Application Guide

How to Apply for Development Associate

at Family Equality

🏢 About Family Equality

Family Equality is unique as a national organization dedicated specifically to advancing legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ families, not just individuals. Working here means contributing directly to systemic change through advocacy, education, and community building for diverse family structures. The organization's mission-driven focus on family-specific LGBTQ+ issues creates a meaningful workplace for those passionate about intersectional equality.

About This Role

As Development Associate, you'll be the data backbone of Family Equality's fundraising efforts, managing CRM systems and development databases to track donor relationships and revenue. This role directly impacts the organization's ability to forecast funding and make strategic decisions by providing accurate reporting, gift processing, and prospect research. Your work ensures smooth operations between development, finance, and program teams.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day involves updating donor records in Salesforce, processing incoming gifts and generating acknowledgements, creating progress reports for the Development Director, and screening potential major donor prospects. You might troubleshoot data discrepancies with the business office, prepare forecasting reports for leadership meetings, and collaborate with program staff to align donor engagement with organizational priorities.

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🎯 Who Family Equality Is Looking For

  • Has 2+ years hands-on experience with development operations, specifically managing donor databases and gift processing workflows
  • Is proficient in Salesforce (strongly preferred) and can demonstrate experience with CRM customization, reporting, and data hygiene
  • Possesses exceptional attention to detail for accurate gift entry and acknowledgement processes
  • Can communicate technical data insights clearly to non-technical team members and collaborate across departments

📝 Tips for Applying to Family Equality

1

Highlight specific Salesforce experience in your resume, including any certifications, custom report creation, or integration work you've done

2

Quantify your development operations impact with metrics like 'processed X gifts monthly with 99% accuracy' or 'created reports that improved donor retention by X%'

3

Demonstrate knowledge of LGBTQ+ family issues by mentioning Family Equality's specific programs or advocacy wins in your cover letter

4

Show how you've collaborated across teams in past roles, as this position serves as liaison between development and business office

5

Include examples of prospect research or donor screening methodologies you've used to identify new funding opportunities

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your specific experience with development CRM systems, especially Salesforce, and how you've used them to improve fundraising outcomes", "Examples of how you've ensured data accuracy in gift processing and created meaningful reports for strategic planning", "Your understanding of Family Equality's mission and why LGBTQ+ family equality specifically resonates with you", 'How your organizational skills and attention to detail have prevented errors in previous development operations roles']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Family Equality's current advocacy campaigns and recent legislative wins for LGBTQ+ families
  • → The organization's major fundraising events or programs mentioned in their annual report or website
  • → Specific challenges facing LGBTQ+ families in current political and social landscapes
  • → How Family Equality's approach differs from broader LGBTQ+ rights organizations
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💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk me through your experience with Salesforce customization for development teams, including any reports or dashboards you've built
2 How would you handle a discrepancy between development and business office records for a major gift?
3 What metrics would you track to measure donor engagement for an organization like Family Equality?
4 How do you stay current on data privacy regulations when managing donor information?
5 Describe a time you had to explain complex data findings to non-technical team members to influence fundraising strategy
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Applying with generic development experience without highlighting specific CRM/database management skills
  • Failing to demonstrate knowledge of or passion for LGBTQ+ family issues in application materials
  • Not providing concrete examples of data accuracy, reporting, or cross-team collaboration in past roles

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Family Equality!

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