Development Associate

Mercatus Center; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental coverage

Unlimited PTO

Disability & life insurance

403(b) plan

Parking benefits

GMU credits

Job summary

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is seeking a Development Associate to join our Development Operations team. This role records donors’ gifts in Salesforce, ensures timely acknowledgements, and supports fundraising with meticulous attention to detail.

The ideal candidate will bring customer service experience and a proactive, team‑oriented mindset. Responsibilities include daily donation data entry, donor communications, and coordination with Development, Finance, and GMU Foundation

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience.
• Strong attention to detail in data entry and donor acknowledgement.
• Familiarity with Salesforce or a similar CRM.
• Experience in fundraising, prospect research, customer relations, or data entry.
• Ability to manage multiple daily tasks and meet tight deadlines.
• Self-starter with the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Clear understanding of donor confidentiality and the importance of professional customer service.

Responsibilities

• Records and tracks all incoming donations in Salesforce.
• Reports daily to the Development Team on donations recorded.
• Conducts monthly prospect research and reports findings to Donor Relations Team.
• Maintains accurate gift documentation with Development, Finance, and GMU Foundation teams.
• Investigates and troubleshoots payment issues with the bank and internal stakeholders.
• Maintains donor acknowledgement supplies and restocking as needed.
• Responds to donor inquiries in a timely manner.
• Oversees the formatting and distribution of thank-you letters and receipts to donors.
• Assists with handwritten thank-you notes as needed.

Skills

Data entry

Attention to detail

Customer service

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: ARLINGTON, VA 22201, Position Type: Full Time, Location: Arlington, VA (Onsite) Salary: $50,000 – $65,000 annually

About the Role:

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is seeking a Development Associate to join our Development Operations team. This position plays a critical and essential role within the fundraising team and the broader organization. The Development Associate is responsible for accurately recording donors’ gifts and ensuring they are acknowledged in a timely manner. The ideal candidate will have strong attention to detail, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a desire to grow within the field of fundraising. Previous customer service experience is a plus.

Specific Duties:

• Records and tracks all incoming donations for the Mercatus Center in the Salesforce database.
• Reports daily to the Development Team all donations recorded for that day.
• Conducts monthly prospect research and report findings on major donor prospects to the Donor Relations Team.
• Maintains accurate gift documentation in coordination with the Development, Finance, and George Mason University Foundation teams.
• Investigates and troubleshoots payment issues in coordination with the bank and internal stakeholders.
• Maintains donor acknowledgement supplies in ordering and restocking as needed.
• Responds to donor inquiries and requests in a timely manner.
• Reviews and manages physical Development-related mail.
• Oversees the formatting and distribution of thank-you letters and receipts to donors.
• Assists with handwritten thank-you notes as needed and performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience.
• Strong attention to detail in data entry and donor acknowledgement.
• Familiarity with Salesforce or a similar Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
• Experience in fundraising, prospect research, customer relations, or data entry.
• Ability to manage multiple daily tasks and meet tight deadlines.
• Self-starter with the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Clear understanding of donor confidentiality and the importance of fprofessional customer service.

About the Mercatus Center

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is where top classical liberal scholars solve real-world challenges. Grounded in the tradition of market-oriented thinking and classical liberal ideas, we equip high-agency talent to apply bold ideas that shape institutions, inform policy, and help people flourish.

Employee Benefits Review

Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience.

• including full health and dental coverage, unlimited paid time off, long-term disability and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement savings program, parking/travel benefits, and twelve free credits per year at George Mason University.

EEO Statement

The Mercatus Center is an equal employment opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

E-Verify

The Mercatus Center participates in E-Verify. Upon hire, Mercatus will provide the U.S. Social Security Administration and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.