Development and Events Associate

Posted on December 09, 2019

Founded in 1999, BUILD uses entrepreneurship-based, experiential learning to ignite the potential of youth in under-resourced communities and equip them for high school, college and career success. BUILD’s unique program offers students a four-year entrepreneurship experience designed to develop 21st Century Skills and motivate student engagement in school. Starting in 9th grade, BUILD students work with their peers and community mentors to develop business ideas, pitch to funders and launch real businesses. As they journey through high school, BUILD provides students with support in navigating the college application process and the opportunity to explore college and career options, while expanding their businesses or opting into community internships. BUILD currently serves high school students at programs located in the San Francisco Bay Area; Washington, DC; Boston, MA; and New York City. BUILD is made up of a diverse, results-driven and passionate team who believe in the potential of every student and the power of entrepreneurship-based, experiential learning to transform the education landscape. We work in a collaborative environment where perseverance, flexibility, cross-cultural understanding and an entrepreneurial spirit are encouraged and celebrated. For more information, please visit

BUILD Bay Area/LA’s ability to build a dedicated team with the right mix of skills and passion for our mission is critical to our continued success in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Therefore, we are passionate about sourcing exceptional talent. We seek achievers, leaders, visionaries and change-makers. At BUILD Bay Area/LA, each team member brings their skills to a challenging and evolving vision of how we can profoundly influence our students, their schools and their communities. BUILD Bay Area/LA is seeking a dynamic Development and Events Associate (DEA) to support the development team and serve as an executive assistant to the Regional Executive Director. The DEA will gain a deep understanding of the fundamental underpinnings of fundraising as well as education and youth development programming. This role requires the DEA to collaborate with staff members across all disciplines, interface with donors and board members, and seamlessly assist the program and development teams at multiple student showcase and fundraising events. The DEA must possess a multi-disciplinary skill set, a flexible spirit and resourcefulness because his/her assignments will be as varied as the initiatives taken on by the BUILD Bay Area/LA Development Team and Regional Executive Director.

The DEA will be responsible for gift recording and processing, donor acknowledgement, data collection and entry as well as donor research. The DEA will also provide administrative support to the Regional Executive Director. This self-starting, highly motivated individual will be (or become) a power user on the donor management system (Raiser’s Edge/Salesforce) with the ability to input and extract current, accurate information for the team. Additionally, the DEA will support BUILD’s fundraising ability by:

• Researching existing funders and providing actionable, detailed reports on potential funders.
• Supporting the planning and execution of fundraising events to cultivate and steward donors.
• Assisting in the preparation of donor and board presentations, fundraising collateral and grant applications and reports.

This is a full-time position at BUILD Bay Area/LA and reports to the Director of Philanthropy.

Prospect Research & Lead Generation (35%)

• Using a broad spectrum of sources, research, organize, and evaluate a prospect’s financial capacity, ability to give, inclination to give, charitable interests, and connection to the organization.
• Identify and maintain a pipeline of new corporate and foundation partners as well as individual donors.
• Support the Regional Executive Director, Director of Community Partnerships and Director of Philanthropy with scheduling and preparing for meetings with new and existing funders, and writing prospect briefings as needed.
• Work with development staff to improve the organization’s fundraising strategies and internal operations.

Donor Database Management (30%)

• Handle all incoming gifts: process checks and online donations, enter gifts in the donor database, file paperwork, and send donor acknowledgement letters.
• Maintain accurate records of donors and prospects, development activities, the development pipeline, gifts, and pledges, as related to priority projects.
• Support any marketing or fundraising campaigns through list pulls and data input from campaigns back into Raiser’s Edge.

Executive Administrative Support (20%)

• Management of Regional Executive Director’s calendar, travel, expense reports, and filing system.
• Anticipate the logistical and information needs of the Regional Executive Director to ensure she is well prepared for meetings, presentations, and events which can include:
  • Creating agendas, information packets, and presentations
  • Conducting research
  • Ordering refreshments
  • Attending Development Team meetings, recording and distributing minutes and following-up on action items.
• Track Regional Executive Director’s deadlines and commitments to ensure timely completion.
• Enter and manage “moves management” notes for the Regional Executive Director.
• Manage email, phone messages, and incoming communication, and respond to communications in a professional, timely and appropriate manner.
• Produce high-quality correspondences from dictation, verbal instructions, and templates: edit and proofread as necessary.
• Complete special projects and support to the BUILD Bay Area/LA team.

Event Support (15%)

• Support the planning and execution of fundraising events and special projects.
• Work with the Development Team to conceptualize and implement event ideas, concepts, and opportunities to showcase BUILD students, increase revenue, cultivate new donors and steward existing donors.
• Support email communications to stakeholders via mail merge, email blast, and direct communication.

• 1-3 years of experience working in the development/fundraising department of a non-profit organization or similar experience in a sales environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Experience with a data management system is preferred – preferably Raiser’s Edge, but Salesforce or other CRM software will also be considered.
• Experience with event management and planning is a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree is highly recommended but not required.

• Initiative - Proactively create and/or follow through on new ideas and strategies.
• Attention to Detail - Accomplish a task with a thorough and precise focus on every component of the project, no matter how small or time-consuming.
• Written Communication - Excellent written communication skills and ability to convey the background and interests of funders, ideally associating their interests with BUILD’s organizational needs and priorities.
• Content Editing, Graphic Arts and Social Media Skills - Able to leverage technology and social media to improve messaging, reach and impact. Demonstrates competency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and graphic editing software such as Prezi, Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Interpersonal Skills - Use a variety of techniques, as appropriate, to connect with others to build positive relationships and be a true team player.
• Customer Service Orientation - Anticipate and respond promptly and professionally to requests and needs from all key stakeholders and set clear expectations while taking other perspectives into account.
• Multi-tasking - Move seamlessly between any number of prioritized tasks and functions while effectively managing time.
• Forward Thinking - Anticipate the implications and consequences of situations and take appropriate action to be prepared for possible contingencies.
• Location: Oakland and Redwood City, CA
• Additional evening and weekend hours are also sometimes required to fulfill the duties of this position.
• This is a full-time, exempt position.

BUILD offers a competitive compensation & benefits package for eligible employees. This includes medical, dental & vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, and a 403(b) plan. In addition, BUILD employees are eligible for generous paid vacation, sick time, 10 paid holidays per year, a flexible work environment, and performance bonuses.