Notice: Applications for this role are closed.
YIMBY Action and Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) are seeking a full-time Development Associate with superb writing skills and a knack for resourcefully finding opportunities to fuel and grow the pro-housing movement.
YIMBY Action and Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) are affiliated 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that work together to advance policy change that will increase the supply of housing in high-opportunity cities and towns. We advocate to increase the supply of all types of housing, including market-rate, subsidized affordable, and public housing. Our organizations envision an integrated and environmentally sustainable society where every person has access to a safe, affordable home near jobs, services, and opportunity.
What We're Looking For
The Development Associate will be the organization’s primary fundraising writer, researcher, and database administrator, collaborating with the Managing Director to meet quarterly and annual fundraising goals to support the work of our organizations. They will be responsible for composing a wide variety of persuasive written content for funders and donors, using resourcefulness and creativity to identify and research funding opportunities, and support fundraising logistics.
This is an early career role with tremendous growth potential as the department grows. Over time, we hope the Development Associate will grow to include more strategic leadership of revenue generation and/or more frontline fundraising.
Responsibilities
Writing Proposals, Reports, Briefs, and Emails (50%)
- Write foundation grant proposals and reports; ensure compelling articulation of our impact and value proposition, and strategic alignment with foundation’s interests.
- Write thoughtful briefs, update emails, and thank you notes for foundations, business partners, and individual donors that compellingly showcase organizational achievements and the impact of donations. Adjust content and tone to match audience values and interests.
- Participate in meetings with foundation, corporate, and individual funders to better understand their interests and inform writing.
- Activate program staff across the organizations to provide information and content for proposals, reports, and briefs, including wins, challenges, and future goals. Monitor internal conversations and Slack to identify content opportunities. Conduct meetings with staff and other stakeholders to download additional information.
- Collaborate with Marketing and Communications and program teams to build and continually increase fluency in the housing policy, organizing, and legal enforcement principles that drive YIMBY and YIMBY Action’s work.
- Build and continually increase professional skills in fundraising writing by participating in trainings, reading guides and articles, connecting to other fundraisers, and actively seeking out new professional development opportunities.
- Over time, grow into more comprehensive management of YIMBY/YIMBY Action’s foundation and corporate pipeline, including identifying new institutionally-funded project ideas and project-managing internal teams through proposal and launch.
Prospecting and Research (30%)
- Research current small donors, subscribers, and social media followers for greater giving potential; leverage internal tools and publicly available donor information to identify and target high-potential prospects. Collaborate with the Managing Director to contact and engage prospects.
- Research networks of Board members and other connectors to identify high-potential prospects, leveraging LinkedIn and relevant directories.
- Build and maintain our list of high-potential individual prospects, pulling data from political donor records, giving lists, relevant directories, and other sources.
- Strategically research and identify aligned foundation and grant opportunities.
- Help all front-line fundraisers prepare for individual, foundation, and corporate meetings by conducting background research on prospect funding priorities.
Administrative Support and Timeline Management (20%)
- Maintain thorough and accurate database of donations by entering and updating contacts and accounts in Salesforce and Action Network, entering and updating opportunities in Salesforce, and logging calls.
- Maintain grants calendar; tee up projects to ensure complete by deadline.
- Manage administrative logistics of business program, including issuing invoices, entering business memberships, and updating business member liaisons.
- Support logistics of annual event, including helping to manage venue and catering, preparing and organizing materials, and tracking spending, sponsorships, materials, volunteers, and other information.
- Collaborate with Managing Director to review our donor pipelines on a weekly basis and ensure all prospects are regularly engaged and cultivated. Over time, grow into strategic and tactical ownership of one or more pipelines.
Qualifications
This position requires an excitement and curiosity about fundraising, but does not require any previous experience in fundraising. We also don’t require any specific level of educational attainment or years of professional experience. We do ask for the following:
- A deep commitment to the YIMBY mission and vision. A passion for more housing and shelter of every type including subsidized nonprofit affordable housing, market-rate housing, transitional housing, navigation centers, etc.
- Excellent persuasive writing skills for diverse forms of writing; ability to be concise, compelling, and inspire action via long-form writing, emails, and marketing copy.
- Excellent listening skills and ability to personalize communications and touchpoints to match funders’ interests.
- Resourcefulness; ability to use thorough research and creative problem solving to identify “hidden gems” of fundraising opportunity.
- Superb organizational and time management skills, and demonstrated ability to keep multiple balls in the air. Ability to follow structured processes and create new processes to ensure all Ts are crossed.
- Ability to work swiftly and efficiently to ensure responses are prompt and deadlines are met.
BENEFITS
- Up to 100% employer funded comprehensive medical coverage
- 401k enrollment opportunities
- 3 weeks of paid vacation plus another 20 paid holidays
- Paid sick time
- Paid family & disability leave
- Significant professional development opportunities, including paid professional development stipend
- Flexible work hours within a 40 hour work week
- Membership in YIMBY Action nationwide activist network and vibrant 3,700+ member Slack community
- Access to YIMBY Action network of elected officials, journalists, and business leaders
YIMBY Action provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Schedule: Full time
Internal and external meetings are generally scheduled between 10am and 3pm Pacific Standard Time.