Development Associate

Louisville Ballet; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care benefits

401(k) plan

Flexible remote-hybrid work

Generous paid vacation

Job summary

Opera Lafayette is seeking a Development Associate to support all aspects of the contributed-income program, including donor records, gift processing, acknowledgements, reporting, and development communications. The Associate will work closely with the Executive Director to nurture donor relationships.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor’s degree and at least two years in development, strong organizational skills, and proficiency with Microsoft Office; experience with PatronManager or CRMs is a

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and at least two years of development or related work experience.
• A passion for arts fundraising and the ability to build relationships with patrons, donors, and colleagues.
• Flexibility and the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, discretion, and sound judgement.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Working knowledge of donor databases or customer relationship management systems (CRMs) preferred.
• Experience with PatronManager, Kindsight/iWave, or FoundationSearch is a plus.
• Commitment to working as part of a small team and to embracing new ideas.
• Availability for occasional evening and weekend work associated with performances, donor events, and annual benefits.
• Love for and knowledge of opera are highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Maintain PatronManager records for contact, pledges and payments, interactions, communications, events, relationship managers, and next steps.
• Process and acknowledgement gifts, maintain complete donor records, gift designations, tax documentation, and supporting materials.
• Track donor giving, engagement, benefits, renewals, and opportunities for upgrades, new donor cultivation, and ticket-donation conversion.
• In partnership with Finance, prepare bank deposits and documentation, and coordinate monthly gift reconciliation.
• Support Annual Fund donor-communications, and crowdfunding campaigns across print and digital channels, include segmentation, lists, schedules, content support, deadline and response tracking, and reporting.
• Maintain the grants calendar and coordinate deadlines, materials, submissions, reporting obligations, and funder records.
• Support annual benefits and other cultivation, stewardship, and donor recognition events, including invitations, guest lists, RSVPs, recognition, and follow-up.
• Research prospects; prepare donor reports and prospect briefings; track relationship information and next steps; and support cultivation and stewardship activity.

Skills

Donor relations

Communication

Time management

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

PatronManager

CRMs

Excel

FoundationSearch

KindSight/iWave

Job description

Position Title: Development Associate

Job Type: Full-Time

Status: Non-Exempt, At-Will

Reports to: Executive Director

Liaises with: Development Committee

Salary: $55,000–$62,000, commensurate with experience

Location: Partial-hybrid, DC metropolitan area, with expected travel throughout the DMV and greater New York area. Travel to our Capitol Hill office is required once a week.

The Organization

Opera Lafayette (OL) is the preeminent American interpreter and producer of period-instrument opera from the 17th through the 19th centuries. The organization performs its annual season in Washington, DC and in New York, NY offering a unique work environment with a small and highly collaborative staff. Opera Lafayette maintains office space in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, DC and offers flexible remote work opportunities.

Overview

The Development Associate supports all aspects of OL’s contributed-income program. The Associate is responsible for maintaining accurate, useful donor and prospect information; coordinating gift processing, acknowledgements, benefits fulfillment, reporting, and development communications; supporting Annual Fund and event fundraising; assisting with donor cultivation and prospect research; and ensuring timely follow-through on development priorities. Working closely with the Executive Director (ED), the Development Associate helps build and sustain a strong, donor-centered fundraising program. This position requires attention to detail, sound judgment, discretion, strong written communication skills, the ability to manage multiple projects in a collaborative environment, and a genuine affinity for building relationships.

Responsibilities

• Maintain PatronManager records for contact, pledges and payments, interactions, communications, events, relationship managers, and next steps.
• Process and acknowledgement gifts, maintain complete donor records, gift designations, tax documentation, and supporting materials.
• Track donor giving, engagement, benefits, renewals, and opportunities for upgrades, new donor cultivation, and ticket-donation conversion.
• In partnership with Finance, prepare bank deposits and documentation, and coordinate monthly gift reconciliation.
• Support Annual Fund donor-communications, and crowdfunding campaigns across print and digital channels, include segmentation, lists, schedules, content support, deadline and response tracking, and reporting.
• Maintain the grants calendar and coordinate deadlines, materials, submissions, reporting obligations, and funder records.
• Support annual benefits and other cultivation, stewardship, and donor recognition events, including invitations, guest lists, RSVPs, recognition, and follow-up.
• Research prospects; prepare donor reports and prospect briefings; track relationship information and next steps; and support cultivation and stewardship activity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and at least two years of development or related work experience.
• A passion for arts fundraising and the ability to build relationships with patrons, donors, and colleagues.
• Flexibility and the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, discretion, and sound judgement.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Working knowledge of donor databases or customer relationship management systems (CRMs) preferred.
• Experience with PatronManager, Kindsight/iWave, or FoundationSearch is a plus.
• Commitment to working as part of a small team and to embracing new ideas.
• Availability for occasional evening and weekend work associated with performances, donor events, and annual benefits.
• Love for and knowledge of opera are highly desirable.

Benefits

• Generous paid vacation and paid sick/person time package;
• health care benefits;
• 401(k) plan;
• flexible scheduling and/or remote-hybrid work, as appropriate.