Development Associate

Join to apply for the Development Associate role at Spirit of America

Work Days in Office: Hybrid 4 days in office with 1 day remote from home location

Travel: Up to 20%

Position Type: Full-time, Exempt

About Spirit of America:

Spirit of America is a privately funded 501c3 nonprofit headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Our mission is to engage citizens in preserving the promise of a free and better life. We do this by working alongside US troops and diplomats and providing private assistance to defend freedom, and strengthen America’s national security, and save and improve lives.

Spirit of America leverages an unprecedented partnership with the US military based on a groundbreaking agreement with the Department of Defense. Our agreement with the Department of Defense allows the military to collaborate with us, identify needs, receive and distribute our assistance, and provide us with logistical support. No other nonprofit has such an agreement. Thus, every dollar invested in Spirit of America builds on and leverages investments made by the US government and military.

That leverage — combined with our entrepreneurial, venture capital capability — provides philanthropic investments in Spirit of America with asymmetric impact and return on investment.

Our work saves and improves lives, prevents conflict, and strengthens America’s security. In the world’s toughest places, people experience the best of who Americans are and what we stand for.

About the Role:

As we continue strengthening Spirit of America’s development operations, this position plays a critical role in ensuring our major gifts and donor engagement strategies are executed with excellence. In a fast-paced, high‑impact department, this role supports our frontline fundraisers through strong organization, exceptional attention to detail, and a commitment to delivering a best‑in‑class donor experience. The ideal candidate is proactive, resourceful, and able to anticipate needs—helping the team stay focused on cultivating and stewarding high‑value philanthropic relationships that advance our mission.

The Development Associate provides essential administrative and operational support to head of Development and Spirit of America’s Development team, with a primary focus on gift processing, Salesforce CRM, donor research, donor acknowledgments, and department‑wide administrative administration. This role ensures the accuracy, timeliness, and integrity of donor information and supports the daily workflow of the Major Gifts team.

Reports To: Managing Director of Development

Direct Reports: None

• Enter donor information, contact details, interactions, and meeting notes into the CRM.
• Maintain clean, accurate, and up-to-date donor records across the Major Gifts portfolio.
• Pull reports and lists for donor segmentation, stewardship, and cultivation planning.
• Support data hygiene projects (deduplication, address updates, file cleanup).
• Produce Salesforce reports for executive team.
• Act as main point of contact and collaborate with Salesforce data team.

• Provide administrative support to the Major Gift Officer and Development Leadership, including scheduling, meeting preparation, and file management.
• Assist with preparing materials, folders, and briefings for donor meetings and internal development meetings, including quarterly board meetings.
• Track departmental deadlines and support the completion of administrative tasks.
• Monitor the Development inbox and route inquiries appropriately.
• Responsible for the creation and distribution of the Major Gifts weekly roundup report.
• Gift processing.
• Conduct donor and prospect research to inform fundraising strategy.
• Gather and synthesize information from public sources, databases, and internal records to help assess donor capacity, philanthropic interests, giving history, and alignment with Spirit of America’s mission.
• Support the development team by preparing concise research briefs, updating donor profiles, identifying new prospects, and providing actionable insights to help Major Gifts Officers and leadership tailor outreach, deepen donor engagement, and strategically expand the…