Development Associate

Columbia University; New York (NY); On-site; USD 69,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia University in the City of New York is seeking a Development Associate to provide fundraising and administrative support within the Ophthalmology department. Reporting to the Executive Director of Development, you will manage donor relations, prepare stewardship materials, and coordinate bi-annual appeals to help meet a $10M+ annual goal.

The role emphasizes strong organization, communication, and confidentiality, with duties spanning gift processing, donor communications, and event

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in education and experience.
• 3 years of related fundraising experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication; ability to handle confidential information.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Write, edit, and coordinate donor stewardship materials and reports.
• Coordinate bi-annual fundraising appeals and manage data/logistics.
• Process gifts and serve as primary contact with Gift Systems.
• Maintain donor records and ensure data integrity in the database.
• Interact with internal/external constituencies on development efforts.
• Support departmental events and donor engagement activities.
• Lead staff on fundraising policies and improve processes.
• Troubleshoot issues and assist with special projects as assigned.

Skills

Donor relations

Communication

Excel

SharePoint

MS Office

Fundraising

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Gift Systems

Advance fundraising database

SharePoint

Job description

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $69,000 - $72,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Office of Development (VP&S OOD), a part of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), is dedicated to facilitating relationships that support the vision and mission of CUIMC and VP&S: to transform health by driving discovery, advancing care, and educating leaders.

The Development Associate provides essential fundraising and administrative support to the Department of Ophthalmology. Reporting to the Executive Director of Development, this position coordinates key fundraising and donor relations initiatives to meet $10M+ annual clinical department goal. The position is responsible for managing the bi-annual fund appeals, gift processing, donor acknowledgements, and stewardship reporting. The Development Associate provides support on major gift strategies and proposal development, while building trusted relationships with faculty and staff to drive fundraising initiatives. The Development Associate maintains donor files, supports donor communications, assists with special events/board meetings, performs basic prospect research, and assists with the production of the department’s semi-annual newsletter.

The role requires strong organizational, communication (verbal and written), and relationship-management skills, as well as the ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external constituents and manage multiple priorities. The Development Associate will also contribute to special projects and other development initiatives as assigned.

Responsibilities

• Write, edit, and coordinate donor stewardship materials, including custom thank-you letters from the division heads, and major donor stewardship reports – 20%
• Coordinates all aspects of the bi-annual appeals, including drafting appeal letters, managing data, and mailing logistics. – 20%
• Process gifts and serve as the team’s primary point of contact with Gift Systems. – 20%
• Maintain donor records and lists, ensuring data integrity and accuracy within the database. – 10%
• Interact with internal and external constituencies related to development efforts. – 10%
• Support and coordinate departmental events, including Board meetings and donor engagement activities. – 10%
• Lead, teach, and support staff on VP&S, CUIMC, and Columbia University Development fundraising policies and procedures, while helping to standardize and improve departmental business practices. – 5%
• Troubleshoot issues and perform other related duties and special projects as assigned. – 5%

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in education and experience required, plus three years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least three years of progressively related experience, preferably in fundraising.

Other Requirements

• Must demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills and have the ability to exercise tact, confidentiality, and diplomacy in all interactions.
• Be able to lead and teach peers; identify and improve common day-to-day tasks with peers.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and maintain a high level of confidentiality.
• Must be able to accurately manage diverse projects and a large volume of detailed work simultaneously and use good judgement prioritizing work.
• Demonstrate the ability to work with management information systems and software systems.
• Superior Excel, MS Office skills, and advanced SharePoint user experience and Advance (or similar fundraising database) experience required.
• This position requires work beyond regular hours, including evenings and weekends, as projects and events require.
• Cover letter required.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.