Location: South Bay Area, CA
The Silicon Valley Urban Debate League (SVUDL) seeks a part-time Development Assistant to help us raise funds and grow quickly to reach more youth. SVUDL was founded in 2014 to help underserved students channel the power of their voices to compete, excel, and change the world:
• Competitive Debate taps the joy of expression and the excitement of competition in debate tournaments, inspiring youth to practice hard and make previously unimaginable progress.
• Leadership Development provides youth with skills and opportunities to lead teams, schools, and communities – and supports each debater in graduating from high school and college.
• Curriculum Innovation refines and spreads the strategies and tools of debate, helping adults create classrooms and schools that channel the power of student voice to make smart cool.
Early in 2014, SVUDL staff reached out to schools, districts, and community partners – and the enthusiasm of their response has been nothing short of awesome. The wave of demand has inspired us to grow quickly: we began two pilot programs this past August, with eight more on the waiting list for the full launch in Fall 2015.
The Development Assistant Position
A successful year of fundraising and program-building has brought SVUDL to a crossroads: our pool of donors, prospects, and volunteers has grown too large for our current staff to manage alone. We seek a detail-oriented professional who is committed to SVUDL’s mission and inspired by the prospect of helping a proven program come to scale. The ideal candidate will thrive in a start-up environment and be willing not only to showcase their creativity and writing skills but also to roll up their sleeves and flawlessly execute the humble administrative work that the program depends on to thrive.
Though infrequent in-person meetings are required, it will be possible to perform many of the responsibilities from home or remotely. This position reports directly to the Executive Director.
Responsibilities:
• Donor relations: Process donations, prepare acknowledgement letters, and build warm relationships with donors by email, mail, phone, and events
• Foundation relations: Assist with assembling, writing, and submitting grant requests and reports including letters, proposals, budgets and presentations
• Fundraising data: Collect, enter, organize, and analyze data on current and prospective corporate, foundation, and individual donors
• Communications: Collaborate with coaches and staff to write updates and stories, manage outreach through press and social media, lead other communication projects
• Administration: Manage basic office functions and gathering/preparing materials; assist with program and fundraising events
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director
Qualifications:
• Very comfortable composing and writing letters to donors and prospective donors; flawless grammar and writing skills
• Ability to anticipate needs and be proactive, follow tasks through to completion, and quickly adapt to changing priorities
• Extremely comfortable with MS Office (specifically Word and Excel); web design, page layout, and graphics experience a plus
• Excellent time management skills: Ability to maintain timelines, meet deadlines, prioritize and handle multiple tasks simultaneously
Compensation, benefits, and conditions of work:
Compensation commensurate with experience and skill, performed on a contract basis. Roughly 15-20 hours per week expected; most work can be completed remotely if desired.
How to apply
Please send a 1-page resume and thoughtful cover letter describing how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position to Executive Director Dmitri Seals at dseals@svudl.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The Silicon Valley Urban Debate League is an equal opportunity employer.