Development, Marketing & Communications Assistant

Chesapeake Bay Trust; Annapolis (MD); Hybrid; USD 51,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401K Retirement Savings

Vacation & Personal Days

Paid Holidays

Professional Development

Job summary

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is seeking a Development, Marketing & Communications Assistant to support fundraising, marketing, communications, board engagement, and administrative operations. This full-time, salaried role offers hybrid work arrangements and exposure to donors, partners, and elected officials.

You will contribute to donor relations, marketing campaigns, and event coordination while supporting executive leadership in a fast-paced nonprofit environment.

Qualifications

• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Strong project management, handling multiple priorities.
• Extreme attention to detail and accuracy in data entry.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Excel.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

Responsibilities

• Maintain donor records, data cleanup, and reporting in Raiser's Edge.
• Prepare donor acknowledgements, mailings, and solicitation materials.
• Support donor engagement meetings with scheduling, materials, and follow-up.
• Draft newsletters, emails, blogs, social content, and website copy.
• Coordinate event logistics and support Bay Trust fundraising events.
• Assist with board meeting logistics and executive support.

Job description

Development, Marketing & Communications Assistant

Full‑Time, Hybrid

The Chesapeake Bay and our region’s other natural resources are one of the nation’s greatest assets, and at the Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Bay Trust), we believe getting the community involved is key to restoring and protecting our watersheds. Our tagline, “Empowering people, Restoring nature” perfectly describes who we are: We deliver resources to communities on the ground who lead and sustain their own projects that improve their communities as well as natural resources.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust seeks an organized, detail‑oriented, and enthusiastic Development, Marketing & Communications Assistant to support fundraising, marketing, communications, board engagement, and administrative operations. This position plays a central role in helping the Chesapeake Bay Trust strengthen relationships with donors, partners, board members, and the public while ensuring the day‑to‑day operations of the Development, Marketing & Communications team run efficiently. The successful candidate will combine exceptional organizational skills with strong writing abilities and project management to support fundraising initiatives, marketing campaigns, special events, board meetings, and executive administration. This is an ideal opportunity for someone interested in nonprofit fundraising, communications, or organizational management within the environmental sector, and will provide exposure to a variety of constituencies, including elected officials, donors, and members of the general public.

This person will be a key member of a high‑energy, collaborative team of 40+ who work diligently to advance the Bay Trust’s mission and daily consider the Bay Trust’s core values of grantee focus, accountability and transparency, inclusiveness, collaboration, and innovation. The Development, Marketing and Communications Assistant reports to the Vice President of Communications and Advancement and works closely with the President, Development staff, and Board of Trustees. This is a full‑time, salaried position (40 hours per week).

Primary Responsibilities

Development & Donor Relations (30%)

• Maintain, audit, and improve the quality of donor records in Raiser's Edge, including gift entry, data cleanup, duplicate management, and reporting.
• Prepare gift acknowledgements, donor correspondence, solicitation materials, and stewardship mailings.
• Conduct prospect research and prepare donor profiles for cultivation opportunities.
• Support donor engagement meetings with staff (Director of Development, Vice Presidents, President, and other staff), including owning scheduling, briefing materials, research, and follow‑up.
• Support annual giving campaigns and other fundraising initiatives.

Marketing & Communications (30%)

• Draft and edit newsletters, email campaigns, blog posts, social media content, website content and other print and digital communications.
• Design basic graphics and promotional materials using Canva and other design tools.
• Support as needed tactics for other key revenue streams including the Chesapeake & Coastal Bays License Plate (the “Bay Plate”) and Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund on the Maryland tax form.

Events & Community Engagement (20%)

• Coordinate logistics for events at the Chesapeake Bay Trust Green Headquarters including guest registration, invitations, catering, and event materials.
• Support the annual Treasure the Chesapeake Celebration fundraiser in May, including its silent auction. Assist with sponsor solicitation and communications, web page updates, signage and other print materials, and other event logistics.
• Represent the Chesapeake Bay Trust at community events, networking receptions, and other opportunities.

