The Opportunity

As the Development Associate, you will play a key role in the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors and prospects across Australia to ensure existing and prospective donors maintain and grow their support for Room to Read.

Using your outstanding relationship building and communication skills, you will manage a portfolio of mid-to high-net-worth individual donors and corporate and foundation partners to generate new revenue and build a pipeline for future growth.

This position reports to the Development Director, Australia. You must be able and willing to meet with donors and prospects face to face. If you are based in Sydney and are dynamic, personable, results-oriented and self-motivated with a track record of delivering fundraising results in the non-profit sector, we’d love to hear from you.

What You’ll Do

Fundraising (90%)

• Generate a minimum of $400,000 (AUD 600,000) in donations annually by managing relationships with mid- to high-net-worth individuals and corporate partners.
• Manage a portfolio of approximately 75 prospects and donors making gifts at the $5,000+ level.
• Partner with the Development Director to implement a mid-level giving strategy focused on engaging and upgrading donors of $1,000+.
• Deepen commitment of donors and prospects to the organisation by developing long-term cultivation and stewardship strategies that leverage the expertise of key Room to Read staff and leadership.
• Recommend potential funding opportunities to donors by staying current with organisational strategies and program details and plans.
• Identify new fundraising opportunities and build the individual and corporate prospect pipeline in Australia.

 Other (10%)

• Assist with events in Australia including fundraising galas, virtual events, boutique donor gatherings, leadership engagements, and other team activities. 
• Analyze the local market and track donor trends to assist in developing strategies and market plans using Salesforce CRM and other data analysis tools
• Collaborate with Room to Read’s global team to prepare donor communication materials, including concept papers, proposals, donor updates and mailings, and additional materials as needed.
• Represent Room to Read at fundraising and awareness-building events and in donor cultivation meetings.
• Use specialist databases and other tools to actively manage donor stewardship, track and forecast income , and create reports.

In Your First 3 to 6 Months, You Will:

• Familiarise yourself with Room to Read programs, fundraising operations and teams
• Develop and implement annual stewardship plans for managing the donor portfolio and cultivating new prospects
• Collaborate with teams and provide support for fundraising events and donor engagements

What You’ll Bring

• 3 to 5 years of experience in fundraising with high-net-worth individuals, corporations, and/or foundations or sales to high-net-worth individuals.

• Demonstrated ability to obtain donations of AUD 20,000 or higher and/or sales results, including successful relationship management and income generation.

• High level of proficiency in managing existing and cultivating new relationships with foundation and corporate partners and high net worth individual donors  

• Persuasive and effective public speaking and presentation skills for in-person and virtual events, proposal pitches and cultivation meetings. 

• Skilled at developing strategies to engage with and retain donors and increase long-term giving. 

• Proven success at creating fundraising pipelines. 

• Adept at using database systems, such as Salesforce platforms or other fundraising CRM’s.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.

Candidates with applicable skills and experience from the private sector (private banking, family offices, luxury organisations, corporate foundations, etc.) will also be considered.

We Offer

Compensation: The salary range for this role is AUD 86,110 to 102,359. Compensation may vary depending on several factors including, but not limited to, experience, skill set, and relevant education or certifications.

Along with competitive salaries, enjoy salary packing with charity-sector tax exemptions, allowing you to enjoy more take-home pay.

About Room to Read: 

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read is creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality through education. We are achieving this goal by helping children in historically low-income communities develop literacy skills and a habit of reading, and by supporting girls as they build life skills to succeed in school and negotiate key life decisions.

We collaborate with governments and other partner organisations to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. Room to Read has benefited more than 45 million children and has worked in 24 countries and in more than 213,000 communities, providing additional support through remote solutions that facilitate learning beyond the classroom.

Learn more at roomtoread.org.

Room to Read is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.