Development Coordinator - Hybrid

Description

Achievement Centers for Children is a Cleveland, Ohio based nonprofit that is nationally recognized for helping children with disabilities and their families achieve and thrive. Working here is both personally meaningful and professionally rewarding.

The Role

The Development Coordinator role combines direct donor engagement with responsibility for selected fundraising and volunteer leadership initiatives. This position manages an assigned portfolio of emerging, current, and lapsed donors; serves as the primary staff liaison to the Associate Board; and leads the planning and implementation of A Most Excellent Race.

Working with the Director of Development and Vice President of Development & External Relations, the coordinator develops engagement plans, evaluates fundraising results, and recommends opportunities to strengthen donor retention, increase giving, and build ACC’s future leadership-giving pipeline.

This is an opportunity for an emerging fundraising professional who enjoys connecting with people, translating ideas into action, and taking responsibility for measurable results.

Essential responsibilities

Individual giving and donor relationships

• Manage an assigned portfolio of donors and prospects, with responsibility for cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and progress toward established fundraising goals.
• Develop individualized engagement plans based on giving history, interests, relationships, and readiness to deepen involvement.
• Initiate donor conversations through telephone calls, personalized emails, meetings, tours, and other appropriate outreach.
• Personally solicit gifts within assigned giving levels and coordinate opportunities requiring involvement from development leadership.
• Identify and reengage lapsed donors and cultivate first-time donors toward continued support.
• Analyze donor trends and response patterns to recommend changes in outreach, messaging, timing, and engagement.
• Qualify prospective leadership donors and recommend advancement to the appropriate development colleague, documenting relationship history and proposed next steps.

Associate Board engagement

• Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Associate Board, partnering with volunteer leaders to develop and implement an annual engagement and fundraising plan.
• Recommend strategies for member recruitment, onboarding, retention, leadership development, and meaningful participation.
• Help members identify prospective donors, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners within their networks.
• Establish clear action plans with volunteer leaders and monitor progress toward agreed-upon goals.
• Plan meetings with volunteer leadership, prepare relevant materials, and ensure timely follow-through.
• Evaluate engagement and fundraising results and recommend improvements.

A Most Excellent Race

• Lead the annual planning and implementation of A Most Excellent Race in partnership with development leadership, program colleagues, and volunteers.
• Develop the proposed event plan, budget, revenue projections, timeline, and participant engagement strategy for approval.
• Manage implementation within approved plans and spending authority, recommending adjustments when participation, revenue, or expenses vary from expectations.
• Cultivate and solicit event sponsors and supporters in coordination with the Corporate Manager and other assigned relationship owners.
• Develop strategies to increase team participation, peer-to-peer fundraising, repeat involvement, and conversion of event participants into ongoing ACC supporters.
• Coordinate vendors, volunteer assignments, registration, sponsor fulfillment, and event communications with appropriate colleagues.
• Conduct a post-event evaluation addressing revenue, expenses, donor acquisition, participant experience, and recommendations for the following year.

Planning, accountability, and collaboration

• Develop annual and quarterly work plans with the Director of Development, including revenue goals, donor engagement priorities, and initiative milestones.
• Exercise judgment in prioritizing assigned relationships and selecting engagement approaches within approved departmental strategies and policies.
• Review results regularly, identify barriers and opportunities, and recommend corrective action.
• Maintain timely, accurate records in Bloomerang, including contacts, relationship insights, solicitations, commitments, and next steps.
• Partner with the Development Data & Operations Analyst to use reports and donor information to guide decisions and measure progress.
• Coordinate with development operations colleagues to ensure donors receive timely, accurate, and meaningful recognition.
• Collaborate with program and communications colleagues to connect donor interests with ACC’s needs, stories, and impact.
• Support other development activities as assigned to the position’s primary responsibilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, communications, marketing, business, or a related field
• In lieu of bachelor's degree, a combination of education and relevant experience will be considered
• One to three years of relevant experience in fundraising, donor relations, community engagement, volunteer leadership, sales, or another relationship-based field.
• Relationship building with comfort in asking individuals or organizations for financial support.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to organize projects, meet deadlines, and follow through on commitments.
• Ability to interpret information, evaluate options, solve problems, and recommend practical improvements.
• Familiarity with fundraising practices, donor stewardship, or moves management preferred.
• Experience with a donor database or customer relationship management system preferred; Bloomerang experience is a plus.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and willingness to learn relevant fundraising and event platforms.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and respect for confidential donor and organizational information.
• Commitment to ACC’s mission and to respectful, accessible, and inclusive engagement.

Working expectations

The position includes local travel for donor meetings, community activities, and ACC events, along with occasional evening and weekend work.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Achievement Centers for Children values and promotes diversity and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.