Development Specialist – Solano Land Trust (Vacaville)

Development Specialist

Solano Land Trust

Full Time

Job Summary

Are you highly organized, detail-oriented, and passionate about supporting meaningful work that connects people to land conservation? Join Solano Land Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Solano County’s open spaces, working lands, and natural resources for future generations.

We are seeking a Development Specialist to provide administrative and technical support to the Fundraising, Development, and Communications Department. This position supports fundraising operations, donor stewardship, database management, grant coordination, communications, and event logistics.

The Development Specialist plays an essential role in maintaining accurate donor records, preparing fundraising correspondence, supporting donor cultivation activities, coordinating grant processes, and assisting with communications projects that strengthen donor and community engagement.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Support fundraising operations, donor stewardship, and development projects
• Maintain accurate donor records and reporting through donor database systems
• Assist with donor communications, acknowledgments, and fundraising correspondence
• Coordinate grant tracking, deadlines, meetings, and event support
  
  

The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities with strong follow-through. You have excellent communication skills and technical proficiency. You are comfortable working with data, deadlines, and systems, while also helping create positive experiences for donors, partners, and supporters.

Our Objective Is To

• Strengthen donor engagement, stewardship, and retention
• Maintain strong systems and reports that lend to fundraising success
• Support events, grants, and donor communications that advance our mission
  
  

Be part of a professional and talented Development Team, working alongside our dedicated staff and volunteers. Solano Land Trust offers:

• Compensation: $26.00 – $28.00/hour DOE, with opportunities for spot bonuses
• Employment Type: Full Time, Non-Exempt (hourly)
• Benefits: Partial employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance, a 403(b)-retirement plan with a 3% match, and eleven paid holidays
• Vacation: Three weeks of vacation annually
• Work Flexibility: This position is based at Solano Land Trust main office in Vacaville, California. While hybrid flexibility is available, the role requires regular presence at the main office and in the field throughout Solano County. Occasional travel for site visits, partner meetings, and professional events may be required, including some before and after-hours commitments.
  
  

If you’re excited to join a team dedicated to inspiring a love of the land and preserving it for people, food, and the environment, we’d love to hear from you!

Full Job Description

• Reports to the Development Director
• Full-time (1.0 FTE), non-exempt (hourly) position with a six-month introductory period
• 8 hours per day, generally between 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, Mon-Fri with some flexibility
• Compensation: $26.00-$28.00/hour DOE, with opportunities for spot bonuses
• This position is based at Solano Land Trust main office in Vacaville, CA. While hybrid flexibility is available, the role requires regular presence at the main office and in the field throughout Solano County. Occasional travel for site visits, partner meetings, and professional events may be required, including some before and after-hours commitments
  
  

Summary

The Development Specialist (DS) maintains Solano Land Trust’s donor database, ensures accurate entry of pledges and gifts, and develops acknowledgement letters. The DS creates and produces reports and analyzes programmatic results and trends against organizational goals, benchmarks and industry standards. The DS supports SLT’s mail and digital appeals and special events as well as providing design support for advertisements, flyers and social media. This position also provides administrative support to the organization’s Fundraising/Development & Communications Department.

This position requires focus, technical expertise, problem solving, detail-orientation, organization, follow-through, strong writing abilities and relationship building. The DS will be managing multiple, concurrent deadlines, and will be required to maintain a calm composure under pressure.

The Development Specialist is responsible for delivering the following results:

• A robust, accurate and well-functioning donor database
• Timely and accurate donor acknowledgement letters
• Timely and accurate fundraising reports
• Accurate and inspiring monthly press releases of SLT’s events and activities
• Efficient and effective support of grant team meetings, including tracking grant opportunities, next steps and deadlines
  
  

Responsibilities

Database Management and Analysis; Donor Acknowledgement

• Maintains donor and email databases, ensures accurate and timely data collection and coding, manages regular data cleanup, database maintenance and reconciliation with Quickbooks.
• Ensures prompt donor thank you letters, end of year reports, and donor acknowledgement letters
• Provides monthly reports on progress including results to date, recent activity, priority contacts to be made and next actions
• Analyzes and compares program data against fundraising goals, benchmarks and industry trends
• Safeguards confidential donor information
  
  

Fundraising Support and Admin Support

• Prepares timely fundraising reports for the Fundraising and Development Committee and the SLT Board
• Assists in the development and implementation of fundraising plans.
• Coordinates, communicates and builds relationships with donors, volunteers, other SLT staff in support of events, social media and donor cultivation; attends donor visits and events as requested
• Supports direct mail, appeals, fundraising and cultivation events and fundraising campaigns (mail and digital)
• Develops on-line forms, track event RSVPs, process payments, and coordinate pickup of donations
• Sets meetings and helps manage calendars for the Development Team
• Takes notes for team, committee and other meetings as needed
• Provides occasional backup coverage and on-site presence as needed to support day to-day operations at the Vacaville Office
  
  

Communications/Social Media

• Create and send monthly press releases to local media, community partners. Develop and maintain a media list database.
• Supports development of SLT publications and communications including SLT newsletters, brochures, website and social media
• Create flyers, posters, invitations, ads, presentation, graphics and supports development of branded merchandise as needed (print and digital)
  
  

Grants

• Coordinates monthly grant meetings
• Research new grants and foundations to be considered by the team, organizes and keeps a table of grant opportunities up to date with deadlines, next steps and responsible staff person
• Helps build relationships with grantors and foundations
• Supports development of grant applications, as requested
  
  

Position Requirements

• Associate’s degree (or the equivalent of five years of fundraising, communications, and/or administrative support)
• Must be organized, detail-oriented and able to multi-task
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and good judgement
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends as required to support campaigns and projects
• Positive attitude, calm under pressure, and good customer service
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office and Google tools
• Excellent follow-through and follow-up
• Problem solving and critical thinking
• Adaptable and good collaborator
• Able to adhere to process, policies, and procedures
  
  

Preferred Education, Skills, Experience

• Possess one or more years of fundraising, communications or administrative experience
• Previous database management experience
• Experience structuring e-newsletters, posting social media in a professional environment
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand for extended periods
• Assist in the setup and teardown of events, including lifting and carrying light to moderate equipment
• Ability to walk up to 3 miles on uneven terrain for donor engagement activities such as guided hikes
• Must be able to drive for local and regional travel.
  
  

Solano Land Trust complies with the Americans with Disability Act and applicable California law and will consider reasonable accommodations.

Solano Land Trust Culture

We value and benefit from the unique life experiences and collective wisdom of our diverse community and we intentionally seek out and welcome those voices who have historically not been involved in our work. We are learners who are always looking for ways to grow personally, and we support and encourage our colleagues to be their best. We are self-starters, are flexible to ever changing circumstances, and we operate with integrity, trust, personal responsibility, and mutual respect.

Salary and Benefits

Solano Land Trust provides a portion of the employee’s health, dental, and vision insurance, matches up to 3% of employee’s contribution toward their 403.b retirement account, and provides eleven paid holidays and three weeks of vacation per year.

Equity and Inclusion Statement

Solano Land Trust is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Salary

$26 -28 / hour

Job Type

Full Time

Job Category

• Development
  
  

General Location

Remote

Apply / Learn More

https://solanolandtrust.org/who-we-are/careers/development-specialist.html

Company Address

198 Dobbins St Ste A

Vacaville, CA

94591

US

Company Website

https://www.solanolandtrust.org

Contact Email

laura@solanolandtrust.org