Overview

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is seeking a Development Associate to join our Development Operations team. This position plays a critical and essential role within the fundraising team and the broader organization. The Development Associate is responsible for accurately recording donors’ gifts and ensuring they are acknowledged in a timely manner. The ideal candidate will have strong attention to detail, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a desire to grow within the field of fundraising. Previous customer service experience is a plus.

The Development Associate will report to the Director of Direct Response.

Responsibilities Include

• Record and track all incoming donations for the Mercatus Center in the Salesforce database.
• Report daily to the Development Team all donations recorded for that day.
• Notify Donor Relations Managers of incoming gifts from their portfolios.
• Create and maintain documentation for all incoming donations, in coordination with the Finance Team and the George Mason University Foundation.
• Respond to donor inquiries and requests in a timely manner.
• Review and manage physical Development-related mail.
• Oversee the formatting and distribution of thank-you letters and receipts to donors.
• Assist with handwritten thank-you notes as needed.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong attention to detail in data entry and when thanking donors.
• Familiarity with Salesforce or a similar Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
• Experience in fundraising, customer relations, or data entry.
• Ability to manage multiple daily tasks and meet tight deadlines.
• Self-starter with the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Clear understanding of donor confidentiality and the importance of friendly, professional customer service.
  
  

EEO Statement: We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Employee Benefits: Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience. In addition, Mercatus provides excellent benefits to all individual employees, including full health and dental coverage, flexible spending accounts, long-term disability and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement savings program, parking/travel benefits, and twelve free credits per year at George Mason University.

About the Mercatus Center at George Mason University: For over 40 years, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University has been the world’s premier university source for market-oriented ideas—bridging the gap between academic ideas and real-world problems. A university-based research center, Mercatus works to advance knowledge about how markets work to improve our lives by training graduate students, conducting research, and applying sound economics to offer solutions to society’s most pressing problems.