Book Harvest—an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to providing books for every child, support for every parent, and literacy for every community—is seeking a detail-oriented and results-driven Development Coordinator with a passion for children’s literacy.
This is a full-time, non-exempt position based in Durham, North Carolina.
Salary and Benefits: The salary range for this position is $41,280 to $51,280, commensurate with experience. Book Harvest employs an experience-based pay model with predefined salary ranges and annual opportunities for salary growth. Salaries are determined exclusively by years of relevant experience. Book Harvest does not inquire about prior earnings nor negotiate salary offers as part of our commitment to pay equity.
Benefits include 100% employer-sponsored, gold-level health care and short-term disability insurance, elective dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) with a 3% contribution, generous PTO, paid family leave, professional development funds, a flexible work schedule, a purposeful workplace culture, and more.
Our Process: Apply on our website. A resume and cover letter are required. The hiring process will include application questions, a phone call, two interviews, a work sample, and reference checks.
Priority Deadline: January 26, 2025. Applications received after this date are not guaranteed review.
Target Start Date: March 1, 2025
We believe those who are affected most by literacy injustice must be centered in the work that we do, inside and out. We prioritize applications from individuals who have lived experiences of our programs or who come from the communities we serve, and we strongly encourage applications from candidates who identify as Black, Latinx, Indigenous or as a Person of Color; people with lived experience of poverty; LGBTQ+ individuals; people with disabilities; and others who may not have seen themselves reflected in books and stories as a child.
Position Overview
The Development Coordinator at Book Harvest will support fundraising by managing the donor database, processing donations, and coordinating timely acknowledgments. This individual will assist with seasonal appeals, donor stewardship, and event support while contributing to grant writing and reporting. They will collaborate closely with the External Relations team to ensure donor engagement and retention. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, skilled in donor relationship management, and committed to advancing Book Harvest's mission and DEBI values.
The Development Coordinator works out of our office at 2501 University Dr. in Durham, NC, reports to the Director of Development, and is part of the External Relations Department. Typical work hours span Monday-Friday, with occasional evenings and weekends required.
Responsibilities
The responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to, the following activities:
Development Operations (35%)
- Generate acknowledgment letters to all donors (sponsors, individuals, foundations, honoree/memorial gifts) and deliver them to the CEO and/or Executive Director to sign, ensuring a personalized and prompt response within 48 hours of the donation.
- Support the Director of Development with annual seasonal appeals, including the End-of-Year campaign, holiday card mailing, and Impact Report mailing. This includes pulling donor reports, executing mail merges, procuring supplies, and coordinating with the External Relations and Volunteer teams.
- Conduct systematized identification and prospect research of new donors (foundations, individuals, corporations, and government sources).
- Cultivate and steward relationships with individual donors, including monthly sustainers, Imprint Society members, and lapsed donors, creating opportunities for re-engagement and deeper involvement.
- Maintain ongoing donor stewardship communications, including first-time donor packets, monthly sustainer communications, and other donor-centered engagement efforts.
Database Administration (30%)
- Maintain excellence in donor database management software (Virtuous), ensuring all gifts are recorded accurately and timely.
- Track all received donations and communicate relevant information to necessary parties.
- Proactively and effectively address complex problems in the donor database, such as bulk updating and retrieving historical data and other emergent issues.
- Prepare regular reports to track fundraising progress, identify growth opportunities, and assess the effectiveness of donor appeals.
Grant Writing/Organization (10%)
- Assist in preparing data and narratives for select grant applications and reports, working closely with the Director of Development and Grant Writer.
- Research and identify potential grant opportunities to enhance funding strategies.
- Maintain the Grants Management software, ensuring accurate records and timely submission of reports and applications.
Outreach and Events (10%)
- Co-lead the annual GivingTuesday campaign in collaboration with the Events Manager and program teams, ensuring maximum donor participation.
- Assist with the coordination and execution of monthly stakeholder visits, supporting scheduling, agenda-setting, and follow-up communication.
- Represent Book Harvest at local donor events, check presentations, and community outreach activities, cultivating new and existing relationships.
Administration (15%)
- Receive and process the mail for donor correspondence and anything else pertinent to the External Relations team; record and deposit checks, as necessary.
- As part of a learning team, participate in regular Book Harvest staff meetings, one-on-one supervisory meetings, departmental meetings, and meetings with programmatic staff involved in grants;
- Sustained contribution to organizational diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion (DEBI) efforts;
- Participate in recruiting and hiring processes across the organization;
- Contribute to the preservation and development of institutional knowledge;
- Professional development opportunities as provided and recommended annually.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate demonstrates experience in all of the following areas. However, we recognize that talent comes from many backgrounds and experiences, we consider candidates on a case-by-case basis, and we encourage you to apply whether or not you meet all the qualifications:
- US work authorization is required. We currently do not sponsor visas.
- Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills, ensuring data accuracy and timely task completion.
- Problem-solving and initiative: consistent ability to anticipate needs and propose solutions, especially in donor cultivation and fundraising campaigns.
- Proven experience managing donor databases (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, Bloomerang, or similar CRM systems).
- Proficiency in Google Suite (docs, sheets, slides) and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); experience with mail merges and other database-related tools, including spreadsheet formulas.
- Experience with donor research and stewardship and supporting relationship cultivation with individual donors, foundations, or corporate sponsors.
- Ability to manage several projects simultaneously using a system-level analytical prioritization mindset, particularly during busy fundraising seasons (November-January).
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for creating acknowledgment letters, assisting with appeals, and writing grant-related content.
- Comfortable with reporting and tracking fundraising performance, including preparing clear and actionable reports.
- Experience working in a team environment, with the ability to collaborate across departments
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to take ownership of tasks and meet deadlines.
- Passionate about Book Harvest’s mission and able to articulate the organization's goals to donors and partners.
- Cultural competence and understanding of the systemic nature of inequity. Lived experience of literacy injustice and/or direct experience with Book Harvest programs is a plus!
- Ability to work well under pressure, particularly during high-volume periods like major events or appeal campaigns.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Book Harvest is committed to creating an inclusive work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity, certified Living Wage, and certified Family Forward employer.
Book Harvest complies with federal and state disability laws, including all applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Book Harvest will not discriminate against any qualified employee or applicant with regard to any terms or conditions of employment because of such individual’s disability or perceived disability. Book Harvest will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities, as defined by the ADA, or another medical condition who has made Book Harvest aware of their limitation, provided that such accommodation does not constitute an undue hardship for Book Harvest. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact careers@bookharvest.org.
Book Harvest is committed to protecting children through its child safeguarding policies. All offers of employment at Book Harvest are contingent upon acceptable results of a thorough background check. Attention to detail matters: if you read this far, be sure to include in your cover letter the title of your favorite children’s book! Staff are held to high standards of child protection.
