Development Associate

Vail Valley Partnership; Eagle (CO); On-site; USD 62,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Professional development

Flexible scheduling & remote work

Job summary

Vail Valley Partnership is seeking a dedicated professional to enhance funding and resource capacity for youth-focused initiatives in Eagle County. This salaried role supports grants, partnerships, events, and strategic initiatives while coordinating with staff, board, funders and donors.

You will champion youth development, manage grant submissions and donor engagement, and help plan fundraising events. The position requires flexible evenings/weekends, strong project management, and region-wide

Qualifications

• Interest in and commitment to positive youth, family, and community development; bilingual English/Spanish preferred.
• Ability to commit to a flexible schedule, including weeknights and weekends when needed.
• Ability to thrive independently as part of a dynamic team focused on youth development.
• Strong project management, planning and organizational skills with attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent listening skills with ability to extract and synthesize key themes.
• Strong meeting facilitation skills and ability to bring groups to consensus.
• Commitment to a youth-led model and community partnership.

Responsibilities

• Manage grant calendar, research opportunities, and ensure submissions.
• Lead on some grant applications and support others; ensure compliance & reporting.
• Attend Mountain Youth programs monthly to stay informed for reports and applications.
• Develop and manage sustainability and donor engagement plans; support annual giving campaigns.
• Coordinate fundraising events and initiatives; manage sponsorships and donor outreach.
• Support storytelling and program outreach to engage supporters and partners.
• Travel within Eagle River Valley for meetings, programs, and conferences as needed.
• Maintain internal database with contact, client, and grant information; assist with communications.

Skills

Grant writing

Fundraising

Donor engagement

Project management

Communication

Bilingual English/Spanish

Event planning

Social media

Microsoft Office

Google platforms

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google platforms

Social media tools

Job description

Under the direction of the Director of Strategic Impact, this position supports the mission of the organization by building funding and resource capacity through grants, partnerships, special events and strategic initiatives. This position works closely with the operations team, board members, funders, and donors to ensure the efforts of the organization sustain into the future.

Be a champion for youth, ages 9-25, and advocate for policies, practices, and efforts that support their overall healthy development

Willingness and commitment to engage in prevention specialist training and professional development

Ensure youth, family and community members are recognized as valued partners in our work and in the community

Participate in regular one-on-one, team and committee meetings to align efforts and resources across the organization

Represent Mountain Youth through collaborative projects as needed

Maintain Mountain Youth internal database and tracking systems with contact, client, and grant information in a timely manner

Support with Mountain Youth projects, newsletter and communication strategies, and events as needed

Support in fundraising efforts and sustainability strategies to maintain the work of the overall organization

Maintain positive staff and board relations

Provide youth-influenced content for marketing and social media platforms

Perform general office duties and other duties as assigned

Position Responsibilities:

Focus Area 1: Grant Submissions – In partnership with the Director of Strategic Impact and Leadership Team, this role will manage a grant calendar and application submissions, support development of workplans and budgets.

Manage a grant calendar, research new opportunities, and ensure successful application submission, documenting efforts through the internal database.

Utilize a team approach to submit applications, taking lead on some applications and supporting others

Support grant compliance needs and reporting, taking lead where appropriate

Attend and support at least one Mountain Youth program or event per month to stay up to date on efforts and to be more informed when writing applications and reports

Focus Area 2: Sustainability & Donor Engagement – In partnership with the Executive Director and Operations Team, this role will manage a sustainability plan and committee, support donor engagement efforts, and facilitate annual giving campaign.

Facilitate Sustainability Committee and maintain fundraising and sustainability plans

Participate in local giving collaboratives and manage annual giving campaign through CO Gives Day page

Manage donor engagement and retention efforts, tracking donations, creating and sending thank you letters and emails, donation receipts, and enter into internal database.

Support donor engagement and management efforts, researching and developing new donor engagement efforts, including prospecting new donors.

Support organizational storytelling efforts, including program outreach to ensure supporters and partners are aware of programs, how to attend, get involved, and their impact.

Focus Area 3: Fundraising Events & Initiatives – In partnership with the Executive Director, Operations Team, and the Sustainability Committee, this role will oversee successful execution of fundraising events and initiatives, at least two annually.

Develop an annual fundraising event and initiatives plan, in partnership with the Sustainability Committee, identifying new fundraising initiatives to support the mission of the organization.

Manage fundraising event logistics, working with the Sustainability Committee to plan and executive events.

Coordinate sponsor solicitation: develop sponsorship packets, support and conduct outreach, engage new prospects, complete application requests, and manage sponsorship recognition and follow-up reports.

Secure event donations and coordinate solicitation of any opportunity drawing/silent auction related items.

Manage supporter engagement post event, coordinating post event thank you’s, attendee communication, and support follow-up meetings and ongoing engagement opportunities

Additional Qualifications:

Interest in and commitment to positive youth, family, and community development, as well as overall community health and safety. Bilingual English/ Spanish language speaking and bicultural preferred, with additional compensation available for bilingual candidates. Community building, youth development, nonprofit, grant writing, special events, and fundraising experience preferred, or equivalent combination of experience and training.

Ability to commit to a flexible schedule, including weeknight and weekend commitments, when needed

Ability to thrive independently as part of a dynamic team focused on youth development

Ability to build rapport with diverse groups of people

High level of professionalism

Strong project management, planning and organizational skills, with attention to detail

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Excellent listening skills, and ability to extract and synthesize key themes

Strong meeting facilitation skills, addressing diverse viewpoints and bringing groups to consensus

Innovative and creative; ability to be flexible and adaptable based on youth priorities and needs

Commitment to a youth-led model that ensures youth are leading efforts of programs and organization

Comfort in community settings with diverse partners and stakeholders

Strong computer skills including Microsoft office programs, Google platforms and social media

Willingness to travel throughout the Eagle River Valley for meetings, programs, and events, and travel throughout the region and state for meetings, trainings, and conferences.

Salary and Benefits:

This salaried position is full-time, averaging 40 hours per week. Occasional evening and weekend work commitments may be expected. This position is based in Eagle County.

The salary range is $62,000-$68,000 and will be commensurate with experience. A generous benefits package is available including paid time off (vacation, sick/personal and holidays), paid professional development, flexible and remote work scheduling opportunities, option for a group health insurance plan, annual wellness benefit, employee assistance program, and more.