Development Associate

About us

The mission of Oakland Promise (OP) is to engage the Oakland community to advance equity and economic mobility through cradle-to-career educational opportunities. Founded in 2016, Oakland Promise is a citywide movement with over 50 implementation partners working towards our common vision. Oakland Promise supports children and families from birth through college and career to ensure that postsecondary success is a reality for all Oaklanders. Oakland Promise includes four programs: Brilliant Baby, Kindergarten to College (K2C), Future Centers, and College Scholarships and Completion, that provide a cradle to career continuum of college-focused supports for students. Our goal is to dramatically increase the number of college graduates from Oakland and ensure that all students hold a college-bound identity. We seek a hardworking, highly detail oriented individual to join our community in undertaking this important work.

Job Purpose

Oakland Promise seeks a detail-oriented Development Associate with excellent organizational, communication, and systems management skills and a passion for expanding opportunities for Oakland children and families to join its Development & Communications team.  The Development Associate will be a part of an innovative development team tasked with raising the annual budget of around $18 million as well as other ongoing fundraising campaigns. The team works across the organization to ensure that the organization is sustainable in the short- and long-term.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Support OP’s development operations functions – which includes gift processing, donor acknowledgements, and data-entry.
• Serve as a liaison between the finance team and development team to ensure that donations are entered accurately, which includes regular Salesforce cleanups and reconciliation work.
• Support with donor cultivation and stewardship activities (e.g. impact reports, event invitations, etc).
• Assist in the planning and execution of organizational events, including both donor, program, and PR events
• With the team, support Oakland Promise’s donor recognition, retention, and stewardship programs
• On occasion, attend and support with meetings with external partners and stakeholders
• Assist the CDO in identifying and qualifying major gift prospects, help develop appropriate cultivation and solicitation strategies, and execute individualized action plans.
• Help the team (including the CEO) prepare for meetings with individuals, foundations, government and institutional funders and prospects. 
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 1 year of experience in fundraising, data-entry, or salesforce management
• Exceptional organization and communications skills
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to details, and ability to manage multiple competing deadlines required
• Deep commitment to and passion for the vision of the Oakland Promise: to engage the Oakland community to advance equity and economic mobility through cradle-to-career educational opportunities
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint 
• Proficient with Salesforce Databases
• Proficient with Google Suite tools
• Strong self-motivation and ability to operate effectively with limited direct management
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with diverse groups

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Experience in the fields of education, early childhood, or other nonprofit fields
• Knowledge of and connections to Oakland communities
• Experience supporting with fundraising campaigns

Compensation:

• This is a full-time exempt position.
• Salary range for this role is $65,000 – $ 67,500 based on skills and experience.

What you can expect from us:

• Oakland Promise offers a competitive benefits package, which includes dental / health/ vision, paid vacations, sick days, and a 401k match up to 3%.
• Oakland Promise currently has a hybrid work policy and requires staff to be in the office 2-3x a week.
• The ability to learn and grow within a supportive team environment.
• An opportunity to network and interact with leaders in the community.
• Some evening and weekend hours may be required.

Application Process:

We are looking for candidates with availability to start immediately and encourage you to apply if you are interested in and qualified for the position.

To apply: Send a single PDF (NOT a Microsoft Word document) of a resume and thoughtful cover letter with “OP Development Associate – Your Name ” in the subject line to [email protected] / Please use your last name and first initial (ex: Doe_J) as the filename of your PDF containing your resume and cover letter.

Failure to follow these instructions may delay the review of your application. Applications will be reviewed immediately and candidates with the best fit will be contacted for interviews. Unfortunately, the volume of applications will prevent us from responding to all applications received.

Oakland Promise is a place-based organization located in Oakland, California. Oakland Promise requires that employees work in person at various engagements. Currently, Oakland Promise staff are working in a hybrid model, with some work being done remotely and some work being done in the office or at specific locations in or around Oakland. It is a requirement that all staff reside within commuting distance to the main office, located at 300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612. Please note that at any time, a full in-person work plan may be required, and it is of utmost importance that all staff are able to meet this requirement.

Oakland Promise is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Oakland Promise is committed to providing a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sex stereotype, race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, gender (including gender identity, gender expression, and transgender), national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military, and veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. It also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.