Development Associate

About Tilth Alliance

Tilth Alliance works in community with Washington farmers, gardeners and eaters to build a sustainable, healthy and equitable food future. Through our work we endeavor to promote and support the adoption of organic, regenerative, sustainable growing practices by farmers and gardeners throughout Washington; to make the food produced by these farmers and gardeners more accessible; and to inspire people to enjoy growing, cooking, and eating food that is both good for them, for their communities, and for the environment. The primary strategies we employ in this effort are advocacy, education and collaboration. Equity, inclusion and the promotion of a culture of anti-oppression are important outcomes expected of all the work we do.

Job Responsibilities

A fantastic opportunity for an early career development professional interested in a broad base of experience to support their career growth. The ideal candidate for this role will be tech savvy, a strong communicator and well-organized. At the core of the Development Team, you will gain valuable experience and exposure to different areas of work in a fun and fast-paced setting, working across all our functions over the course of the year. Reporting to the Director of Development, your day-to-day work will be supporting the Marketing & Communications, Fundraising, Donor Relations, Events and Volunteers with your own distinct areas of responsibility.

Fundraising & Donor Relations (around 35%)

• Facilitate fundraising data entry and gift acknowledgment letters, ensuring accurate development records are maintained
• Support donor data entry for workplace giving platforms, such as Benevity
• Maintain reporting, dashboards and segmented mailing lists in our Salesforce database
• Support analysis of donor data, including lapses, growth trends, etc. Partner with the Development Manager (Donor Relations & Fundraising) to work with community and workplace partners on opportunities to table or share information about Tilth Alliance
• Partner with Development Manager and Director to continually evolve development systems and processes to improve donor engagement
• Manage and cultivate a small portfolio of individual and corporate donor relationships

Marketing (around 30%)

• Support the development of social media posts and other online content, as well as audience engagement. In particular, assist in the development and creation of video content for our social media channels
• Maintain Tilth Alliance’s outreach collateral, ensuring a good range of marketing material is always available
• Assist with the development, collation, and production of a series of regular e-newsletters, including those to farmers, class participants and donors
• Provide graphic design support for the Marketing & Communications Manager, as skills allow or develop

Events & Volunteers (around 35%)

• Support event planning process for our Edible Plant Sales, Seasonal Table dinners, Farm Fest, annual Tilth Conference and other activities, including but not limited to event design input, contractor and vendor communication, gathering/inventorying event supplies, and creating event signage
• Secure in-kind donations for events such as volunteer booth refreshments, raffle prizes, event food and beverages, etc.
• Act as a key part of the week-of and on-the-day event team, including leading volunteers, assisting with guest check-out and financial transactions, and interfacing with donors and community partners
• Maintain volunteer data in our Salesforce database, and support other staff to achieve this, ensuring Tilth Alliance can accurately report the impact of volunteer support
• Support the Events & Volunteers Manager in the facilitation and delivery of group volunteer work parties

Team and Organizational Collaboration

• Actively participate in Tilth Alliance’s justice, equity, diversity and inclusion work to ensure continual progress in being an anti-racist organization
• Collaborate with all Development Team staff on creating, implementing and managing goals and operating plans and taking a hands-on approach to ensure team success

Desired Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, which transcend diverse audiences.
• Strong administrative skills, including recordkeeping, reporting, and organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in teams, as well as provide high-quality service to a wide variety of internal and external constituents
• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor, especially while working in a fast-paced environment of constant demands and frequent interruptions.
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds and promote a positive working environment, spirit of cooperation, and positive reactions to change.
• Commitment to maintain confidentiality and a high degree of accuracy
• Experience using Mailchimp (or similar email marketing platform) and social media content creation and management
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Some experience in Salesforce or other CRM systems, online giving platforms, or other fundraising technology desirable
• Proficiency with Canva or Adobe Creative Cloud applications and/or a desire to learn (Photoshop, InDesign, etc.)

Desired Experience

At least 1 year of relevant work experience, ideally in the nonprofit sector; or combination of education and experience to successfully perform duties of the job.

Priority skills for new candidate:

• Video & photo & social media content experience
• Ability to make some graphic content
• Database entry & management, interest in data analysis
• Tech savvy
• Willingness to work outside & in somewhat intensive physical conditions
• Enjoys working with people
• Flexibility, seasonal/shifting workload

Benefits & Compensation

This is a full-time position (40 hours/week) that requires occasional evening and weekend work. It is eligible for our benefits package that includes medical (80-85% employer paid), dental (95% employer paid), employee-funded Flexible Spending Account, 401k with employer match most years, 10 flexible holidays (employee-chosen), 12 accrued sick days per year, 3 weeks paid vacation in years 1 and 2, 4 weeks in years 3 and 4, and 6 weeks in years 5+, employee discounts and produce shares, no cost for Tilth Alliance classes/workshops/conference attendance, and annual professional development stipend.

Compensation is $27.00 per hour ($56,160/year).

In line with our commitment to equity practices, the salary for this position has been carefully determined to reflect market standards and internal equity considerations. We value the skills and expertise that each candidate brings to the table, and we believe that our non-negotiable salary approach fosters a level playing field for all applicants. This practice aligns with our core values of transparency and fairness.