Development Coordinator

Summer Search
Summer Search

Wheaton, IL, USA

USD 37.32-38.77 / hour

Posted on Jul 29, 2026
Position: Development Coordinator
Location: Bay Area (Oakland), CA
Job Id: 856
# of Openings: 1
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
SUMMER SEARCH, BAY AREA
At Summer Search, we believe in 'No Ceilings' and envision a world in which young people, regardless of circumstances, can chart their own destiny. In the United States, students from underserved communities – disproportionately BIPOC and first-generation – face systemic inequities in school, in the workforce, and in life. Nevertheless, these young people possess unique strengths, resilience, and limitless potential.
Since 1990, Summer Search has partnered with young people during their transition from adolescence into adulthood by connecting them to expansive opportunities, professional mentoring, and a community of support. Summer Searchers recognize their potential and build a toolkit to navigate and challenge systemic barriers, break new ground for their families and communities, and achieve economic equity and a life of purpose.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Development Coordinator is an exciting new role on the Summer Search Bay Area team that will have the opportunity to support fundraising events, hold a small donor portfolio, and work closely providing support to an experienced Director of Development. This generalist role offers a unique opportunity to advance a career within development and fundraising by building skills in fundraising events, individual donor stewardship, and the workings of fundraising strategy and day-to-day at an established nonprofit working alongside a dedicated team of passionate and values-driven youth-development professionals.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Specifically, the Development Coordinator will perform the following functions:
Stewardship, Communication and Fundraising – 33%
  • Manage routine stewardship activities for a small and defined group of low touch annual donors focused on donor retention, timely acknowledgment, and standardized renewal communications.
  • Execute segmented email, direct mail, and phone outreach using established messaging, templates, and annual fundraising calendars.
  • Draft and distribute donor acknowledgment letters, thank you notes, and other stewardship communications using approved templates.
  • Respond to routine donor inquiries regarding gift processing, recurring donations, contact information updates, and donation confirmations.
  • Monitor donor activity, retention, and renewal trends, and prepare routine reports for the Director.
  • Coordinate the production of donor facing materials, including appeal letters, one pagers, impact reports, stewardship materials, presentations, donor meeting packets, and other fundraising collateral.
Event Coordination-- 33%
  • Coordinate logistics for Bay Area fundraising events, including donor receptions, cultivation events, volunteer engagement opportunities, and the annual signature fundraising event.
  • Track event expenses and vendor invoices in partnership with the Director.
  • Coordinate post event stewardship, including attendee tracking, thank you communications, and follow up materials.
  • Partner with Program, Communications, and other internal teams to support donor-facing and volunteer engagement events.
Direct Support to the Director of Development – 33%
  • Provide administrative support to the Director of Development, including scheduling, meeting preparation, follow up tracking, and meeting coordination.
  • Build and run scheduled and ad hoc reports, running queries and pulling data from RE database, manipulating in Excel, and presenting in a highly readable format.
  • Support Executive Director and development staff, as needed with data management, donor research and the preparation of materials for meetings including drafting donor communications, call reports, and newsletters.
  • Order and manage development office supplies, donor stewardship materials, and event collateral.
  • Provide project coordination and administrative support for department initiatives and other development priorities as assigned.
WHO YOU ARE
The Development Coordinator position calls for a highly organized and detailed professional interested in exploring or building a career in development and fundraising. Specifically, this hire will bring:
  • EXPERIENCE: You have 2-3 years of experience in a development role or in a role primarily supporting a fundraising/ development team with some foundational understanding of donor/ development processes.
  • ACCOUNTABILITY: You hold yourself and others responsible for processes, decisions, actions, and commitments to results to drive high quality outcomes. You're responsive to the needs of stakeholders and follow through on commitments.
  • COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS: You are an active listener and thoughtful and strategic when conveying feedback, sharing ideas, or responding to inquiries to various audiences in multiple formats.
  • ADAPTABILITY: You tackle challenges and unfamiliar scenarios head-on with a solutions-oriented, flexible, and curious approach. You are willing to try new things and actively seek to understand multiple perspectives.
  • TEAMWORK & COLLABORATION: You value many voices, are comfortable creating space for dialogue and handle interpersonal issues constructively. You inspire and foster commitment, connection, enthusiasm and trust and motivate others to achieve common goals.
  • TECHNOLOGY SKILLS: Experience with a CRM strongly preferred.
In addition, all Summer Search staff bring a commitment to our mission of unleashing students’ potential through mentoring and transformative experiences, as well as the ability to thrive in an environment that values excellence, gratitude, well-being, diversity, authenticity, and collaboration.
LOCATION AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS
This is a hybrid position with 1-3 days a week in the office in Oakland depending on the season. Occasional night/ weekend work required for events.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Competitive and transparent salaries. This is a non-exempt position with pay ranging from $37.32-$38.77 per hour (equivalent to $72,770-$75,595 annually). Summer Search is committed to transparent, equitable compensation practices. Salaries are benchmarked using current market data and salary bands are created to demonstrate the growth potential within the band. Typically, offers are made at the starting place of the salary band. The Hiring Manager partners with the Talent Team to ensure offers are appropriate, competitive and maintain internal equity.
Well-being, flexibility, and ongoing learning and development are pillars of our culture. We value our staff and are committed to creating an environment where every individual feels seen, heard and valued. Investments in our staff include:
  • Medical insurance with up to 90% employer contribution
  • Dental, vision, FSA, life and disability insurance plans
  • 401 (K) and Employer Match up to $2,000 annually
  • Generous time off including 15 vacation days, 10 sick days, and 18 holidays (2 floating holidays of your choice, a birthday day-off, 10 company-wide holidays, and a 1-week December closure).
  • Refresh Friday’s – a paid day off the first Friday of every month!
  • A comprehensive Employee Recognition Program (years of service awards, spot awards, and professional development funding).
  • A four-week paid sabbatical after five years of continuous employment.
  • Individual, local, regional and national training
  • A commitment to developing leaders from within the organization.
  • An organizational culture that supports staff well-being and holistic self-care/community care
  • Ample opportunities to connect with the students and communities we serve.
OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
With a staff that cares deeply about social justice and racial justice, we believe that diverse perspectives and backgrounds create a rich work environment and enhance our ability to pursue our mission. We are committed to building an organization with critical consciousness in order to impact how we work with students, as well as how we work together as a team. We hope you will join us as we continue to build a justice-centered organization that fosters a work environment where people from all backgrounds are welcomed and valued.

TO APPLY
Select "Apply for this Position" below to submit a resume and targeted cover letter, addressed to Angela Chen, Bay Area Director of Development that answers the question, “Why are you interested in the Development Coordinator opportunity at Summer Search?”
SUMMER SEARCH IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
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