Development Coordinator/Senior Coordinator

About Room to Grow

Room to Grow is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the vision that one day all parents will have the resources they need to unlock their families’ potential and become champions for babies and their community. Its mission is to offer structured parent support, material goods, and community connections to support parents as they activate their natural strengths and expand their knowledge, so children thrive from the start. Room to Grow was founded in New York in 1998 and expanded to Boston in 2005, currently partnering with over 1,500 families with an annual budget of $7M and a team of 50 passionate and dedicated staff members. 

Room to Grow uses a two-generation, preventative, and strengths-based approach to engage families. Through its unique program, parents and caregivers partner with program staff to develop strategies to support their child's development, select the material items that their child needs, and connect with community resources that can expand their support network. Room to Grow program staff work alongside parents and caregivers as they build upon their existing skill sets and parenting styles and promote the well-being of their children and family. 

As an entrepreneurial and growth-oriented organization, Room to Grow is in an exciting period of development as it continues to expand its reach and impact in Boston and New York and potential future locations. 

Position Summary

Room to Grow is at an exciting inflection point as an organization. We are preparing for ambitious growth and need expanded fundraising capacity to create a proactive and sophisticated development strategy to capitalize on an increasing volume of prospects in our network. Therefore, we are eager to bolster our Development team.

Reporting to the Director of Development, the Coordinator of Development will actively contribute to the  development and implementation of organization-wide fundraising strategies and tactics, covering the areas of individual giving (including major, annual, and other individual giving campaigns) and development operations (including CRM management and prospect research as it relates to individual giving). The Senior Coordinator of Development will join a goal-aligned and collaborative team of five. Additionally, the Development Department is part of the External Engagement team, which includes the Communications Department and Community Engagement Department (which participates in generating prospects and stewarding relationships through their work with volunteers and corporate in-kind partners). This is a hybrid full-time position that can be based in NYC or Boston.

The right candidate is a natural relationship builder and an agile and collaborative leader. This position would be an ideal opportunity for a vibrant, creative, and tenacious individual looking to grow in a role that advances the reach of a promising program model. 

Position Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Frontline Fundraising: Coordinate and support Director of Development, Executive Directors, the CEO, CEEO, Board Members, and staff in various fundraising efforts, specifically in the areas of:
  • Individual Giving: Support overall individual giving strategy and org-wide major gifts program by:
    • Cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of existing mid-range donors ($1,000 - $5,000), as well as identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding prospective new donors throughout the year. 
    • Interact with individual donors through phone, written correspondence, video and in-person meetings and assure that donor communications and inquiries are handled timely and professionally. 
    • In collaboration with the Director of Development and the Communications team, coordinate communications calendar for individual funders and major gift donors, including contributing content, managing communications lists, and tracking outreach. 
    • In collaboration with Director of Development, Executive Directors for each region, and CEO, manage and track prospect pipelines as well as moves-management processes and strategies, reporting on donor performance metrics quarterly. 
    • Conduct ongoing individual research on new and current contributors, as well as prospective new donors, and create individual briefing documents for donor meetings.
    • Alongside the Director of Development and Executive Directors, ensure moves-management strategies and tasks are updated and tracked year round, and revenue and progress to goal is consistently tracked and updated.
    • In collaboration with the Director of Development and Executive Directors, support robust year-end giving and other donor-outreach campaigns throughout the year.
    • Ensure all gifts are properly and timely acknowledged and tracked.
  • Special Events: In collaboration with the Special Events Manager, plan and execute a variety of special events that advance donor engagement. Including: 
    • In collaboration with the Development Manager for Special Events and the Director of Development, support all stewardship event-related donor communication outreach, including creation of targeted donor invitation lists, coordination of event registration, tracking follow up on gratitude and other messages, and ensuring updates, notes and next steps are tracked in Salesforce and individual portfolios.
    • Work with the Development Manager for Special Events to track donor engagement event expenses, and ensure purchase receipts are submitted on a timely basis. 
• Development Operations: Support centralized operations and administration of the department (e.g., comprehensive gift management/CRM system, analysis, and reporting) ensuring quality decision-making and action. Examples include:
  • Maintain clean and accurate records of individual giving, stewardship event invitations and attendance, and donor and volunteer information in Salesforce by leveraging and maintaining systems and tools used to track donor and prospect information.
  • Update revenue dashboards, portfolios, and revenue reporting systems for individual giving. 
  • Monitor metrics of fundraising and related stakeholder outreach efforts such as collection of pledges, rate of new, increased and renewed donations, etc.

