OVERVIEW

The Development Officer is an exceptionally organized self-starter that coordinates and supports UNRWA USA’s fundraising work in a fast-paced environment. The Development Officer plays an important role in helping to drive success in equipping staff to engage in successful donor interactions and strategies. They support the strategic fundraising efforts of a growing development team by implementing, supporting, and refining fundraising programs aimed at targeting donors and prospects.    

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Annual Giving & Recurring Revenue (Administrative)

• Implement UNRWA USA’s annual giving program (with administrative execution)

• Steward 7,000+ monthly donors and maintain a high retention rate

• Oversee fulfillment of fundraising perks, donor premiums, and anniversary gifts

• Organize monthly donor meet-ups

• Implement robust text messaging campaigns throughout the year

• Build campaign pages and donation forms on giving platforms

Donor Stewardship & Relationship Management

• Maintain positive donor relationships and support retention

• Handle general email intakes and respond promptly to donor inquiries

• Assist Director of Philanthropy across mid-level, major, and recurring donor engagement

Systems, Data & Compliance (Salesforce Owner)

• Provide timely and accurate record keeping, donor acknowledgments, and tax receipts in Salesforce

• Maintain and grow an accurate donor database

• Reconcile monthly donor database with Finance records

• Maintain organizational calendar of stewardship and fundraising activities

Campaign Infrastructure & Digital Optimization

• Build campaign pages and forms

• Stay current on nonprofit technology trends

• Optimize giving platform performance

• Implement text messaging campaigns

Strategic Team Contribution

• Assist Director of Philanthropy in executing the annual development plan

• Support overall strategic efforts of the development team

• Other duties as requested

WHAT YOU BRING

• Deeply mission-driven, with a demonstrated commitment to advancing justice and improving the lives of Palestine refugees, and the ability to engage donors with professionalism and empathy in politically sensitive contexts.

• Experience maintaining and managing a donor CRM system (Salesforce strongly preferred) and giving technology, with strong data hygiene practices and comfort reconciling fundraising records with finance systems.

• Proven experience stewarding and communicating with donors in a professional setting, with exceptional written communication skills tailored to donor audiences.

• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple campaigns and deadlines simultaneously.

• Demonstrated ability to execute with excellence, urgency, accuracy, and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.

• Commitment to confidentiality, donor privacy, and ethical fundraising practices.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and a commitment to representing UNRWA USA with warmth, enthusiasm, and professionalism, and ability to collaborate effectively across teams.

• Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends to support donor engagement activities.

• 2–6 years of experience in fundraising or development roles with direct responsibility for the administrative implementation of donor stewardship, annual giving, or recurring donor programs.

Why We’ll Love You

• You combine exceptional attention to detail with the ability to see the bigger picture—executing flawlessly while understanding how each campaign contributes to overall revenue goals.

• You take initiative and follow through. You don’t wait to be told the next step; you anticipate it.

• You thrive in a small, collaborative team environment and can manage multiple priorities and tight deadlines with calm, focus, and professionalism.

• You bring both strategic thinking and creative problem-solving to your work — especially in donor engagement and retention.

• You are known for your reliability, consistency, and strong organizational instincts.

• You’re comfortable working across departments and communicating clearly with Finance, Communications, and Development colleagues.

• You are eager to learn, adapt, and grow as fundraising tools and strategies evolve.

• Bonus: You bring strong copywriting or campaign messaging experience and understand how compelling storytelling drives donor action.

OUR COMMITMENT

We are committed to building a team that reflects the communities connected to our mission and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. If this role excites you but your experience does not match every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply.

We strive to create a workplace where staff can bring their full selves to work and where collaboration, respect, and shared accountability guide how we operate.

About UNRWA USA: 

UNRWA USA is an American 501c3 nonprofit that lifts up the voices, experiences, and humanity of Palestine refugees to secure American support for resources essential to every human being, for the promise of a better life. UNRWA USA’s organizational culture is based on these four core values: shared purpose, integrity, growth mindset, and gratitude. UNRWA USA's core values inform everything we do, from our ongoing relationships with donors and partners to our daily interactions with colleagues across UNRWA USA and UNRWA. It’s what we look for in potential staff members, board members, and volunteers, and part of what staff is evaluated on in addition to their performance. 

UNRWA USA embraces diversity and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. The more inclusive we are, the better our work (and world) will be. UNRWA USA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of a person's actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, place of birth, sex, age, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, weight, or height.

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT UNRWA USA STAFF DIRECTLY

To ensure a fair and efficient review process, applicants are asked to refrain from contacting UNRWA USA staff directly regarding this opportunity. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to individual outreach. All inquiries should be submitted through the designated application channel, and applicants are kindly asked to allow the process to run its course.

Applicants are welcome to follow UNRWA USA on LinkedIn for updates about our work and future opportunities.