Development Associate

Development Associate

Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR)

Woodbine, MD | Full-Time | Onsite

Are you someone who loves connecting with people, telling meaningful stories, and inspiring others to support a mission you believe in?

Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR), a nationally recognized equine welfare nonprofit, is looking for a Development Associate to help grow our donor community and advance our lifesaving work. This is an exciting moment to join DEFHR — our 37-year-old organization is entering an ambitious new phase of fundraising and growth that will help propel our mission to the next level.

This role is perfect for someone who enjoys building relationships, writing compelling communications, and helping supporters turn their passion for animals into meaningful impact.

At DEFHR, donors are not just contributors — they are partners in giving neglected horses a second chance. As Development Associate, you will play a key role in cultivating donor relationships, stewarding gifts, coordinating fundraising initiatives, and helping supporters see their dreams for the horses come to life.

We are also looking for someone who is a true task master—someone who takes initiative, stays highly organized, communicates proactively, gets things done, and helps keep the development office running smoothly. This role supports the Development Director in hosting responsibilities, donor tours, meetings, and other relationship-building activities that require both heartfelt professionalism and a welcoming presence. The right candidate is someone who takes pride in doing things well, manages details carefully and at a high standard, keeps projects moving forward, and ensures deadlines and follow-through are consistently met.

This is a hands-on position where hard work is rewarded with real impact and the opportunity to develop strong fundraising skills in a growing organization. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys turning ideas into action – keeping projects organized, anticipating next steps, and ensuring that important details do not fall through the cracks.

What You’ll Do

• Build and maintain relationships with donors, sponsors, and supporters
• Support engagement with low to mid-level donors through stewardship and communications initiatives. Help implement engagement strategies for recurring donors and lapsed donor reactivation, helping strengthen donor loyalty and grow sustainable annual giving
• Draft compelling donor communications including appeal letters, reports, stewardship messages, and donor updates
• Support fundraising campaigns and annual giving initiatives
• Assist with grant research and preparation while helping coordinate deadlines and reporting for DEFHR’s growing grant portfolio
• Track donor activity and support accurate recordkeeping in the CRM
• Assist with planning and execution of key fundraising events, including DEFHR’s signature auction gala and community events
• Support donor tours, meetings, and hosting responsibilities with the Development Director
• Help tell DEFHR’s story through communications, campaigns, and outreach

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who is outgoing, motivated, organized, and excited to connect with people who care about animals.

Strong candidates will have:

• Excellent communication and writing skills
• A natural ability to build relationships and engage supporters
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• The ability to take initiative and ensure projects are completed thoroughly and professionally
• Attention to detail and a strong work ethic
• The ability to balance professionalism with warmth and approachability

This role will regularly support donor engagement activities including tours, meetings, events, and communications. The ability to interact comfortably with people from a variety of professional and cultural backgrounds is essential.

Creativity is also welcomed in this role. Candidates who enjoy writing compelling communications, contributing to graphic design or marketing materials, and maintaining a polished and consistent brand presence will thrive here. Attention to visual detail and understanding of strong presentation and branding is a bonus.

Experience in nonprofit development, communications, marketing, project management, or customer/ donor relations is helpful but not required

A passion for animal welfare and equine advocacy is a must.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys seeing the direct impact of their work. The Development Associate will play an active role in growing DEFHR’s donor community—helping move supporters from first gifts to deeper engagement and long-term partnership with the organization. There is real opportunity to demonstrate how thoughtful donor stewardship, recurring giving programs, and lapsed donor outreach can directly grow revenue and expand DEFHR’s impact.

Why Join DEFHR?

• Be part of a nationally respected animal welfare organization
• Work during a pivotal capital campaign moment
• Gain hands-on experience in nonprofit fundraising and donor engagement
• Help rescue and rehabilitate over 130 horses each year
• Work alongside a passionate team committed to improving the lives of horses

This role offers the opportunity to develop the full spectrum of fundraising skills—from donor stewardship and annual giving to major gift cultivation, events, and grants.

This is a role for someone who is ready to work hard, grow quickly, and help shape the future of an organization on the rise.

Position Details

Full-time | 40+ hours/week

Some evenings and weekends required to support events and donor engagement activities.

Starting Salary: $36,000-$45,000 depending on experience.

This role offers significant opportunity for professional growth as DEFHR expands its fundraising program over the next several years.

Benefits (after 90 days):

• Health and dental insurance
• Paid vacation and sick leave
• 401k eligibility after one year

How to Apply

Please send a resume and cover letter to:

development@defhr.org

Join Us

If you want a career where your work matters every day — and where you can help transform the lives of animals and the people who care about them — we’d love to hear from you.

Benefits (after 90 days):

• Health and dental insurance
• Paid vacation and sick leave
• 401k eligibility after one year

Strong written and verbal communication skills in English required. Additional language proficiency is welcomed.