Development Specialist

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine; Westbrook (ME); On-site; USD 46,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine in Westbrook, ME is seeking a Development Specialist to drive individual giving, donor stewardship, and partnership activities. The role emphasizes writing and relationship management, with responsibility for campaigns, grants, and events.

You will manage donor relationships, coordinate fundraising activities, and support grant development while collaborating with the Development team to meet revenue goals.

Qualifications

• Experience in fundraising, donor relations, grant writing, or related work.
• Strong writing and editing skills for fundraising communications and reports.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, organize records, and track outcomes.
• Familiarity with annual giving, corporate partnerships, and events.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and digital collaboration tools.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and execute the Annual Fund Campaign.
• Cultivate and steward donors and prospects with personalized outreach.
• Manage an assigned donor portfolio and coordinate solicitation strategies.
• Develop and renew corporate partnerships and community relationships.
• Support grant development and management activities.

Skills

Fundraising experience

Donor relations

Grant writing

Strong writing

Project management

CRM software

Education

Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, English, marketing, business administration, or related field

Tools

Salesforce

CRM software

Job description

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF SOUTHERN MAINE Development Specialist

DEPARTMENT: Development and Communications

SUPERVISOR: Director of Development and Communications

FLSA STATUS: Exempt, Full-time/40 hours per week; includes occasional nights/weekends for events

LOCATION: In-person; Westbrook, ME SALARY: $46,000 - $50,000, commensurate with experience

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Development and Communications, the Development Specialist supports key revenue initiatives that advance the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine. The position plays an active role in individual giving, donor stewardship, corporate and community partnerships, grant development, and fundraising events. Working closely with the Director of Development and Communications, this individual implements the annual Development Plan, manages assigned donor and partner relationships, coordinates fundraising campaigns and events, and supports grant development and management activities. The role requires strong writing, relationship management, organizational, and project management skills, with an emphasis on timely execution, accurate records, and measurable results.

Responsibilities and Expected Outcomes

Individual Giving and Donor Stewardship

Coordinate and execute the Annual Fund Campaign

• Implement the annual fund plan and campaign calendar in alignment with revenue goals and organizational priorities.
• Coordinate annual and targeted appeals, including direct mail, email, and online giving, with responsibility for timelines, donor segmentation, follow-up, and results tracking.
• Collaborate with the Communications/Marketing Coordinator and leadership on appeal messaging and design.
• Track and report on donor acquisition, retention, campaign revenue, and progress toward established goals.

Strengthen donor stewardship

• Cultivate and steward assigned donors and prospects through personalized outreach, acknowledgments, thank-you calls, impact updates, and recognition.
• Manage an assigned donor and prospect portfolio, coordinating cultivation and solicitation strategies with the Director of Development and Communications.
• Identify annual fund donors with potential for increased giving, including gifts of $1,000 or more, and refer major gift opportunities to the Director of Development and Communications.
• Prepare briefing materials for donor meetings and outreach.
• Track and report on portfolio activity, donor retention, giving trends, and stewardship outcomes.

Corporate and Community Partnerships

Cultivate and steward corporate partnerships

• Research and qualify prospective corporate partners and maintain a pipeline of opportunities.
• Cultivate and solicit an assigned portfolio of corporate partners, coordinating strategies with the Director of Development and Communications, who retains responsibility for major corporate relationships.
• Prepare partnership proposals and coordinate opportunities for events, programs, and workplace giving.
• Coordinate fulfillment of partnership commitments, benefits, and recognition.
• Provide impact updates and facilitate partner engagement opportunities, including volunteering and mentor recruitment.
• Manage renewal outreach and track partnership revenue, retention, and opportunities for growth.

Develop community fundraising partnerships

• Support community partners hosting third-party fundraising events, including planning, logistics, promotion, and follow-up.
• Identify and cultivate prospective community partners to expand fundraising opportunities.
• Track and report on community fundraising activities, revenue, and partnership outcomes.

Grant Development and Management

• Support grant initiatives, which may include, but are not limited to, researching funding opportunities, coordinating submissions, and tracking application deadlines and outcomes.

Event Management

• Plan and execute fundraising events from initial planning through post-event evaluation and follow-up.
• Recruit, coordinate, and support event committees and volunteers.
• Develop event budgets in collaboration with leadership and monitor revenue and expenses against established goals. Solicit in-kind donations, auction items, and other event contributions.
• Collaborate with the Communications/Marketing Coordinator on event promotion, communications, and collateral.
• Track and report event outcomes, including revenue, expenses, return on investment, and opportunities for improvement.

Development Operations and Collaboration

• Maintain accurate and timely donor, gift, campaign, and activity records in designated systems, including MatchForce, as appropriate.
• Track fundraising activities, deadlines, and pipeline progress; contribute to materials for Development Committee and leadership meetings.
• Collaborate with Development, Communications, and Program staff to ensure consistent messaging, coordinated outreach, and effective donor and partner engagement.
• Support development reporting, revenue forecasting, and ongoing evaluation of fundraising performance.

Additional Expectations

• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends to support organizational events and activities.
• Ability to travel locally for donor meetings, community engagement, and fundraising activities as needed.
• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of organizational priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, English, marketing, business administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
• Demonstrated experience in fundraising, donor relations, grant writing, nonprofit development, or related relationship-based work.
• Strong writing and editing skills, including the ability to develop clear, compelling, and accurate fundraising communications, proposals, and reports. Experience preparing grant proposals strongly preferred.
• Experience with annual giving, donor stewardship, corporate partnerships, fundraising events, or community partnerships preferred.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with a professional, collaborative, and service-oriented approach.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, spreadsheets, and digital collaboration tools; experience with Salesforce or a comparable CRM strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with Southern Maine's nonprofit, philanthropic, and business communities preferred.
• Commitment to BBBSSM's mission, confidentiality, constituent service, and collaborative work.

Licenses and Certifications

• Valid Maine Driver's License is required Background check required

About BBBSSM

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine (BBBSSM) is part of a national organization that is recognized as the premier one-to-one youth mentoring program in the country. We carefully match caring mentors with youth and teens ages 7-17, develop individual goals for each youth, maintain regular oversight, and provide support to ensure the safety and success of each match in our program. The program is rewarding for all involved, including our professional staff. BBBSSM is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. In recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that qualified candidates can bring in terms of their education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran's status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs. At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine, we recognize, affirm, and celebrate the backgrounds, lives, and experiences of all our stakeholders, including youth, families, donors, volunteers and staff. We ensure the opportunity for all voices and perspectives to be heard and honored. In the workplace, we foster an environment where all people can be their best selves. We believe that every person deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential.