The American Youth Symphony (AYS) currently seeks a highly organized and creative individual for the Development Associate position, which is foundational to the success of a busy and diverse administrative office. This position reports directly to the Executive Director and primarily encompasses responsibilities in three areas – grant writing, patron relations and fundraisers – as well as providing administrative support for the office as needed

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE – Principal Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

Grant writing
Frontline responsibility for managing the AYS grant calendar and working with the Executive Director on all areas of foundation interaction and cultivation. Responsibilities include:

Manage ongoing grant calendar and ensure timely submissions of all communications with foundations
Research new sources of foundation funding
Write/edit grant proposals
Write/edit foundation reports
Write/send acknowledgement letters to all foundation partners

Patron Relations
Manage patron stewardship and cultivation activities of AYS. Responsibilities include:

Provide timely and accurate gift entry and record maintenance, working within the Patron Manager database.
Manage the fulfillment of donor recognition such as acknowledgement letters, thank you phone calls, tribute gifts and special occasion mailings, and invitations to cultivation and stewardship events.
Manage the fulfillment of the AYS membership program, such as membership renewal outreach, membership perks and benefits acquisition, all communication to members regarding their benefits.
Create a variety of specific reports of donors within Patron Manager database, including generating mailing lists for events, VIP concert guests, and campaigns.
Manage all mailing campaigns in entirety, including coordination with the printer and overseeing list exchanges.
Design/write copy for development collateral, including membership, planned giving, musician sponsorship, case for support, event invitations, etc.
Track event attendance and coordinate the dissemination of all pertinent event information (directions, parking, etc.) to participants.
Compile development-related program book materials, including donor acknowledgement list, musician sponsorship list and graphic, planned giving, etc.
Prepare Development Reports for Board meetings

    Maintain foundation, corporation and individual donor files

Fundraisers

Working under the supervision of the Executive Director, coordinate the Hollywood Project fundraising dinner, the annual gala, as well as any in-home and cultivation events to be scheduled.

Administrative

Support the office in several key areas of community relations and concerts. Responsibilities include:

Answer the phones, check and update voicemail
Manage organization calendar and prepare agendas/take notes for weekly staff meetings
Prepare Board folders for Board of Directors meetings and take the minutes when requested
Assist the Community Relations Manager in all pre-concert preparations, including processing ticket reservations
Concert support, including managing front-of-house technology, staffing box office, and donor lounge
Send post-concert surveys and compile results data

Skills & Abilities (Required technical/functional skills):

Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of one year of experience or equivalent combination of education/training and experience in fundraising and/or administration support in a non-profit
Excellent computer skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Office suite with proficiency in Excel and Word
Proficient experience with Adobe Creative Suite
Knowledge of a donor database system with an aptitude for learning new donation software quickly (Patron manager a plus)
Highly organized with great written and verbal communication skills
Outgoing with excellent interpersonal skills and enjoy working with people
Ability to multi-task and establish priorities amongst competing interests
Detail oriented and able to meet deadlines
HTML and/or CSS experience a plus
Adobe Premiere Pro (video) and Adobe Audition (audio) experience a plus

Flexible schedule and ability to attend AYS-related concerts and events on evenings and weekends is necessary. Salary is commensurate with experience.

How to apply

To apply for this position, please submit the following items VIA EMAIL:

Cover letter
Resume
Writing sample (preferably a grant proposal)

Please submit your application electronically with the email SUBJECT line reading: DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

Only qualified applicants will be contacted. Please direct all submissions to:
Varina Bleil, Executive Director
varina.bleil@aysymphony.org