Development Specialist

ROLE STATEMENT:

At the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina, we help all people reach their God-given potential in Spirit, Mind and Body.

When you choose to work for the YMCA, you are in a unique position to change someone's life.

You are a cause-driven leader and recognize that building relationships is critical to strengthening our members, volunteers, staff, and our community, as well as the overall health of our Y.  Through your work, you will create:

• A better opportunity to share our Christian Mission

• A stronger sense of community and belonging

• A place to share our values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility, and faith

• Value to the Individuality and uniqueness of others

• Meaningful guidance to improve the health of others

 POSITION SUMMARY:

The Development Specialist position works on all areas of Development (marketing, communication, and philanthropy) within the association.  This position delivers excellent service to all members, guests and donors of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina, as well as branch staff.  Primary responsibilities include management of the philanthropic database (Raiser’s Edge NXT) for donors, community partners, public officials and friends of the YMCA.  In addition, they will assist all of the philanthropic reporting to branch execs and other leadership, as well as the direct solicitation and digital solicitation campaigns to assist in meeting Annual Impact fund Goals. The Development Specialist will also assist in planning and implementing association-wide special events, including the association golf tournament, Annual Celebration, Better Together and other major donor events. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provide leadership to the association as the Raiser’s Edge NXT expert, including but not limited to employee training, new feature implementation, wealth screen research, data management, and best practices.
• Provide leadership to branches and leadership for philanthropic reporting, trends and additional donor engagement opportunity.
• Serve on leadership team for planning and implementation of annual association special events, including but not limited to association golf tournament, annual meeting and other major donor events.  Responsibilities include: branch and participant communication, event space coordination, maintain team rosters and event lists, manage payments, billing and acknowledgements, reconcile payments and in-kind gift reports for CFO, VP of Finance and Controller. Work with branch and other association staff on creation and execution of direct mail and digital solicitation strategies.
• Process pledges, payments, billing and acknowledgements
• Maintain accurate donor and board member contact information and giving history
• Generate annual campaign and capital campaign reports, pledge receivable summaries and IRS reports
• Answer questions for branch staff and donors regarding donor accounts
• Prepare daily deposits for the Operations Center; maintain monthly spreadsheet for Controller
• Reconcile monthly payments and General Ledger
• Update database with contributions made by payroll deduction
• Process monthly bank draft and bi-monthly credit card payments
• Manage printing of yearly campaign pledge cards
• Facilitate the filing of matching company grant request forms
• Maintain files for various mailings 
• Maintain inventory of branch Annual Giving Campaign letterhead and envelopes 

 YMCA COMPETENCIES (Leader):

Mission Advancement: Accepts and demonstrates the Ys values. Demonstrates a desire to serve others and fulfill community needs. Recruits volunteers and builds effective, supportive working relationships with them. Supports fund-raising.

Collaboration: Works effectively with people of different backgrounds, abilities, opinions, and perceptions. Builds rapport and relates well to others. Seeks first to understand the other person’s point of view, and remains calm in challenging situations. Listens for understanding and meaning; speaks and writes effectively. Takes initiative to assist in developing others.

Operational Effectiveness: Makes sound judgments, and transfers learning from one situation to another. Embraces new approaches and discovers ideas to create a better member experience. Establishes goals, clarifies tasks, plans work and actively participates in meetings. Follows budgeting policies and procedures, and reports all financial irregularities immediately. Strives to meet or exceed goals and deliver a high-value experience for members.

Personal Growth: Pursues self-development that enhances job performance. Demonstrates an openness to change, and seeks opportunities in the change process. Accurately assesses personal feelings, strengths and limitations and how they impact relationships. Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills required to perform well; uses best practices and demonstrates up-to-date knowledge and skills in technology.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Bachelor’s Degree from four-year college or university; or, one to two years related experience and /or training; or, equivalent combination of education or experience.  
2. Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to multi-task and prioritize; ability to work without direct supervision; excellent organizational skills and attention to detail; professionalism when interacting with donors and volunteers
3. Excellent interpersonal and problem solving skills.
4. Event management experience
5. Social media knowledge and experience in digital software
6. Ability to find and solve financial discrepancies based on knowledge obtained through daily transactions. 
7. Appropriate YMCA of North Carolina training and membership certifications as outlined in Quality Standards.
8. Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of people from all social and economic
    segments of the community
9. Knowledge of computers, software and office systems; ability to learn new software and office systems 

 DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION VISION STATEMENT:

The Y is a place where common ground thrives and people of all walks of life can belong. We approach diversity and inclusion through the Christian principles of love, compassion, kindness, and respect. The YMCA of Northwest North Carolina will promote and exemplify togetherness. We value, encourage, and nurture the contributions that each person makes to our increasingly diverse association and the communities we serve.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:

It is the policy of the Y to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, mental or physical diverse ability, genetic Information, or other protected characteristics.