Assistant, Development & Communications

Assistant, Development & Communications

Location: Arlington, VA

FLSA Classification: Non-Exempt

Reports to: Manager, Development & Communications Operations

Updated: November 2012

Travel: Less than 10%

A Rare Approach

At Rare we believe that people are our most important resource. Conservation ultimately comes down to people and their behaviors toward nature. For nearly four decades Rare has designed programs that benefit both people and the planet. We have been successful because of the talent that makes it all possible. We are committed to providing our employees with a unique and inspirational professional culture. We invite you to search through our open positions and join us in our quest for continued impact.

We have the high energy and dedication of a company on an exciting trajectory. We truly are on a mission to make sure employees work in a dynamic environment where innovation thrives.

What is Rare Talent?

We're seeking people who are smart, fun and get things done. Rare is an entrepreneurial organization, so we're looking for people who are resourceful, creative and enjoy being challenged intellectually. Working at Rare gives you the chance to make a difference every day and contribute to addressing global conservation challenges while working alongside culturally diverse and driven colleagues.

Position Overview
The Development and Communications Assistant will work directly with Rare's Development and Communications team on activities supporting critical components of Rare's fundraising and communications efforts. These activities include research of prospective donors, maintenance of team schedules, support with donor outreach, contributions to reports and donor communications. The Development and Communications Assistant should bring an entrepreneurial spirit and an appetite for working in a cross-functional, fluid environment.
This position offers an excellent opportunity for someone with solid internship or 1+ years of experience to build a skill set that will benefit any private or public sector career. The Development and Communications Assistant will directly support the department and assist on special projects. This will allow the employee an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learning within a fundraising and communications department at a high-functioning, fast-paced and exciting non-profit organization. While this job is primarily administrative, the Development and Communications Assistant is positioned to benefit from the opportunity to work with a variety of teams and individuals and gain a deeper understanding of communications, institutional fundraising and team management.
Key Responsibilities
Advance Institutions Fundraising Team Efforts (20%)
- Assist in logistics and travel arrangements for donor meetings. Includes but is not limited to booking international travel, coordinating in-country logistics and arranging visas.
- Assist the VP-Global Development in managing key meetings and travel logistics
- Support the VP-Global Development on special projects as needed
- Conduct internal and external research to support key proposals and reports to donors
- Create briefings and other meeting preparation notes for meetings with donors and key partners
Communications Team Support (20%)
- Manage all inventory and invoicing, including tracking invoices for print materials, collateral and equipment, ordering new business cards and managing post office account.
- Visual asset collection and archiving. Collect all photo and video assets and organize them in a searchable, logical manner. Tag new photos and videos in existing or new asset management systems.
- Conduct research in support of Rare's communications materials, including fact-checking, ensuring accurate use of information and research on external partners
- Manage special projects for the Communications team on an ad hoc basis.
- Manage reprints of media clips

Development and Communications Team Administration (20%)
Ensure effective day-to-day and long-range functioning of the Development and Communications team. Specific responsibilities include:
- Assist in tracking and maintaining the Development and Communications department balance scorecard
- Compile and submit timesheets and expense reports for the Senior VP-Growth & Strategy, VP-Marketing and VP-Global Development
- Assist in coordinating quarterly Development & Communications team meetings
- Execute miscellaneous administrative tasks as needed
Special Projects (40%)
Ensure successful execution of key strategic projects. Specific tasks can include, but are not limited to:
- Project managing key initiatives
- Liaising with external donors and high-level donors to arrange key meetings
- Other support as needed

Required Qualifications, Skills & Knowledge
- Bachelor's degree
- Meticulous attention to detail and ability to manage changing priorities and competing deadlines to ensure accuracy and high quality standards
- Experience in meeting planning such as scheduling meetings, preparing and disseminating related communications, coordinating travel arrangements preferred
- Willingness to be hands-on in a role that is demanding and requires a high level of energy
- Adaptive, open-minded and dedicated worker with the ability to work independently, but also efficiently and thoroughly as an assistant
- Ability to maintain an optimistic and cheerful attitude
- High degree of accuracy with exemplary organizational skills
- Demonstrated success in project management and advancing multiple projects simultaneously
- Exemplary communication skills; strong writing skills and prior experience in proofreading and editing
- Demonstrated research and analysis skills
- Initiative to take on new projects and continually exhibit a proactive attitude towards all tasks
- Ability to collaborate with different teams throughout an organization in a fast-paced environment
- Proficiency with MS Office Suite, email, Internet and basic computer functions; InDesign preferred
Additional Preferred Experience
- Previous experience and/or knowledge of the environmental conservation landscape, especially internationally
- Experience conducting donor research and distilling research findings into useful tools to drive donor strategies
- Demonstrated experience in relationship management or communications with senior leaders and high-level audiences
- Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Tagalog, or Indonesian language skills