Development Associate

The Ferguson Center for Leadership Excellence is a nonprofit
organization founded in late 2022. Our mission is to empower
racially, ethnically and gender diverse students to succeed
academically and professionally in the real estate, infrastructure,
hospitality, and senior living sectors. We strive to provide a
comprehensive, supportive program that fosters leadership
development, industry knowledge, and career readiness. Our goal is
to remove academic, financial, and professional barriers so our
students can not only succeed as undergraduates but excel as
leaders in the industry. We are seeking a Development Associate to
help cultivate relationships with the current donor base of more
than 100 donors and more than $5 million raised to date.

Summary of duties:

1. Under the joint direction of the President and COO, creates and
   implements comprehensive strategies to identify, cultivate and
   solicit corporate and Tier 2 and Tier 3 individual gifts.
   (Estimated at $25,000 and below).
2. Builds engagement with all donors including major gifts by
   outlining donor expectations and providing a quarterly update and
   bi-annual check-in to ensure re-occurring donations. This would
   include outreach and relationship management with real estate
   associations to strategically position The Ferguson CLE.
3. Communicates and documents details of all donations to the
   program team to set-up successful delivery of CLE program including
   student recruitment, training and development, corporate
   involvement opportunities, and student events.
4. Attends donor cultivation events as needed (limited). Provides
   support for collateral as needed.
5. Assists the President in helping to execute a comprehensive
   engagement and annual giving solicitation strategy such as drafting
   quarterly outreach to Friends of the Foundation and previous
   donors. Tracks progress against goals and makes recommendations for
   YOY improvement and implementation.
6. Delivers timely and effective follow-up in various forms to
   prospects and donors, which will include generating customized
   fundraising proposals. Generates timely contact reports in prospect
   database following prospect and donor visits. Approves and
   distributes fundraising documents such as gift agreements, gift
   acknowledgments, and corporate agreements.
7. Ensures fundraising tracking within the team allows for
   accurate reporting to maintain a strong stewardship strategy.
8. Completes grant applications in a timely manner. Seeks grant
   opportunities across real estate associations, foundations, and
   corporate partners.
9. Serves as a content expert on fundraising goals/progress,
   company donors and fund strategy for website, publications,
   brochures, and related collateral materials necessary to support
   CLE fundraising activities.
10. Provide support in managing relationships with Tier 2 and 3
    universities to update them on program and student achievements and
    to seek follow-thru on key aspects of the letter of intent such as
    distribution of scholarships.
11. Provide quarterly financial reporting on pledges, donations,
    and outstanding proposals. Partner with fundraising coordinator to
    ensure accuracy in quarterly reports. Submit summaries that can be
    used with donors and future donors. Compare YOY performance and
    project future earnings to help make budget decisions.
12. Work with CLE team to keep Bloomerang data current.

Preferred Qualifications Education:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 3-5 years of corporate or non-profit experience. Relevant
  experiences such as development, alumni relations, marketing,
  public relations, sales or similar professional work
  experience.
• Preferred Competencies: entrepreneurial, curious, enthusiastic,
  and detail-oriented, wants to be an integral part of a
  high-performing and strategic team, and is dedicated to advancing
  the mission of the CLE.