BIG SHOULDERS FUND
Big Shoulders Fund is an independent tax-exempt charitable organization that provides support to schools with demonstrated need which provide a quality, values-based education for children. We serve 25,000 students and 92 schools in the Chicago and Northwest Indiana regions. Each school is a vital community-based organization and an anchor to its surrounding neighborhoods.
For thirty-seven years, Big Shoulders Fund has helped Chicago’s children achieve their dreams through access to high quality education. Of the 25,000 students we serve, 83% identify as people of color and 69% reside in low-income households. We expand access and outcomes by investing more than $40 million annually in scholarship support and enrichment programming for students; operational improvements for schools; cultivation of talent pipelines for school personnel from new teachers through veteran principals; and professional development and support for educators and leaders – all with the goal of not just strengthening schools, but whole communities, while preparing students for life-long success. To that end, 80% of scholars matriculate to college and students earn a degree at two times the national average. Latino and Black scholars graduate at three-times and four-times their counterparts, respectively, and graduates go on to vote, contribute, and participate at greater rates than local and national outcomes.
In 2019, Big Shoulders Fund began an exciting new chapter in Northwest Indiana by making a long-term commitment to The Region. Since then, we have worked to bring our unique approach to building the capacity of local school communities to best serve students and families of Northwest Indiana, with special focus on areas of greatest need: Gary, Hammond and East Chicago. The long-term goals of our efforts include elevating the quality of values-based schools in Northwest Indiana through: academic investments, instructional and data coaching; marketing and outreach efforts; and enrichment and summer programs to expand opportunities for students. While some roles on our staff focus exclusively on Northwest Indiana, all Big Shoulders Fund team members contribute to the success of our work in The Region.
Big Shoulders Fund has earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest evaluator of nonprofits, for 17 consecutive years, a distinction held by less than one percent of nonprofit organizations nationally.
Position Overview
Under the direction of the Manager, Development Operations, the Donor Services
Coordinator handles an array of database functions, ensuring the timely acknowledgement of contributions and payments, and maintaining the accuracy of critical constituent data. The Donor Services Coordinator also assists with stewardship activities, moves management, reporting, and the planning and execution of supporter cultivation
strategies.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
· Draft and generate acknowledgment letters and/or emails for routine gifts and more complex acknowledgements for review by the appropriate relationship manager and facilitate the correspondence review process from letter generation to electronic filing of final drafts.
· Maintain constituent files and documentation (electronic/physical files) and organize files in a manner that ensures they are readily available to, and understood by, members
of the Development and Leadership Teams.
· Generate reports for the purposes of donor relations reporting, direct mail appeals, special event invitations, print communications, etc. Extract information from database to
produce merged lists and labels as required.
· Assist the Manager, Development Operations in building, maintaining, and implementing
regular data quality checks and making corrections as needed.
· Be sufficiently knowledgeable about the Salesforce database to answer inquiries
from the Development team about prospects and current supporters.
· Coordinate supporter calls and visits, donor receptions and recognition events on behalf
of the Chief Advancement Officer, members of the Donor Engagement team, and Big Shoulders Fund Leadership team.
· Assist the Manager, Development Operations and members of the Finance team
with preparation of weekly cash deposits and reconciliation activities as needed.
· Prepare and submit purchase orders on behalf of development team members.
· Manage inventory of stationary items required for gift processing and acknowledgements.
ADDITIONAL EXPECTATIONS
· As a member of Big Shoulders Fund staff, the Donor Services Coordinator will also:
o Attend and support the facilitation of fundraising events, service days, and other programs that further the mission of Big Shoulders Fund through its outreach to donors, communities and schools;
o Work cooperatively with Big Shoulders Fund staff in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, and perform other duties as assigned.
· Work some evenings and weekends for Big Shoulders Fund events.
REQUIREMENTS / QUALITIES OF THE CANDIDATE WE SEEK
· 1-3 experience in a nonprofit setting, prior fundraising experience a plus
· Bachelor’s degree
· Facility with constituent relationship management (CRM) systems; experience with Salesforce database strongly desired
· Accuracy and extreme attention to detail
· Strong verbal and written communication skills
· Ability to handle multiple projects concurrently
· Ability to work cooperatively in a team environment
· Ability to balance daily operational tasks and responsibilities alongside high priority, deadline-driven project work
· Exceptional organizational, problem solving, and time management skills
· Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with others
· Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
· High degree of responsibility, initiative, and professionalism
· Highly motivated and adaptable with a strong work ethic; operates with honesty, integrity, and a positive attitude
· Active desire to learn
· Cultural sensitivity and ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups of people
· Commitment to and passion for improving access to high-quality, values-based education options for all children
· Ability to work some weekends and evenings for Big Shoulders Fund events
NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties to meet the ongoing needs of the organization and the students/schools it serves.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
Ability to Relocate:
- Chicago, IL 60607: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Chicago, IL 60607