Development Coordinator: Donor Relations & Fundraising

Penn State; State College, Northern (Centre County, KY); Hybrid; USD 41,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn State’s The Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications seeks a Development Assistant to support fundraising operations in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DDAR).

This role provides comprehensive administrative and project support to development staff, coordinates donor outreach, and helps manage proposals, reports, and stewardship communications. The successful candidate will have 2+ years of relevant experience, excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to handle

Qualifications

• GED or HS diploma required; general equivalency accepted in lieu of experience
• 2+ years of relevant administrative, fundraising, nonprofit, or related experience
• Exemplary interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to handle highly confidential information with discretion
• Experience supporting director-level staff in a deadline-driven environment
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and related tools

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and project support to the development team and frontline fundraiser
• Articulate Penn State's needs and values in communications
• Manage proposal submissions, donor records, and fundraising data
• Coordinate donor outreach, meetings, travel, and materials for development activities
• Prepare meeting agendas, proposals, annual giving appeals, briefing documents, and stewardship communications
• Conduct prospect and donor research; maintain donor databases and coding
• Generate reports on donor engagement, giving activity, and fundraising progress
• Support prospect management and portfolio tracking
• Liaise between Bellisario College and other DDAR units
• Plan and coordinate events, vendor management, and travel logistics
• Monitor expenses, budget tracking, and reporting
• Perform other development-related duties as assigned

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Discretion with confidential info

Team collaboration

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Outlook

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Teams

SharePoint

Salesforce

Job description

Penn State’s The Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications seeks a Development Assistant to support fundraising operations in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DDAR).

This role provides comprehensive administrative and project support to development staff, coordinates donor outreach, and helps manage proposals, reports, and stewardship communications. The successful candidate will have 2+ years of relevant experience, excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to handle