Harlem School of the Arts
New York, NY
US

DESCRIPTION

Position Summary:

The Development Associate plays a vital role in supporting the Harlem School of the Arts’ fundraising strategy across individual, institutional, and event-based revenue streams. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer (CDO), this position manages a portfolio of low- and mid-level donors, oversees comprehensive data and CRM functions, and coordinates donor communications and stewardship initiatives. The Development Associate serves as a key administrative and operational anchor for the Development team, ensuring all systems, processes, and donor touchpoints are executed with accuracy, timeliness, and professionalism. This role is ideal for a proactive, detail-oriented individual who thrives in a mission-driven environment and is eager to contribute to HSA’s organizational growth.

Responsibilities:

• Individual Giving
• - Serve as point of contact for low- and mid-level donors, including managing inquiries, processing gifts, and facilitating pledges.
• - Provide donors with clear information on giving vehicles (ACH, DAFs, corporate matching, etc.).
• - Coordinate and execute annual fund mailings (postal and email), including mail merges and collaboration with the CDO, CEO, CMO, and program leads.
• - Research prospective donors and prepare bios, briefing documents, and background reports for the CEO and CDO.

• Institutional Giving
• - Support preparation of institutional giving materials, including gathering documents, preparing attachments, and tracking submission deadlines, and the drafting and/or editing letters of inquiry and reports.

• CRM and File Management
• - Manage donor-related data entry (institutional and individual) with consistent accuracy and attention to detail.
• - Maintain organized digital and physical donor files.
• - Pull reports, queries, and mailing lists as needed to support campaign planning, stewardship, and leadership requests.
• - Generate weekly, monthly, and campaign-specific development reports for leadership use.

• Events
• - Support execution of HSA’s fundraising and stewardship events, including the annual gala and donor cultivation salons.
• - Manage logistics such as vendor coordination, RSVP tracking, seating lists, run-of-show documents, and on-site support.
• - Assist with scheduling and logistics for donor meetings, tours, salons, and site visits.

• Communications
• - Process all gift acknowledgments and pledge reminders promptly and accurately.
• - Manage content development, layout, and distribution of the monthly donor newsletter in collaboration with Development leadership and the Marketing team.
• - Assist in drafting donor updates, appeals, invitations, and stewardship messages.
• - Draft copy for website updates, donor impact stories, and social media posts related to fundraising campaigns.
• - Assist with photo/video collection and curation for stewardship communications and newsletters.

• Administrative & Operational Support
• - Maintain the Development Department’s annual calendar, including grant deadlines, campaign timelines, and event milestones.
• - Assist with preparing materials for Board Development Committee meetings (agendas, minutes, reports, presentations).
• - Track and reconcile development expenses and vendor invoices, working collaboratively with Finance.
• - Maintain organized shared drives and oversee consistent file-naming and documentation protocols.

Desired Skills & Qualifications

• - 2–4 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, development operations, or related administrative roles.
• - Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to draft clear and compelling donor communications.
• - Demonstrated proficiency with CRM or donor database systems (e.g., Salesforce, NEON CRM, Raiser’s Edge, DonorPerfect, PatronManager, etc.).
• - Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• - Experience coordinating events, including logistics and guest management.
• - Strong analytical skills and comfort working with data, reports, and spreadsheets.
• - Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion with donor information.
• - Collaborative and team-oriented, with the ability to work across departments and interact with senior leadership and program staff.
• - Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace; comfort with mail merges and basic design tasks (e.g., Canva, Adobe Express) is a plus.
• - Commitment to HSA’s mission and values, and passion for arts education and community-centered programming.

SALARY

$60,000.00 – $60,000.00 per year

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