Position Summary
To apply
Send resume and cover letter to: Pam Norman, Director of Development at [email protected].
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), founded in 1949, is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit networks serving people with disabilities. UCP promotes the independence, inclusion, and full participation of people with cerebral palsy, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other disabilities through its nationwide network of affiliates and partners.
UCP affiliates provide essential services and supports, including housing, therapy, assistive technology, early intervention, employment assistance, individual and family support, community living, social and recreational programs, referrals, and advocacy. By drawing on the experience of its affiliates and embracing new technologies and approaches, UCP works to expand opportunities for people with disabilities to live, learn, work, and participate fully in their communities.
To support its continued growth, UCP seeks a Development Operations and Engagement Specialist with nonprofit development experience, strong writing and marketing skills, and the ability to coordinate fundraising initiatives from planning through completion. Working closely with the Director of Development, the specialist will support annual giving and digital fundraising campaigns, donor and corporate engagement, stewardship, prospect research, development communications, and fundraising reporting.
This is a hands-on position for someone who can turn fundraising priorities into organized, well executed campaigns and donor communications. The specialist will coordinate activity across development, marketing, finance, and Salesforce functions; maintain accurate donor and campaign information; track deadlines and follow-up; and help ensure that donors and partners receive timely, consistent, and meaningful engagement. The position will also help UCP evaluate fundraising results and strengthen the processes supporting its long-term financial sustainability.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and
relevant professional experience. - Three to five years of nonprofit development, fundraising, donor engagement, or
related experience. - Experience coordinating fundraising campaigns from planning through execution and
evaluation. - Strong writing and editing skills, including experience preparing fundraising appeals,
donor communications, proposals, sponsorship materials, emails, website content, or
presentations. - Working knowledge of individual giving, donor stewardship, corporate fundraising,
digital fundraising, and peer-to-peer campaigns. - Experience using Salesforce or a comparable donor database to maintain constituent
records, manage campaigns, segment audiences, document activity, and produce
reports. Salesforce experience is preferred. - Experience using online fundraising, email marketing, and content-management
platforms. Familiarity with Go fund Me Pro (Classy), WordPress, Canva, Double the
Donation, and iContact or comparable platforms is preferred. - Ability to interpret fundraising results and translate findings into practical
recommendations. - Strong organizational and project-coordination skills, including the ability to manage
multiple deadlines and contributors. - High level of accuracy and discretion when handling donor, financial, and organizational
information. - Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across departments.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
Preferred Experience
- Experience supporting corporate sponsorships or partnerships.
- Experience coordinating direct mail, annual giving, peer-to-peer, recurring-giving, or
planned-giving awareness campaigns. - Experience developing digital fundraising and donor-engagement content.
- Familiarity with nonprofit gift reconciliation and development reporting.
- Experience working within a national nonprofit, association, federated organization, or
affiliate-based network.
Core Competencies
- Clear and persuasive fundraising writing
- Sound development and donor-relations judgment
- Campaign and project coordination
- Attention to detail and data accuracy
- Ability to manage competing priorities
- Analytical thinking and practical problem-solving
- Professional communication and relationship management
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Initiative, accountability, and consistent follow-through
Send resume and cover letter to: Pam Norman, Director of Development at [email protected]
This is a hybrid position based in Vienna, VA – D.C. area with at least 2 in office days per week with the potential for more as needed.
Roles & Responsibilities
The Development Operations and Engagement Specialist supports UCP’s fundraising program through campaign execution, donor communications and stewardship, prospect research, and development operations. Working closely with the Director of Development, the specialist coordinates annual giving and digital fundraising campaigns, prepares donor- and partner-facing materials, supports donor and corporate engagement, and maintains the information and reporting needed to advance fundraising opportunities.
The position requires development background, excellent writing and marketing skills, and experience using Salesforce or a comparable donor database. The specialist will be an active
Salesforce user but will not be responsible for technical system administration
Essential Responsibilities
Fundraising Campaigns and Communications
- Coordinate annual giving, direct mail, email, digital, peer-to-peer, recurring-giving, and
planned-giving awareness campaigns. - Develop campaign workplans, production schedules, audience segments, content, calls
to action, and follow-up activities. - Draft fundraising appeals, donor newsletters, campaign emails, sponsorship materials,
website content, social media copy, and other development communications. - Coordinate fundraising activity across Salesforce, Go Fund Me Pro (Classy), email
marketing platforms, social media, and the UCP website. - Develop peer-to-peer fundraising toolkits, participant communications, training
resources, and campaign guidance. - Work with Marketing and Communications on design, branding, publishing, social media
placement, and coordination with the broader organizational communications calendar. - Monitor campaign performance and prepare post-campaign reports, including results,
lessons learned, and recommendations. - Support development-related communications, donor lists, sponsorship fulfillment, and
follow-up for approved fundraising and donor-engagement events.
The position is responsible for development-related content and campaign coordination. Organization-wide marketing strategy, graphic design, brand management, and general communications remain with the Marketing and Communications function.
Donor and Prospect Engagement
- Support the cultivation, solicitation, acknowledgment, and stewardship of individual
donors and corporate partners. - Coordinate timely donor acknowledgments, recognition, stewardship communications,
and follow-up. - Draft donor correspondence, proposals, sponsorship materials, presentations, briefing
documents, and reports. - Prepare prospect profiles, meeting briefs, background information, and talking points.
- Coordinate donor and prospect meetings, including scheduling, preparation of
materials, documentation of outcomes, and follow-up. - Maintain schedules for donor stewardship, sponsorship fulfillment, reporting
obligations, and other commitments. - Track prospective donors and partners through the development process and identify
opportunities requiring attention or follow-up. - Support donor retention, recurring giving, reactivation, upgrading, and planned-giving
awareness activities. - Assist with routine corporate and sponsorship outreach as assigned by the Director of
Development.
The Director of Development and CEO retain primary responsibility for fundraising strategy,
significant donor and corporate relationships, major solicitations, and achievement of overall
revenue goals.
Development Operations and Reporting
- Maintain accurate and current donor, prospect, campaign, and fundraising activity
records in Salesforce. - Create and maintain Salesforce campaigns, lists, audience segments, reports, and
dashboards needed for development activities - Track donor communications, meetings, commitments, next steps, and stewardship
activity. - Identify incomplete, inconsistent, or duplicate development records and coordinate
corrections with the Salesforce Administrator. - Partner with the Salesforce Administrator on development workflows, reports,
automation, data practices, and technical issues. - Coordinate development activity across Salesforce, Go Fund Me Pro (Classy), email
marketing tools, and other fundraising platforms. - Prepare recurring reports on fundraising revenue, campaign performance, donor
participation, retention, pipelines, and progress against goals. - Maintain the development calendar, including campaigns, appeals, donor
communications, meetings, reporting deadlines, and stewardship activities. - Coordinate monthly and annual development revenue reconciliation with Finance and
assist in resolving discrepancies. - Maintain organized documentation supporting audits and annual reporting.
- Provide development information needed for the Form 990 and external nonprofit
profiles, including Candid, Charity Navigator, and BBB Wise Giving Alliance. - Maintain development procedures, templates, campaign documentation, and other
working resources. - Recommend improvements to development processes based on campaign results,
reporting, and day-to-day experience.
The Salesforce Administrator remains responsible for system configuration, permissions, integrations, security, automation architecture, and technical administration. Finance remains
responsible for accounting decisions, financial reporting, and validation of financial information.
Allocation of Responsibilities
Area Approximate allocation
Fundraising campaigns and development communications 40%
Donor, corporate, and prospect engagement support 30%
Development operations, Salesforce use, and reporting 30%
Time allocations may shift during major campaigns and other periods of concentrated fundraising activity.