Legislative Activities (10%)

• Support the engagement of Maryland General Assembly members through quarterly correspondence about relevant grants and press, highlighting program impact in their Districts.
• Lead scheduling of individual and delegation legislative meetings with Trust staff, including DMC team members, program team members, and the President.
• Assist with the execution of the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s annual Legislative Reception in January.

Board & Executive Support (10%)

• Support Development, Marketing, and Communications Board Committee and full Board meetings, including taking the lead on logistics, meeting materials, and meeting minutes, working with the Vice President of Communications and Advancement as well as the President.

Qualifications

Required

• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Demonstrated project management experience, including successfully managing multiple projects with competing priorities.
• Extreme attention to detail and accuracy in data entry and management.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Excel.
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation.

Preferred

• One or more years of experience in nonprofit development, communications, marketing, administration, or executive support.
• Associate or bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, nonprofit management, business, or a related field, or commensurate number of years of experience in administrative assistant or executive assistant roles.
• Experience with donor gift entry and database management (Raiser’s Edge preferred).
• Experience with Mailchimp, WordPress, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Analytics, and other digital communications platforms.
• Experience in the fulfillment of mailings, i.e., acknowledgement letters.
• Experience supporting board meetings or executive leadership.
• Experience coordinating events or donor engagement activities.

Ideal Personal Profile

The ideal candidate for this position is a person:

• who has high integrity, energy, and enthusiasm and who is self‑directed, motivated, and resourceful.
• who has a strong ability to build relationships and demonstrate tact, diplomacy, and initiative when working with others.
• who displays discretion and sound judgment when dealing with confidential and sensitive material and who maintains standards of professional competence and adherence to a professional code of conduct.
• who has strong writing, organizational, and time management skills.
• who enjoys balancing administrative work with creative communications projects.
• who has excellent attention to detail. The right candidate must be exceptionally thorough and detail‑orientated with the ability to analyze data, research information, problem‑solve and coordinate projects.
• who is committed to the Bay Trust’s growth, sustainability, and organizational goals (please refer to the Bay Trust’s strategic plan at cbtrust.org).

About the Bay Trust

The Chesapeake Bay Trust seeks to engage and empower a diversity of groups to take actions that enrich the natural resources and local communities of the Chesapeake Bay region. The Bay Trust is a nonprofit grant‑making organization established by the Maryland state government in 1985. The Bay Trust currently makes 400+ grants and other awards per year ranging from $100 to ~$400,000 for projects in the K‑12 environmental education, on‑the‑ground restoration, science, capacity building, and community engagement realms. In the past 15 years, the Bay Trust has increased its grant‑making four‑fold through various revenues streams under the purview of four Trust departments, with annual awards of approximately $20‑30 million.

Salary and Benefits

$51,000‑$54,000

Benefits include:

• Health Insurance with choice of medical plan and prescription, dental, vision, and life and disability insurance options, along with flexible spending accounts
• 401K retirement savings program with match
• Starting at 10 accrued vacation days, 7 accrued sick days, and 4 personal days annually
• Compensatory time available for overtime hours worked
• Eleven paid holidays per year
• Individual Professional Development fund

A successful candidate with less experience in some of the responsibilities listed above will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of this range. A successful candidate with more experience in the responsibilities listed above will be considered at a higher starting salary.

Position Location and Travel

This full‑time salary position (40 hours per week) requires at least two days per week at the Bay Trust offices in Annapolis, Maryland, when not on travel or off‑site at meetings; the rest can be remote. Additional travel (mostly but not exclusively within Maryland) may be required. Some evening and occasional weekend hours will be required for events.

Application Instructions and Deadline

The position will remain open until filled. Please submit your resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, please address your ability, based on your skills and experience, to accomplish the specific duties of the position as outlined above. Your cover letter is the most important piece of your application. In your cover letter, please address your ability to accomplish the duties of the position as listed above. Please do not simply list your previous experience. Your cover letter should describe what makes you a strong match specifically for this position, and why this position is a match for you.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Our values guide us to create a workplace where everyone is respected and valued. The Trust strives to recruit, retain, and promote employees that reflect the communities we engage in our work. Applicants must have a residential address in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or Washington D.C. and must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis. The Trust does not participate in programs that require sponsorship for work visas.

Our accessibility statement is available on our website at Accessibility Statement - Chesapeake Bay Trust