Development Associate

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and 3 or more years of related experience.

Additional Information

Learn more about our work culture and see yourself at Harvard Kennedy School.

We regret that the Harvard Kennedy School does not provide visa sponsorship.

Harvard University requires pre-employment reference and background checks.

Harvard University is committed to supporting a healthy, sustainable learning and working environment.

This is a hybrid position based on our campus in Cambridge, MA. As a campus-based institution, we place a high value on the in-person experience, cross-team collaboration, and strong community building in order to create a vibrant campus for our students, faculty, staff, and research fellows. The position is required to work in-person on campus a minimum of three days per week during the academic year. Specific days and schedule will be determined between you and your manager.

The health of our workforce is a priority for Harvard University. With that in mind, we strongly encourage all employees to be up-to-date on CDC-recommended vaccines.

Salary Range: $66,200 - $108,200

Note: Starting salaries typically fall in the lower half of the salary range; however, they are ultimately determined by the scope of the position, the candidate's relevant experience, and internal equity.

Position Description

This position contributes to meeting and exceeding department revenue goals by developing and executing prospect strategies, cultivating, and stewarding prospects and donors and directly soliciting gifts.

• Manages a 500+ person prospect pool of mainly alumni leadership giving donors within specific regions and spread throughout the globe, with a focus of raising annual gifts between $1,000 and $100,000.

• Develops appropriate cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to enhance retention, grow revenue, and improve donor advancement. Will be required to meet set individual revenue and moves management goals.

• Makes a minimum of 80-100 face-to-face visits and contacts entire portfolio each year. Qualifies, progresses, and cultivates newly identified prospects and evaluates major gift potential and next steps.

• Manages alumni volunteers in reunion and non-reunion classes, overseeing volunteer training, class fundraising strategy, and the logistics involved with volunteer solicitations.

• Responsible for working closely with HKS Fund staff to solicit reunion prospects and execute on annual reunion fundraising strategy.

• As needed, utilizes email, digital, and phone outreach to meaningfully contact prospects outside of typical travel areas.

• Creates customized and personalized donor communications materials and touchpoints to help nurture and strengthen mid-level donors' relationships with the Kennedy School.

• Researches and prepares background information and drafts high level strategy briefings for faculty, senior administrators, and volunteers. Drafts other correspondence and communications as required.

• Works with senior staff to strategize and plan development trips. May coordinate any or all aspects of development travel including prospect identification, scheduling, logistics, travel arrangements, event logistics, briefings, staffing and follow-up correspondence.

• May staff faculty or senior administrators in meetings with donors and represent Alumni Relations and Resource Development at events, meetings, and 1:1 appointments. Coordinates briefings and follow-up correspondence. Prepares contact reports and enters them in the development database.

• Tracks prospects in the assigned portfolio, developing strategies and moves and ensuring that assignments are up to date and all activities are documented.

• Manages research needs for assigned portfolio by completing research or by assigning research to the University Research Team when appropriate.

• Works with the Communications staff to ensure talking points are written for the Dean or other senior administrators for speaking engagements.

• As a member of the Alumni Relations and Development Office team, takes on critical project work as needed. This might include working on planning efforts, development committee meetings or events, drafting reports and presentations, or writing proposals.

• Performs other responsibilities upon request, as needed, with or without accommodation.

• The above covers the most significant responsibilities of this position. It does not, however, exclude other duties, the inclusion of which would be in conformity with the level of the position

Job Summary

This Development Associate works closely within the HKS Fund team to identify, cultivate, and solicit annual and major gift donors for gifts of $1,000-$100,000. The Development Associate coordinates cultivation and solicitation activities and strategies, manages programmatic activities for assigned portfolios, and manages portfolio information including identification, tracking, and updating relevant data.