Careers in Development

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Looking for an entry level job or internship in development? This is an overview of how to approach the search and a list of companies that might have relevant entry level and internship opportunities.

I’ve run the Race for the Cure in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for many years, along with about a million other participants. To enter you need to raise a certain amount of money, all of which gets donated to the cause. In addition the run is sponsored by Yoplait, which surely donates money as well. A person focused on development for the Komen Foundation created this run for the purpose of raising funds. A Development Coordinator for a non-profit creates strategies for securing money and oversees the details of those programs to help support the organization.

Development Careers

Photo Credit: Flickr user roger_mommaerts

Development Coordinator Career Guide Overview

  1. What a Development Coordinator Does
  2. A Typical Day for a Development Coordinator
  3. Salary and Career Progression for a Development Coordinator
  4. Best Locations for Development Coordinators
  5. Pros and Cons of Being a Development Coordinator
  6. What You Need to Know for a Career as a Development Coordinator
  7. Development Coordinator Resources
  8. Careers Related to Development Coordination
  9. Companies with Jobs and Internships in Development Coordination

What a Development Coordinator Does

A person who focuses on development for a nonprofit is responsible for soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions like money or other resources. A development coordinator does this by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. They coordinate all fundraising strategies and are responsible for most aspects of fundraising programs. As such that are responsible for identifying new donors and organizing initiatives to solicit funding as well as assisting in developing major gift opportunities and writing grant proposals.

A Typical Day for a Development Coordinator

While there is no typical day for a fundraiser here are some of the tasks you might encounter:

  • Tracking donations in a database, which sometimes involves entering the information manually
  • Monitoring ongoing activity of all donations
  • Sending thank you letters to donors
  • Setting up accounts with various fundraising sites online
  • Planning fundraising events such as holiday galas, silent auctions, and runs
  • Writing emails to lists of people who have shown participation or support in the past
  • Doing research to find grants that your organization is eligible for

Salary and Career Progression for a Development Coordinator

The median salary for a development coordinator is $49,375. You might go on to become a Development Director–the senior financial officer of an organization, company, or corporation–and make about $90,000 per year. Beyond that you could become an Executive Director of a nonprofit and make between $33,000-$109,000 per year.

Best Locations for Development Coordinators

Here are some hot spots for development coordinators:

  • New York, New York
  • Washington, DC
  • San Francisco, California
  • Baltimore, Maryland
  • Austin, Texas
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Denver, Colorado

Pros and Cons of Being a Development Coordinator

Pros
  • Lots of opportunity for upward movement
  • You get to meet and talk with a lot of different people
  • You work for a great cause
Cons
  • Very busy schedule
  • Decent pay, but not as competitive as working for a business

What You Need to Know for a Career as a Development Coordinator

To be a development coordinator you’ll generally need a bachelor’s degree in an area of specialty and some experience in the field (so start volunteering!). You’ll need to be familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. You’ll also need to have good judgement, the ability to multi-task, excellent written and oral communication skills, and attention to detail.

Development Coordinator Resources

If being a development coordinator still sounds like your cup of tea, here are a few things you should do to get started.

Required Reading

Blogs and Websites

Networking Opportunities

Job Search Resources for Development Coordinators

Careers Related to Development Coordination

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Whole New World Foundation - The Whole New World Foundation is a Miami, FL based non-profit that works “to crowd-source the most promising solutions to important challenges.”

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See the complete Bipartisan Policy Center profile


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