Associate, Development

ABOUT THE ROLE

For over a decade, STEM From Dance has ignited creativity and confidence in girls, equipping future innovators with the skills to thrive in STEM through the transformative power of dance.

We envision a world where the STEM workforce is diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and women of color are creative, confident, and equipped to be its leaders and innovators.

STEM From Dance has built a distinctive STEM career pathway, powered by dance, that changes how facilitators teach and how girls experience STEM. From school-year clubs that embed our curriculum in existing schools and community organizations, to summer camps that offer full-day technical immersion, to Pop Ups that travel anywhere the need exists, to an AI-powered platform that personalizes each student’s next step — SFD’s connected program model meets girls at every stage.

Our dance-integrated pedagogy, developed over 14 years and validated by seven years of NYU Steinhardt research funded by the National Science Foundation, does what conventional STEM education cannot: it changes how facilitators teach STEM, makes girls see themselves as innovators, gives them technical skills from AI to data science, and connects them to career pathways.

ABOUT THE ROLE

STEM From Dance empowers girls in STEM through an innovative combination of dance and technology education. We're seeking a tech-savvy Development Associate to revolutionize our development processes. This role reports to the Director of Institutional Relations & External Affairs, with initial onboarding oversight provided by the Director of Operations. You'll serve as the operational backbone of our fundraising efforts, with a special focus on leveraging technology to enhance our grant writing and donor management processes.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Key responsibilities will include:

• Grant Management (60%)
• You will highly utilize and optimize the use of AI tools for grant writing and proposal development, ensuring high-quality, efficient, and impactful outputs.
• You will contribute to funder research, draft and administer Letters of Inquiry (LOIs), and draft proposals aligned with organizational strategy
• You will manage the end-to-end grant writing process, including AI-assisted drafting, human refinement, and final submission.
• You will build automated systems for collecting program data and impact metrics.
• You will support the preparation of grant reports, including midterm and final reports to funders.
• You will collaborate with the Associate, Finance, on budget creation, tracking, and alignment with grant requirements.
• You will maintain digital systems for managing institutional donor portfolios and deadlines.
• You will create standardized processes for impact measurement and reporting.
• You will work closely with program staff to gather data, stories, and impact metrics for use in grant proposals and reports.
• You will work closely with our CEO in the development process
• You will work closely with the Communications department to develop donor reports and quarterly impact communications.

• Development Operations (30%)
• You will maintain accurate and up-to-date records in Salesforce and Asana, and support data integrity across systems
• You will lead CRM optimization and reporting to ensure data-driven decision-making.
• You will support timely and thoughtful donor acknowledgment processes, including drafting and coordinating thank-you communications across giving channels.
• You will manage and support donation reconciliation processes across platforms and assist in aligning records between Salesforce and QuickBooks.

• Relationship Support & External Relations (10%)
• You will coordinate donor site visits and presentations using digital planning tools.
• You will support relationship management through systematic donor communications.
• You will represent STEM From Dance at relevant events and meetings.
• You will maintain digital archives of donor interactions and engagement.

Requirements

WHO YOU ARE

To fulfill these responsibilities, you have the following:

• You are deeply aligned with STEM From Dance's mission and values, demonstrating a genuine passion for empowering girls of color in STEM.
• You embody STEM From Dance’s work philosophy.
• You have a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, and 2+ years of experience.
• You are a detail-oriented, forward-thinker who can thrive in a fast paced environment
• You are data-driven and comfortable working with CRM systems, financial tracking tools, and AI writing tools (e.g., Claude, GPT-4).
• You have exceptional writing and editing skills, grant-writing experience, and strong analytical skills for creating compelling proposals.
• You have a demonstrated track record of process improvement and implementing new technologies in a professional setting.
• You have experience managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders while maintaining exceptional attention to detail and meeting deadlines.
• You have a passion for STEM and arts education and empowering underrepresented groups, with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently in a remote environment
• You have an entrepreneurial spirit and vision of how to build revenue programs

Benefits

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

SALARY: This position offers a competitive salary range for this role: $50,000 - $60,000

BENEFITS: STEM From Dance offers a competitive total compensation package inclusive of benefits such as health insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, generous paid time off, flexible schedules, and extensive learning opportunities. More details can be provided upon request.

TRAVEL: 20% travel is expected, including to New York City and other key events.

LOCATION: This position is remote, with a preference for candidates located on the East Coast, particularly in the NY Tri-state area (but not required).