Fund Development Associate – Corporate Giving - Avenue CDC

Who We Are:

Avenue is a multi-award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to building affordable homes and strengthening communities. Avenue has been in existence for 30 years and offers competitive compensation plans and benefits programs. Community and teamwork are critical to the success of Avenue. We are always looking for passionate, dedicated employees to help us continue the mission and positively impact the communities that we serve. For more information about what we do, please visit us at www.avenuecdc.org.

The role is located in Houston, Texas, and we are a hybrid organization with the option to work remotely on Mondays & Fridays.

Position Description:

The Fund Development Associate, Corporate Giving & Sponsorship is a valued member of the Development Team as it contributes to the agency's fiscal health through maintaining corporate partnerships and developing new relationships with corporate funders.

The successful candidate is an experienced and competent fundraiser, and is successful at cultivating donor and funder relationships, and has the necessary skills, including computer acumen, experience with metrics, project management, intellectual flexibility and research capabilities.

This position works as part of a team of four and assists in fund development team events. The ideal candidate is a professional contributor to fundraising who takes the initiative in stewarding corporate relationships, will have a passion to share Avenue's mission, has Salesforce or other CRM software experience and is tech-savvy and detail-oriented.

Duties include:

CORPORATE/SPONSORSHIP RELATIONS

• Developing and maintaining strategic, high-level relationships with corporate and corporate foundation partners and prospects in collaboration with VP of Fund Development and the development team
• Cultivating new relationships and steward current corporate partners, donors and sponsors with a focus on strong and enduring relationships
• Leading efforts to solicit sponsorships for events, recruiting and engaging corporate volunteers or host committees as appropriate
• Ensuring corporate partner/sponsor benefits and deliverables are met or exceeded within the required timeframe

RESEARCH/GRANT PROPOSALS

• Researching and identifying corporate prospects in multiple sectors that align with our priorities, values and programs to maintain a robust and diverse prospect and grant pipeline; partner with and provide support to Avenue and its programs across all areas regarding prospect opportunities Working with program staff on corporate grant program data, information and budgets as applicable
• Creating briefings on new grant opportunities for review by program directors as needed
• Submitting grant applications in compliance with grant guidelines and framework required by funder, including preparation and timely submission of grant reports, development and adjustment of associated budgets, coordination of budgeted funds, and submitting requests or invoices for reimbursable grants
• Creates and maintains calendar to ensure timely grant submission of letters of inquiry, proposal deadlines and reports
• With support from the VP of Fund Development, developing and delivering compelling presentations and proposals for prospective corporate partners that connect their social impact and business objectives with Avenue's mission and strategic initiatives
• Staying abreast of current Houston market and internal agency and program initiatives to effectively match prospects

DATA MANAGEMENT & REPORTING

• Tracking pertinent donor, grant, sponsorship and data in Salesforce (or other software as needed)
• Work with program directors to obtain data for reporting
• Other grant management projects as assigned
• Provide special reports and/or collaterals as needed for funders, Board, Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
• Maintain and record information regarding past, current and prospective grants to easily track
• Other special projects and duties as assigned

Education

• Bachelor's degree preferred

Experience

• 2-3 years' experience in fundraising, sales and/or developing partnerships or securing sponsorships, with a proven record of being awarded multiple grants in excess of $10k
• Non-Profit experience preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Friendly, outgoing, persuasive, and takes initiatives to make connections and talk with individuals
• Demonstrated experience with sponsorship decks, communications and social media
• Exceptional interpersonal, relationship-building, written, and verbal communication skills with diverse stakeholders, including funders, organizational leaders, and team members at all levels of the organization
• Familiarity with CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) preferred, not required
• Familiarity with the affordable housing/community development sector preferred, not required
• Strong computer/technology/database skills, experience in donor base CRM software, Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, Power Point); Salesforce experience preferred
• Able to connect with Avenue's work and mission
• Strong understanding of evaluation metrics and outcomes measurement preferred
• Maintain confidentiality and security of all information
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with colleagues, donors and organizations

OUR VALUES

Neighborly - We bring a friendly, caring, and helpful spirit to all our interactions, both within our teams and with others.

Integrity - We foster an environment of transparency and honesty that is built on respect and openness.

Collaborative - We use teamwork and strong partnerships to maximize our impact.

Effective - We achieve excellence through measurable, impactful outcomes.

Equity - We strive for equal access to opportunity and participation while acknowledging diversity and celebrating our differences.

OUR COMMITMENT

At Avenue, we believe that we are better and stronger when we actively include people with diverse identities. We put these beliefs into action by listening to the needs of our employees, those we serve, and those we partner with, and by implementing strategies to make their experience with us fair and equitable.

COME JOIN TEAM AVENUE!

What We Offer:

In addition to opportunities for growth and meaningful work, Avenue offers a very generous benefit and paid leave package to eligible employees.

Benefits Include:

• Short Term Disability - 100% Employer Paid
• Long Term Disability - 100% Employer Paid
• Life Insurance & ADD - 100% Employer Paid
• 401k Plan with 3% Employer Match, 100% vesting
• Medical - 100% Employer Paid for base plan (other fee-based plans offered) *
• Dental & Vision options*
• Professional Development budget

Avenue offers work/life balance through:

• Hybrid Schedule: option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays
• Paid vacation on accrual basis
• 7 health and wellness days given
• Holiday pay for agency closure during December 24th through January 1st
• Paid parental leave