Development Associate

The Salem Pantry - Salem, MA; Salem (MA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Salem Pantry is seeking a Development Associate to manage their CRM platform and support fundraising operations. This role focuses on data management, donor research, and reporting to enhance fundraising efforts. Candidates should possess strong analytical skills and attention to detail.

With a minimum of 1–3 years in CRM administration within non-profit environments, proficiency in Microsoft Excel is crucial. This is an opportunity to contribute significantly to our mission of providing equitable access to healthy food.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience in CRM administration within a nonprofit environment.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data queries and pivot tables.
• Excellent attention to detail and proven track record of accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Manage fundraising CRM platform ensuring data integrity.
• Produce regular and ad hoc reports on fundraising performance.
• Conduct donor research to support major gift identification.

Skills

Data management

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Interpersonal communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Tools

Network for Good/Bonterra

Microsoft Excel

Google Workspace

Job description

The Development Associate is a critical member of The Salem Pantry’s three-person Development Department. This position manages and optimizes our fundraising CRM platform (Network for Good/Bonterra), ensuring data integrity, producing reports and analytics, supporting donor stewardship workflows, and enabling the team to make data-driven decisions across all revenue streams. The Development Associate also conducts donor research, supports grants prospect research, and manages the operational infrastructure that underpins successful fundraising, from gift acknowledgment through pledge management and donor segmentation.

This role is ideal for a detail-oriented professional who thrives at the intersection of data management, research, fundraising operations, and donor relations, and who wants to play a foundational role in a growing organization during a pivotal campaign period.

RESPONSIBILITIES

CRM Administration & Data Integrity

• Serve as the in-house expert and primary administrator for Network for Good/Bonterra, Double the Donation, and Iwave/Kindsight, managing daily functionality, troubleshooting issues, and liaising with vendor support.
• Develop and enforce data entry standards, business rules, and coding structures to maintain database integrity for donor analysis and action.
• Manage data hygiene processes including deduplication, address updates, deceased suppression, and National Change of Address (NCOA) updates.
• Ensure accurate transfer and reconciliation of records across platforms (Network for Good, QuickBooks, email marketing tools, event platforms, etc.).
• Maintain CRM documentation including a user manual, data dictionary, and standard operating procedures.
• Manage CRM user permissions and data security to ensure compliance with organizational policies and applicable regulations.

Reporting & Analytics

• Help produce grant reports.
• Produce regular and ad hoc reports on fundraising performance, campaign results, donor retention, and giving trends.
• Build and maintain dashboards and key performance indicators (KPI) tracking to support the Director of Development, Executive Director, and Board of Directors.
• Generate donor segmentation and mailing lists for appeals, campaigns, events, and stewardship communications.
• Support monthly financial reconciliation between CRM records and the Finance department.
• Analyze giving data to identify trends, lapsed donors, upgrade opportunities, and pipeline insights for major and mid-level gift cultivation.

Stewardship & Revenue Operations

• Manage the gift acknowledgment process, producing timely and accurate thank-you letters, tax receipts, and pledge confirmations.
• Oversee pledge tracking, including generating pledge commitment letters and pledge due notices.
• Process and track gifts from all sources, ensuring accurate coding, source attribution, and campaign designations.

Donor & Prospect Research

• Conduct donor research to support major gift identification and cultivation, including wealth screening and capacity analysis.
• Support grants prospect research as needed, identifying potential foundation, government, and corporate funding opportunities.
• Maintain and update prospect profiles and research notes within the CRM.

Training & Cross-Functional Support

• Train Development Department staff and other stakeholders on CRM procedures, data entry protocols, and reporting tools.
• Collaborate with the Director of Development on the annual fundraising operations calendar, including appeal timelines, event data workflows, and reporting deadlines.
• Support event data management, including attendee tracking, sponsorship records, and post-event reconciliation.
• Partner with colleagues across departments (Finance, Marketing, Programs) to ensure data flows support organizational needs.

Organizational Engagement

• Attend regular all team meetings and actively contribute to program planning and review discussions.
• Collaborate with staff across departments to support organizational goals and initiatives.
• Assist with additional tasks or organizational needs when requested.

Work Environment

This position is based at The Salem Pantry’s offices at 220 Highland Avenue, Salem, MA. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required during campaign periods, events, or appeal seasons.

QUALIFICATIONS

We are seeking an individual who is passionate about The Salem Pantry's mission and committed to advancing equitable access to healthy food through all aspects of their work. The ideal candidate brings a strong attention to detail, a collaborative spirit, and a commitment to using data and systems to strengthen fundraising and community impact.

Knowledge and Previous Experience

Required

• 1–3 years of experience in CRM administration within a fundraising, nonprofit, or direct marketing environment.
• Demonstrated experience with data management including imports/exports, query building, segmentation, and report creation.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data queries, pivot tables, and VLOOKUP/similar functions.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, including Word and Outlook.
• Understanding of nonprofit fundraising principles, donor lifecycle, and stewardship practices.
• Excellent attention to detail and a proven track record of accuracy in data entry and financial processing.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work cross-departmentally.

Preferred

• Experience with Network for Good/Bonterra or a comparable fundraising CRM platform (e.g., Bloomerang, Raiser’s Edge, DonorPerfect, Little Green Light).
• Experience with donor research tools (e.g., DonorSearch, iWave, GuideStar/Candid).
• Experience supporting internal and external audits, including document management, compliance tracking, and audit preparation.
• Familiarity with email marketing platforms and integration with CRM systems.
• Experience with Google Workspace, Asana (or related project management software), and Slack.
• Experience supporting a capital or comprehensive campaign.
• Project management certification or experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to set priorities, track projects, and meet deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and energy for engaging with people of all backgrounds.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Commitment to the organizational culture of trust, learning, and humanity.

The Salem Pantry is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, or gender expression, familial status, disability, ancestry, age, marital status, public assistance status, sexual orientation, veteran status or military service, or genetic information.

Our organization strongly encourages individuals with historically marginalized identities and lived experiences to apply, including those who are excited about the role but may not meet every qualification. We recognize that valuable skills and experiences come from many paths, and welcome candidates whose backgrounds may differ from those outlined in this job description.