Development Associate
About ArchCity Defenders
ArchCity Defenders (ACD) is a holistic legal advocacy organization that combats the criminalization of poverty and state violence, especially in communities of color. ACD’s foundation of civil and criminal legal representation, social services, impact litigation, policy and media advocacy, and community collaboration achieves and inspires justice and equitable outcomes for people throughout the St. Louis region and beyond.
ACD envisions a society liberated from systems of oppression where the promise of justice and racial equity is realized; communities where our approach to public safety prioritizes investment in well-being, health, and transformation without relying on criminalization and incarceration; and people living freely in their communities, thriving regardless of their race or income.
ACD and its partners in the organizing and advocacy community are at the center of efforts in the St. Louis region to:
- Re-envision public safety, promote community well-being through policy change, and hold public actors and institutions accountable for misconduct through litigation and zealous holistic representation.
- Challenge a system of policing, courts, and jails designed to meet municipal financial needs rather than the needs of those they purport to serve. Such practices attracted national spotlight during the 2014 Ferguson Uprising and remain widespread throughout our region.
- Engage in litigation and collaborative advocacy designed to bring abusive practices to an end and empower those communities that have been targeted by such practices.
ACD seeks a diligent and team-first individual with a strong commitment to social justice to join our dynamic and diverse staff of attorneys, paralegals, social workers, community organizers, and media and communication advocates who collaborate to provide holistic advocacy to address the causes and consequences of poverty and involvement with the legal system.
About the Role
The Development Associate provides administrative and operational support to ACD’s fundraising and donor stewardship work, reporting to the Director of Partnerships and working closely with the Deputy Director of Development. This position helps ensure gifts are processed accurately, donor records remain current, acknowledgments and stewardship activities move on time, and campaigns, events, and departmental projects receive consistent logistical support. The Associate will take ownership of assigned recurring tasks, communicate clearly about deadlines and capacity, and help keep the department’s day-to-day work organized and moving forward.
Gift Processing & Development Operations
- Enter and process gifts in Raiser’s Edge NXT accurately and on schedule, including online, check, recurring, matching, and other contributions as assigned.
- Prepare donor acknowledgment letters, tax receipts, honor and memorial notifications, and other routine gift correspondence.
- Maintain supporting gift documentation and accurate constituent records, including contact information, relationships, pledges, appeals, actions, and donor activity.
- Perform routine database maintenance, data entry, record updates, duplicate review, cleanup, and data quality checks using established standards.
- Support list preparation, exports, imports, queries, and other database tasks for mailings, campaigns, stewardship, events, and reporting.
Donor Stewardship & Communications Support
- Coordinate the administrative execution of donor stewardship activities, including mailings, recognition materials, handwritten notes, stewardship packages, and other donor touchpoints.
- Assemble, print, mail and track donor-facing materials and routine follow-up.
- Help maintain timely donor acknowledgment and stewardship processes in accordance with established department practices.
- Maintain organized digital and printed files, shared resources, and routine documentation for Development procedures and projects.
Campaign, Event & Department Support
- Provide administrative and logistical support for fundraising campaigns and events, including Year-End Appeal, Trivia Night, Karaoke, Give STL Day, and other Development activities.
- Support mailing production, list preparation, materials assembly, vendor coordination, print pickup/drop-off, and other campaign logistics.
- Assist with event registrations, donor and sponsor records, materials, packing, setup, volunteer coordination, and post-event administrative follow-up.
- Provide scheduling, meeting materials, room setup, and other administrative support to the Development team as needed.
- Maintain routine deadlines, shared calendars, vendor needs, and administrative workflows for assigned Development projects.
Essential skills and experience include the following:
- Associate or bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
- Experience in administrative support, nonprofit operations, fundraising support, database/data entry work, customer or donor service, or a related area.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to maintain accurate records, manage multiple recurring tasks and projects, and meet deadlines.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and sound judgment when handling confidential donor information.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively, communicate issues early, follow established processes, suggest practical improvements, and respectfully navigate challenges or conflicts.
- Comfort learning and using technology, including databases, online fundraising platforms, event management systems, and productivity tools.
- Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding these values in organizational practices and processes.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity within the office and a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences regarding race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and socioeconomic circumstance.
- Preferred experience supporting nonprofit fundraising activities, including donor stewardship, gift processing, campaigns, or events, and familiarity with donor management systems (such as Raiser’s Edge NXT), Microsoft 365, or fundraising and event platforms (such as OneCause or CauseVox).
This is a full-time position with benefits. The starting salary for this position is $53,000 annually per ACD’s transparent salary structure, with annual cost-of-living adjustment and salary reviews in alternating years. ACD offers a robust benefits package which includes health/dental/vision coverage, 401(k) match, 26 days PTO annually, paid gym membership, work cell phone, and paid continuing education opportunities. New hires are eligible for benefits on their first day of employment.
ArchCity Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, LGBTQIA+, and gender non-conforming applicants.
If interested, please apply at: https://www.archcitydefenders.org/get-involved/employment/
