Development Associate

Description

Position: Development Associate

About ACE Scholarships

ACE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, founded in 2000 in Denver, Colorado, to provide low-income children with equal access to quality K-12 private schools through partial scholarship support. Over the past 25 years, ACE has delivered more than 100,000 scholarships worth over $330million. This school year, ACE is serving approximately 14,000 children in Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Hawaii, and is actively pursuing other expansion opportunities with the support of a national funding partner. In 2023, ACE Scholarships expanded its program offerings by administrating Educational Savings Account programs for state governments. For more information visit the ACE website at www.acescholarships.org.

Our Values:? 

ACE Founding Principles: Our founding principles are the foundation of ACE and our North Star. We honor ACE’s founders by remaining committed to these principles, and we passionately advocate for the Mission and Vision these principles support.?? 

Accountability: We embrace personal responsibility by taking ownership of our work and focusing on results. We expect both to give and to receive honest feedback.? 

Innovation: We know ideas matter. We prefer the risks and rewards the come with creativity, to the certainty that attends stagnation.  

Adaptability: We position ourselves to take advantage of opportunities, embracing strategic and operational change when it makes our work more impactful.  

Optimism: We believe our best days are ahead, and we embrace a forward-thinking mindset. We will make mistakes, but we will remain cheerful in the face of adversity and give people the benefit of the doubt.  

Kindness: We value everyone on our team, respect differences and trust one another. This requires courage and strength, as it involves celebrating and giving our undivided attention to others.  

Our Founding Principles: ? 

1. The American public education system is flawed.? 

2. Free enterprise and democracy work.? 

3. Parents know the best education environment for their kids.? 

?4. Private schools offer great value and have open seats.? 

5. All people are created equal and deserve an equal chance to pursue the American Dream.? 

Position Overview

The Development Associate will primarily support the fundraising efforts of the Louisiana-based Major Gifts Officer through direct donor engagement, communications, and some administrative support. Depending on experience and skill set, this role may oversee a small portfolio of annual donors including donor engagement and securing donations for both tax-credit and private fundraising efforts. While the primary focus will be on the Louisiana and southern markets, our development team strongly collaborates nationally across the different markets and with other teams including Events, Marketing & Communications, and Scholarship Programs. All activities will tier up to help reach ACE Scholarship’s organizational goals. This dynamic opportunity is great for individuals eager to grow as a leader and may include local travel within the state of Louisiana as well as opportunities for national travel to Denver, CO or other markets. 

Primary Job duties and responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Donor Engagement 

• Helps establish and execute a strategy to engage donors through mailings, emails, phone calls, event invitations, etc. 
• Manage a small portfolio of annual donors with the intention to further engage donors, retain, and grow gifts 
• Collaborate and maintain strong working relationships with Development, Programs, Communications and Events staff to ensure the fulfillment of all campaigns and strategies 
• Responsible for meeting shared objectives and goals, and exchanging innovative ideas, best practices, successes, and lessons learned. 

Internal Support

• Supports Louisiana Development efforts through coordinating donor and CPA communications, tracking of sponsorship opportunities, event logistics, and day-of event needs. 
• Support Louisiana Development with key touchpoints throughout the year including thank you notes, custom proposals and reports, phone calls, and invitations. 
• Execute research on top potential prospects and donors. 
• Assists Louisiana MGO with campaign management, working to identify and track success metrics, plan the implementation, and monitor success throughout the lifecycle of a campaign. 
• Supports the Louisiana Development efforts to ensure quality relationships are established through timely communication and touchpoints. 
• Support of all donor meetings including but not limited to the creation of presentations, packets, donor gifts. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Unwavering belief in the mission of ACE Scholarships 
• Transparent and high integrity leadership 
• Strong organizational abilities including planning and task facilitation 
• Ability to convey a vision of ACE’s strategic future to staff, volunteers, and donors 
• Demonstrated ability to oversee and collaborate with staff 
• Strong communication skills (written and oral) and professionalism 
• Self-motivated individual with strong interpersonal skills 
• Ability to set priorities and achieve goals 
• Highly organized, detail oriented and able to manage simultaneous priorities under pressure 
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters 
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills, along with tact and diplomacy 

 Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree Required with 1-3 years of professional experience or 3 years of relevant experience in nonprofit development 
• Personal and professional integrity 
• Strong communication and customer service skills 
• Experience in Raisers Edge preferred 
• Excellent professional appearance and presentation 
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite 

Location and Reporting

• The position will be based in Louisiana primarily working remotely (~90%) with occasional out-of-state travel (~10%).  
• Reports to the President, ACE Louisiana 

 FLSA Status
Exempt – Full Time

Compensation
$56,500 - $65,000 annual salary and eligible for annual performance bonuses, plus benefits package, which includes but it not limited to: 

• Medical Insurance (with generous employer contribution) 
• Dental Insurance (with generous employer contribution) 
• Vision Insurance 
• Voluntary Life Insurance 
• HSA, FSA, Limited FSA, and Dependent Care FSA pre-tax spending accounts 
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 
• Free, Employer-paid Short-term, Long-term, and AD&D insurance. 
• 401(k) with 6% employer match with immediate vesting. 
• Monthly cellphone stipend 
• Scholarships for employees whose children are actively enrolled in a private school ($3,500/child, up to $10,500/year). 

Salary : $56,500 - $65,000