reach their full academic and social potential. The founding members of the Board, including educators, clinical specialists, and a family, created the Immersion Model© that emphasizes the development of core grade-level skills taught through a therapeutically guided curriculum. As a result, our students make significant gains academically and socially. Today, the Wolf School educates 75 students from Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

General Summary of Job

Working directly with the Director of Development and as a member of The Wolf School’s Advancement Team, the Development Assistant plays a key role in supporting the fundraising program at The Wolf School, including both the Wolf School Fund (annual fund) and our capital campaign. Working directly with the Director of Development, the Development Assistant is responsible for assisting with all development related tasks including maintaining and updating our donor database, handling all appeal mailings, including mailing lists, processing and acknowledging gifts in a timely manner, pulling accurate donor lists and report for the Annual Report, developing, maintaining, and strengthening our alumni network, and working directly with the Director of Development and the Director of Finance to reconcile revenue and maintain the office budget. The Development Assistant will be the key point person for a variety of events, including all Wolf School Parent Organization (WSPO) meetings and community events (e.g., All School Dance, Fall Festival), alumni reunions, donor appreciation events, school sponsored events (e.g., Founders’ Day, Grandparents Day), and our signature fundraising event, Discover the Difference. The Development Assistant will be responsible for logistics, planning, coordinating and supervising volunteers, event set up, check-in and check out, and additional tasks as needed. The Development Assistant will work closely with the Director of Development and the Director of Marketing and Communications to ensure timely awareness of special event opportunities. The Development Assistant will be motivated, passionate, highly organized, detail-oriented, and possess superior communication skills (both written and oral). Ideally, we are eager to find a candidate willing to build strong systems within this role and support a growing organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• 2-4 years of professional experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, or related field
• Prior experience with donor databases required, Raiser’s Edge preferred
• Event planning experience preferred

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Accurately record and process contributions received through mail, online platforms, ACH, wire transfer, and other channels.
• Enter and track pledges received through various giving campaigns.
• Accurately maintain donor records in Raiser’s Edge NXT, including contact information, employment, and relationships.
• Create necessary queries in Raiser's Edge NXT in addition to pulling mailing lists and reports to support appeals, communications, and reporting.
• Draft, produce, and manage timely gift acknowledgments.
• Serve as an active member of the Advancement Team, Development Committee, Discover the Difference Committee, and Wolf School Parent Organization.
• Available for occasional events or weekend events as needed.
• Take the lead on planning Discover the Difference, including as the point person for venue selection, managing event volunteers, cultivation of event sponsors and auction items, and more.
• Help develop and implement strategies and events for alumni to keep them connected and engaged.
• Help develop and implement strategies and events for alumni families to keep them connected to Wolf and cultivate reengagement (e.g., donations, event attendance, volunteer work).
• Serve as the point person for donor inquiries via phone and email, ensuring timely and professional responses.

Desired qualifications

• Knowledge of basic administrative practices and office operations.
• Strong writing skills.
• Comfort with financial tracking and basic budgeting.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills; able to build and maintain relationships with colleagues and school constituents.
• Energetic, proactive, and incredibly detail-oriented.