Development Associate

Department: Advancement and Alumni Relations

Classification: GMU Worker

Job Category: Part-Time / Hourly Wage

Job Type: Part-Time

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

About the Position:

The Development Associate reports to the Engagement Officer and is responsible for soliciting annual gifts from and identifying engagement opportunities for Mason’s constituents, focused on alumni. This position will execute a strategic approach to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward our alumni, faculty/staff, and parents as partners, advocates, and investors. This position will play a vital role in helping the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations achieve its engagement, fundraising, and stewardship goals. 

Please Note: Due to the nature of the confidential information this position works with, current Mason students CAN NOT be considered for this position.

Responsibilities:

• Manage a portfolio of alumni, student, faculty/staff, and parent constituents to encourage them to make an annual gift-stay connected, informed, and assist in recruiting and expanding Mason’s professional network;
• Solicit prospects for annual gifts primarily between $500-$2,500 (Mid-Annual Giving levels);
• Conduct a minimum of 120 substantive contacts and/or unique visits;
• Make at least 30 successful asks for annual gifts between $1-$2,500;
• Achieve $10K in total dollars raised from asks;
• Achieve a total value of asks of $30K; 
• Achieve 30 visits outside of assigned portfolio (discovery visits); 
• Collaborate with the Office of Alumni Relations and other University Units for engagement opportunities; 
• Manage assigned portfolio and build portfolio through personal interactions; 
• Connect with individuals in and outside of the assigned portfolio based on University priorities through email, social media, mailings, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings/events; 
• Collaborate with the Office of Annual Giving to conduct follow-up outreach on segments of select annual giving solicitation campaigns; 
• Communicate the strategic vision of George Mason and our commitment to developing innovative programs to advance and support our students and graduates;
• Work with unit advancement colleagues to discover additional engagement opportunities throughout the year; 
• Identify alumni and parent prospects for volunteer, advisory, and board roles; 
• Utilize technology that includes Salesforce, Advancement’s internal database, to maintain excellent information within the internal database to improve outreach and engagement; 
• Gather alumni and parent information and success stories to support effective research and the celebration of accomplishments and promote giving; 
• Provide exceptional customer service to our constituents acting with the greatest amount of professionalism and expressing the highest sense of urgency; 
• Actively enhance professional development by participating in:
  • Educational opportunities;
  • Reading professional publications;
  • Attending appropriate conferences;
  • Participating in webinars and professional organizations; and
  • Building relationships with colleagues at George Mason and other institutions, universities, fundraising meetings, etc.;  
• Assist with and promote University, Advancement, and Unit level events as applicable;
• Complete entity updates, next steps progress tracking, background, strategy notes, ask, and contact reports on all communication and outreach with constituents to assist in the cultivation process, as well as update demographic relevant information (i.e. contact/address information, email updates, and employment information);
• Create customized acknowledgements for leadership annual giving donors; 
• Conduct stewardship communications, including mailings, for annual giving constituents as part of a year-round stewardship program to retain our annual giving donors and inspire their continued philanthropy;
• Pulls and prepares stewardship reporting for all annual giving stewardship initiatives and campaigns; and
• Other duties as assigned within the scope of the role.

Required Qualifications:

• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Strong communication skills, including written and verbal;
• Strong networking skills;
• Strong relationship-management skills;
• Strong organizational and time management skills;
• Ability to prioritize multiple assignments simultaneously;
• Ability to work autonomously, and be self-motivated to see projects through to completion;
• Proven ability to exercise sound and proper judgement in handling sensitive and confidential information, matters and documentation;
• The ability to work effectively as part of a team, with volunteers, and donors;
• Should possess strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt in a fast-paced, multi-faceted, and dynamic organization;
• Ability to work with a diverse range of individuals; and
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects concurrently.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of Salesforce, Affinaquest or similar.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Development Associate at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: June 13, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  June 27, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes