Development Operations Specialist

The Development Operations Specialist serves as the central coordinator for the Development Department, ensuring projects, communications, and fundraising initiatives move efficiently from concept to completion. This role functions as the department's project management hub, overseeing workflow, coordinating priorities, tracking deadlines, and facilitating collaboration across the Development, Marketing, Finance Departments and other internal teams. Reporting to the Vice President of Development, the Development Operations Specialist provides high-level administrative and project management support while helping ensure consistent execution of fundraising initiatives and exceptional service to donors and internal stakeholders.

Key Accountabilities

Department Project Management

• Serve as the central point of coordination for all Development projects and requests.
• Manage department workflow, ensuring projects are prioritized, assigned, and completed on schedule.
• Maintain department project calendars and timelines.
• Monitor deadlines and proactively follow up with team members to ensure accountability.
• Coordinate cross-functional projects with Marketing, Finance, Programs, and Executive Leadership.
• Lead weekly project status meetings and maintain action item lists.

• Act as the primary intake point for requests entering the Development Department.
• Review requests for completeness and coordinate next steps.
• Route projects to appropriate team members while balancing workloads and priorities.
• Track project progress from initiation through completion.
• Identify potential bottlenecks and recommend solutions.

• Provide administrative support to the Vice President of Development and department leadership.
• Prepare agendas, meeting materials, and presentations.
• Maintain departmental procedures, templates, and documentation.
• Coordinate departmental budgets, invoices, contracts, and purchasing requests.
• Assist with board materials and committee support as needed.

• Generate and distribute recurring stewardship lists for Development staff, including thank-you calls, handwritten notes, anniversary acknowledgments, milestone giving, and donor recognition.
• Monitor stewardship timelines to ensure timely and consistent donor engagement.
• Coordinate donor acknowledgment workflows across the Development team.
• Produce donor, prospect, and campaign reports from Salesforce to support fundraising strategies.

• Develop and maintain project tracking systems and dashboards.
• Generate departmental reports and performance metrics.
• Maintain documentation and standard operating procedures.
• Recommend process improvements to increase efficiency.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS OUTSIDE NORMAL WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Ability to work in all weather conditions.
• Willing to work evenings, weekends and non-traditional hours.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 40 pounds.
• Ability to stand and walk, stand, bend, crouch, balance, use hands/arms to lift/move objects.
• Ability to assist with event setup and breakdown.

SKILLS, COMPETENCIES, EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Exceptional organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office;
• Ability to operate a motorized vehicle, including a battery operated golf cart.
• Valid driver’s license and clean driving record.
• Must meet acceptable attendance and punctuality requirements, which are essential functions for the position.
• Bachelor's Degree or a combination of education and relevant work experience equal to six or more years.
• 3+ years of project management, nonprofit administration, executive support, or operations experience.

• Experience with Salesforce and Asana preferred.