Major Gifts Assistant

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We take on the biggest, most precedent-setting cases across the country. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health; to preserve magnificent places and wildlife; to advance clean energy; and to combat climate change. We partner with thousands of groups, supporters, individuals and communities to engage the critical environmental issues of our time, and bring about positive change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.

Founded in 1971, Earthjustice has a distinguished track record of achieving significant, lasting environmental protections. We achieve this by hiring people who share a passion for justice and a healthy environment. Our headquarters are in San Francisco with offices in Anchorage, Juneau, Los Angeles, Tallahassee, Miami, Honolulu, New York, Philadelphia, Denver, Seattle, Bozeman, and Washington, DC.

The Major Gifts Assistant provides vital administrative support to the Major Gifts team and works under the supervision of the Associate Director of Major Gifts Operations. Core priorities for this role will be coordinating donor stewardship processes and working with fellow MG Systems team staff to ensure donation information is accurately reflected in the donor database for the Major Gifts portfolio, as well as supporting up to five supervising Major Gifts Officers with scheduling and donor-related activities.

This position requires a self‐starter who can work both collaboratively and independently and possesses strong interpersonal skills. They must be highly detail-oriented and be able to manage multiple projects and tasks simultaneously while taking direction from multiple people. The Major Gifts Assistant will perform a variety of administrative tasks, including but not limited to meeting logistics and scheduling, task management related to donor work, writing and copy-editing assignments, managing the team’s gift acknowledgement processes, and spreadsheet management. They will have frequent interaction with staff members within the organization and occasional interaction with donors and members of the Board and Council. Strong writing skills, impeccable attention to detail, and donor database experience is preferred.

This position is based in our headquarters located in San Francisco, CA.

Donor Giving and Stewardship (40%)

• Ensure donors within the Major Gifts portfolio are properly acknowledged by Earthjustice for tax purposes in a timely manner. This includes verifying donation details and donor requests are accurately reflected in the donor database (BBEC) and periodically refreshing template language.
• Work closely with the Development Operations team to ensure donor giving is accurately entered and both in-house and automated acknowledgement processes are well maintained and functioning properly and efficiently.
• Coordinate personalized stewardship activities for Earthjustice’s largest donors in conjunction with gift officers and program staff.
• Send funding reminders to donors in multi-year commitments and ensure pledges are accurately tracked in BBEC.
• Maintain records for Major Gifts match programs when needed.
• Assist in bi-annual fundraising efforts, including writing and sending solicitation letters to donors in partnership with gift officers.
• Send donor collateral and other related materials to gift officers from headquarters, as needed.

Administrative Support for Supervising Major Gifts Officers (50%)

• Meet weekly with up to five gift officers to check-in on donor-related activities, including email and mailing donors, coordinating gift intention needs, scheduling donor meetings, and generally ensuring each person is on track with their donor strategies.
• Assist with data entry related to donor strategy plans.
• Schedule, create agendas, take notes, and coordinate follow-up for various internal meetings, as needed.
• Keep a running list of requests for each person, flag to-do items, and assist in executing or responding to emails. This may include items that need to be reviewed and approved by the gift officer, list reviews, prompts for response on team-wide projects, etc.
• Coordinate with members of the Major Gifts Systems team to ensure donor-related matters are dealt with in a timely manner (pledge reminders, gift documentation, donor briefings, etc.)
• Provide occasional writing support (drafting letters and emails, summarizing program content), as needed.

Responsiveness to Administrative Requests (10%)

• Assist other team members with tasks, projects, and assignments as need.

Furthering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and contributing to an overall positive working environment and at Earthjustice (ongoing)

• Proactively pursue and use internal and external resources to support a personal and professional development journey that increases awareness and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations.
• Participate in internal committees and working groups to further institutional priorities and build an inclusive and equitable work environment that encourages and celebrates differences.
• Ensure the incorporation of inclusive practices in all areas of Major Gifts fundraising and stewardship efforts.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum of two years of relevant experience, or Associate’s degree plus a minimum of four years of relevant experience required.
• A minimum of 1 year of Development experience, or 2 years of related nonprofit experience.
• Meticulous attention-to-detail, including data reconciliation, copy-editing and proofreading skills, and an ability to zero in on minute details related to donor giving.
• Exemplary organizational skills, including ability to handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and prioritize assignments coming from multiple stakeholders.
• Advanced knowledge of Outlook, Word, and Excel, including scheduling, formatting, and mail merges.
• Experience using donor or constituent management databases (CRM), such as Blackbaud eCRM or similar.
• Superior communication skills, including demonstrated experience writing effective correspondence required; experience writing solicitation letters, grant reports, proposals, and/or content for a professional website, blog, or similar materials preferred.
• Ability to field requests with an approachable, curious, and considerate attitude.
• Demonstrates an awareness and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations.
• Contributes to the creation of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences.
• Ability to use discretion and diplomacy in dealing with donors, Board members, and colleagues and in handling confidential information.
• Background and/or interest in environmental issues preferred.
• Sense of humor requested.

We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits that are comprehensive and competitive. 

Salary is dependent on experience and location.

Salary for San Francisco, CA: $54,500 - $60,600