• Communications: Partner with the Communications Department for activities related to fundraising. Examples include:
  • Contribute to the creation and implementation of targeted campaigns, development mailings, and other solicitation (i.e. Annual Appeal, Annual Report) and gift acknowledgments including but not limited to preparing mailing lists and executing physical mailings, and leading all direct individual donor communication.
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Partner with other departments in order to maximize fundraising efforts and enhance work across the organization. Examples include:
  • Liaise with the Program Team and other departments to maintain up-to-date knowledge/understanding of program activities, impact, outcomes, and needs, as well as to plan donor site visits, etc.
  • Collaborate with the Community Engagement Department in activities related to fundraising opportunities, such as corporate partner engagements to raise funds, inventory, and awareness (e.g., cause-marketing), and new donor engagement
  • Collaborate with the External Engagement team members on special projects, as needed (e.g. Capital Campaign, annual benefits, etc)

Core Competencies

Mission & Culture Alignment - Allows a candidate to thrive at Room to Grow and to be highly motivated by the organization’s work and mission. A successful candidate:

• Embodies our core values of: integrity, respect, growth, collaboration, community, and inclusion

• Articulates an authentic passion for and belief in Room to Grow’s mission, demonstrating a commitment to and literacy around the issues of equity that undergird our work 

• Demonstrates comfort with ambiguity and navigates changes in direction with ease

• Presents as collaborative and flexible with a strong service mentality
• Approaches work with a learning orientation, continuously seeking to improve his or her own work and the work of the organization

Relationship Building & Fundraising Strategy - Enables a candidate to build deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders and raise funds for Room to Grow. A successful candidate:

• Understands and appreciates the importance and complexity of relationships and builds rapport with a wide range of people
• Possesses excellent communication skills and the ability to initiate, cultivate, and maintain meaningful relationships with diverse stakeholders, such as board members, funders, volunteers, community leaders, program participants, and celebrity ambassadors
• Is motivated to support fundraising for Room to Grow, with  demonstrated knowledge of fundraising best practices including annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, and donor communications
• Uses discretion when communicating with internal and external stakeholders, striking the balance between a customer service mindset and the organization’s goals
• Possesses strong customer service skills and the ability to anticipate and respond to questions or needs in a timely and courteous way 
• Practices cultural sensitivity in all interactions with Room to Grow community members

Initiative & Persistence - Enables a candidate to approach their work with a sense of curiosity and a hunger for growth and knowledge; does not allow challenges to deter them from achieving their goals. A successful candidate: 

• Has a hunger for learning and seeks out internal and external resources to get up to speed on new concepts or content areas
• Is disciplined & dependable to carry out responsibilities
• Tackles challenges with an entrepreneurial spirit
• Sets ambitious goals and works tenaciously to achieve them 
• Welcomes feedback as an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve

Organizational Focus - Enables a candidate to successfully offer quality support to RtG constituents through strong organization skills. A successful candidate:

• Approaches work with a high degree of detail orientation, ensuring that all deadlines are met and that the smallest task is not forgotten

• Possesses organization skills necessary to support clients across regions via phone and email in a timely manner

• Embodies integrity in their work with special attention to details, accuracy, quality assurance and systems improvement  

• Embodies the growth mindset, taking every challenge as an opportunity to build efficiency

Compensation and Benefits

Salary and benefits will be competitive for our field and commensurate with experience. Room to Grow is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. We encourage you to share any required accommodations with april.beakley@roomtogrow.org and elise.spector@roomtogrow.org, who will treat your requests as confidentially as possible.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We view differences between individuals (e.g., race, gender, age, cultural heritage, physical ability, education, beliefs, and lifestyle) as an asset. We celebrate what makes us unique and strive to create an inclusive environment for all. We are focused on fostering a culture of empowerment in an effort to better understand and serve the multifaceted cultures and identities of all of those within the Room to Grow community.

At Room to Grow, our DEI efforts focus on uplifting the experiences and perspectives of underrepresented groups and doing the work that draws out the best in all of us.

Qualifications and Experience

• A passion for the mission, vision, and core values of Room to Grow
• Background in nonprofit or mission-driven companies preferred but not required. 
• Demonstrated track record in independently managing a portfolio of external relationships and building meaningful partnerships with key donors and stakeholders
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills – articulate and persuasive, with the ability to quickly craft resonant messaging and diligent follow up
• Ability to comprehend and interpret impact data for effective donor communications
• Ability to adjust course as needed and thrive in a nimble, fast-paced, and flexible organizational culture
• An exceptionally high level of integrity, accountability, and judgment
• Action-oriented, proactive, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to work
• Familiarity with and relationships in New York City and/or Boston philanthropic networks a plus
• Experience working with CRM databases (Salesforce preferred)
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) candidates are strongly encouraged to apply
• Ability to travel within the US (5-10%)

• Generous paid time off
• Flexible work schedule
• 403(b) with matching program
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Paid Parental Leave
• Supportive and collaborative team
• And so much more! 

To apply, submit your application via Room to Grow’s career portal.