About Minds Matter Boston

Minds Matter Boston (MMB) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect driven and determined students from low-income families with the people, preparation, and possibilities they need to succeed in college, create their futures, and change the world. For the last 20+  years, every Minds Matter Boston graduate has been accepted into a four-year college.

Position Overview

Minds Matter Boston is seeking a passionate, organized, and creative Development Associate to support the organization’s fundraising, corporate engagement, events, and donor communications efforts.

The Development Associate will help strengthen donor and partner relationships through timely communication, thoughtful stewardship, event support, volunteer engagement, annual appeal coordination, gift processing, development operations, and accurate tracking in Salesforce. This role is designed for someone who is eager to grow as a fundraising professional while working closely with the Director of Development on strategy and execution.

This role is a great opportunity for an aspiring Development professional who seeks hands-on experience with a wide variety of fundraising strategies, from donor engagement and annual campaigns to events, corporate partnerships, and stewardship. Moreover, this individual will also develop experience in communications, research, social media, data management, operations, and more.

Reporting to the Director of Development, this role will work closely with our broader staff team, over 300 volunteers, and 225 students.

Core Responsibilities

Fundraising (40%): 

• Contribute to the organization’s annual revenue goal through fundraising campaigns, donor engagement, corporate partnerships, and events;

• Coordinate key annual campaigns, including the year-end appeal and MMB’s Boston Marathon charitable team;

• Support planning of the Spring Soirée, with particular emphasis on logistics, sponsorships, guest communications, and post-event stewardship;

• Work alongside volunteer groups, including the Associate Board and Board of Directors, to further key fundraising and stewardship projects;

• Research, identify, and qualify new prospective funding opportunities, including corporate partnerships, foundations, sponsorships, and individual/family gifts;

• Coordinate corporate volunteer engagement opportunities, including scheduling, logistics, partner communication, and follow-up;

• Track donor activity, campaign progress, next steps, and relationship history in Salesforce;

• Collaborate with the Director of Development to maintain an annual donor stewardship calendar that supports retention and deeper engagement.

Operational Support (30%): 

• Manage gift processing, donor acknowledgments, pledge tracking, CRM updates, and related development operations workflows;

• Maintain accurate donor information, revenue tracking, campaign data, dashboards, reports, and relationship history in Salesforce;

• Manage matching gifts, stock gifts, monthly giving, online fundraising platforms, and related donor records;

• Create and send thank you notes, donation tax receipts, invoices, pledge reminders, collection follow-up, and other donor deliverables;

• Track campaign progress, event revenue, sponsorships, pledges, outstanding payments, and donor stewardship needs;

• Support development reporting, including donor lists, event revenue reports, sponsorship updates, annual appeal reports, and pipeline reports.

Communications & Marketing (30%): 

• Support Minds Matter Boston’s online presence through social media, email communications, newsletters, website updates, and other digital channels, with the goals of increasing engagement among MMB community members and promoting awareness among the Greater Boston community;

• Draft and schedule social media or email content related to fundraising, events, volunteerism, student impact, and donor stewardship;

• Help gather photos, quotes, stories, and impact highlights for donor communications and regional storytelling;

• Develop marketing collateral, including campaign materials, event promotions, donor communications, sponsorship materials, and stewardship pieces to support fundraising activities;

• Ensure communications align with Minds Matter Boston’s voice, brand, and priorities;

• Assist the Director of Development in generating key messaging strategies throughout the year;

• Develop skills in supporting design and marketing software platforms including MailChimp, Canva, and related tools.

Essential Qualities

• Connection to the Minds Matter mission of promoting education equity and furthering college access. 

• Demonstrated ability to work with individuals with diverse backgrounds, interests, and skills.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Excellent organizational skills and acute attention to detail and accuracy.

• Ability to multitask and prioritize requests from multiple members of the team.

• Ability to self-direct and manage one's own workstreams. 

• Commitment to helping a highly successful organization implement systems and structures to support a new phase of strategic planning.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in Google (Docs, Sheets, Slides) & Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Publisher, PowerPoint).

• Previous experience with CRM databases, such as Salesforce, is preferred.

• Willingness to work two to three in-person days each week and occasional weekend and evening events (approximately 10-20 throughout the year). 

• Bachelor's degree required.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $60,000.

• Highly competitive benefits package including medical/dental/vision/life and short and long-term disability insurance, 15 PTO days, 15 sick days, 15 paid holidays, 1-week December closure, 2 floating holidays, 3 personal days, and a 401K plan, Parental leave policy to support your family planning journey.

• Minds Matter Boston is a hybrid organization. This position is in person 2 days a week and an additional Thursday of every month.

How to Apply

Please go to Idealist to submit your resume and cover letter to apply or click here.

Minds Matter Boston is an equal-opportunity employer deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage applications from those who identify as people of color and/or first-generation college graduates, as these experiences and identities reflect those of the students we serve.