Donor Relations to support the Development department’s strategic goals, including strong donor stewardship at both the grassroots and major donor levels.The Development Associate, Donor Relations, will work closely with the Associate Director of Operations and Annual Giving to support fundraising efforts. They will also assist the Major Gifts Officers by conducting prospect research and scheduling major donor outreach.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Food Forward is seeking a Development Associate, Donor Relations to support the Development department’s strategic goals, including strong donor stewardship at both the grassroots and major donor levels. The Development Associate, Donor Relations, will work closely with the Associate Director of Operations and Annual Giving to support fundraising efforts. They will also assist the Major Gifts Officers by conducting prospect research and scheduling major donor outreach.
The ideal candidate has a positive, can-do attitude and thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. They are highly organized and collaborative, and they bring strong attention to detail when managing donor data and communications. The candidate will demonstrate their ability to write persuasively and have excellent interpersonal communication skills to engage a wide range of donors. A passion for food justice and alignment with Food Forward’s values is essential.
This mid-level entry position requires thoughtful and creative engagement with donors to strengthen relationships, support fundraising growth, and ensure stewardship best practices and compliance standards are met. This is an excellent opportunity for someone early in their nonprofit fundraising career to grow their skills across donor relations, campaign support, and major gifts.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

– 2–3 years of experience in a nonprofit setting, preferably with at least 1 year in fundraising, donor services, or communications
– Familiarity with donor outreach strategies, including email campaigns, events, and giving platforms
– Experience with donor prospecting, research briefs, and/or capacity analysis is preferred
– Proficiency with CRMs (Salesforce preferred), Microsoft Office, and Google Workspace
– Comfort with spreadsheets and tools for tracking and reporting data; experience with Excel or data visualization is a plus