Development Associate

Title: Development Associate 

Reports to: Major Gifts Officer 

Location: San Francisco (4 days in office and 1 day remote each week) 

Job Type: Full-time, non-exempt 

Compensation: $32 - $36 per hour 

Post Date: June 5, 2026 

Position Close Date: June 21, 2026

Mission: Protecting and preserving the California state park system, for the benefit of all. 

Vision: Our vision is that Californians have a state park system that is accessible and relevant, adequately and sustainably funded, and stewarded for future generations.

JOB DESCRIPTION:  

With a rich history spanning more than five decades, California State Parks Foundation champions the cause of California state parks, ensuring their protection and preservation for the greater good. By collaborating with park partners and dedicated park staff, as well as engaging policymakers in Sacramento, we actively address the challenges faced by our beloved parks. It is an exciting time for the organization as we recently released our 2024-2027 strategic plan, setting the path for continued growth. We are guided by our Justice, Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (JEID) commitments as well as our core organization values: A Bigger Tent, Future Forward, Connections Create Results, Celebrate California.

The Development Associate is a critical team member that supports the execution of the development team’s strategy and goals to inspire renewed, upgraded, and new funding from major individual and institutional donors. This role aligns with California State Parks Foundation’s mission by providing administrative support to raise resources to fund parks, build climate resiliency, expand access to parks, enhance visitor experience, preserve history and culture, and protect wildlife and nature. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:  

Administrative Support (40%):  

• Maintain major individual, institutional, and planned giving moves management systems in Salesforce by entering and updating funding opportunities in the database, and maintaining database accuracy through weekly and monthly audits.
• Support consistency between development and membership operations, including tasks such as fulfillment audits. 
• Manage the development email inbox.
• Provide back-up support to the Institutional Giving Coordinator and Corporate Volunteer Coordinator as needed for year-round and Earth Month volunteer events.
• Collaborate with the Executive Liaison to maintain accurate board information (biographies, roster, website) and provide communications on give/get commitment.
• Compile agenda items and take notes for weekly Development Team meetings.
• Keep Development Manual up-to-date with current and new procedures.
• Ensure planned giving tasks related to Stelter campaigns and/or new leads are captured in Asana and Salesforce. 
• Maintain development collateral in the SF office, prompting supply re-orders as needed. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Donor Cultivation and Stewardship (40%):  

• Log all donor interactions and communications to the Salesforce database.
• Draft and send all major donor (individual, planned giving, and institutional) acknowledgment letters using templates in Salesforce.
• Provide scheduling and logistical support for donor meetings, site visits, and fundraising campaign activities, including preparing meeting packets. 
• Provide donor research briefs for Insider Tours and other California State Parks Foundation events. 
• Provide support for event planning and logistics, including Insider Tours and multi-day donor events. 
• Assist with logistics for mass donor mailings (i.e., Annual Reports) and Outlook emails (DataLoad) as needed. 
• Secure and process in-kind donations as needed. 
• Represent the organization at events and tabling opportunities as needed, including Earth Month Climate Action. 
• Respond to inquiries about planned giving and coordinate with finance to appropriately file and respond to legal documents. 
• Collaborate with the Major Gifts Officers and Executive Liaison to plan and coordinate Month of Gratitude, reach out to participating Board members, and log all communication between board members and donors upon completion of project. 
• Support ongoing Mott Member outreach (postcards, mail merge emails, phone calls). 

Prospect Research (20%):  

• Maintain tracking systems for prospects in Salesforce. 
• Lead on researching and portfolio building for prospective major individual donors – both on an ongoing basis and for quarterly portfolio review meetings. 
• Continually build out donor bios in Salesforce. 
• Leverage Stelter Intelligence Center to identify and document planned giving leads 

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, multi-task team environment  
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience  
• Interested in learning more about the California state park system, environmental, and/or conservation practices 
• Familiarity with tools such as Salesforce, Asana, Slack, SharePoint, iWave, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Expensify, Zoom preferred 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite 
• Strong written and oral communication skills  
• Extremely organized with exceptional attention to detail  
• Committed to maintaining data integrity 
• Ability to work well independently and in a team-based environment 
• Willingness to pitch in and perform other tasks as needed 
• Ability and willingness to travel across California to state parks as needed (approximately 5% of time), occasionally engaging in vigorous outdoor activities, is required 
• Commitment to California State Parks Foundation’s mission 

JUSTICE, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND DIVERSITY: At California State Parks Foundation, our mission is protecting and preserving the California state park system, for the benefit of all. We believe that California’s state parks are essential to the health, happiness, and quality of life for all Californians. If we truly are to benefit all, we must address justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity (JEID) in our work. While the process of integrating JEID may not be easy, we are full of hope regarding our vision for a future California state park system that engages a broad audience and is welcoming and accessible to all. We commit to fostering an organizational culture that celebrates learning and growth, leans into difficult conversations and feedback, values connection to each other, and sustains staff and board members’ well-being and sense of belonging.  

COMPENSATION: This is a full-time, non-exempt position @ 37.5 hours per week. The hourly rate for any work completed up to 40 hours a week is $32 - $36 per hour. You may also be eligible for overtime (any work above 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week), and your overtime rate is $48 - $54/hour. You may also be eligible for double time, and your double time rate will be $64 - $72/hour. Regular, overtime and double overtime are pursuant to state, federal, and the Organization’s guidelines. 

BENEFITS:?Employee benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, acupuncture/chiropractic, participation in 401k retirement plan with match after one year of service, employee life, accidental, long- and short-term disability insurance, participation in pre-tax commuter benefits and flexible spending account, health and wellness and hybrid office stipend, paid vacation, 13 paid holidays, birthday holiday, and sick time.

TO APPLY: Please submit your application through the “Apply” link. Your application should include your resume and a cover letter that addresses why you are a good fit for this position and the organization. Please use separate attachments for each individual component with your last name in the file names. Applications are considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

California State Parks Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for the position in accordance with San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Police Code, Article 49.