Job Description
Development Associate, Asia Pacific
Organization Profile
Room to Read's mission is to provide under-privileged children with an opportunity to gain the lifelong gift of education. The organization was founded on the belief that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and taking control of ones own life. We currently work in Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Zambia – countries with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children. In 2007, we began our expansion into Bangladesh.
Room to Read is a results-driven organization that seeks to intervene early in a child's life to provide ongoing educational opportunities in their communities. We are non-governmental, non-religious and work with many local NGOs and community based organizations to implement our programs. We have developed a successful approach to building educational infrastructure and opportunities which consists of:
- Partnering with communities to build schools through challenge grants
- Establishing bi-lingual libraries
- Publishing local language children's books
- Establishing computer and language labs
- Providing long-term scholarships to girls
Since our inception, Room to Read's worldwide team has impacted over 1.7 million children by constructing more than 440 schools, establishing over 5,100 libraries, publishing 226 new children's book titles in 11 local languages, and putting over 4,000 girls onto long-term, holistic scholarships. We are one of ten non-profits to have won the Fast Company / Monitor Group Social Capitalist award five years in a row and have been featured in a variety of media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and PBS.
Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$22 million, and our global staff numbers over 175; both of these figures will continue to grow rapidly in 2008. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, our Asia Regional Office is located in New Delhi, and we have program offices in Colombo, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane. Our long-term goal is to help 10 million children to gain the lifelong gift of education.
Position Overview
Room to Read has experienced tremendous growth since its founding in 2000. We are now seeking a Development Associate, Asia-Pacific to support our fundraising efforts from individuals, schools, foundations, corporations and to help coordinate our volunteers. The Development Associate, Asia-Pacific will report directly to the Development Director, Asia-Pacific and will work with our volunteer base to sustain Room to Read's excellent results. This is an opportunity for an exceptional individual to play a key role in a very small team for an outstanding and award-winning charity.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Support the implementation of strategies for fundraising in Asia and across the Pacific, nurturing relationships and ensuring profitable and sustainable outcomes for Room to Read
- Maintain donor records working closely with our Development and Finance teams in San Francisco to ensure all donations and matching gifts are properly recorded in the Raiser's Edge fundraising database,
- Manage our weekly donor process for donors and online transactions working in conjunction with Room to Read local accountant
- Keep record of all Gifts-in-Kind provided to Room to Read Asia-Pacific and keep in compliance with accounting laws. Be knowledgeable about gift processing procedures
- Track and issue receipts for all donations made to Room to Read Asia-Pacific
- Provide support in expanding regional fundraising initiatives through research of Asian philanthropy, individuals, foundations and corporations
- Assist with all mailings including the coordination of the annual appeal, the Girls' Scholarship Yearbook, and all other major donor communications efforts
- Manage volunteer coordination working closely with the Chapter Leaders across the region
- Manage and enhance accounting processes and policies
- Aid in expense management, including finding ways to save the organization money
- Perform other ad-hoc duties as required
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelors degree
- 2-3 years general work experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented organization
- History of dedicated volunteer activity and/or commitment to non-profit organizations
- Adept at using Excel and Word
- Excellent interpersonal and writing skills
- Strong attention to detail and extremely organized
- Results oriented
- Flexibility and ability to multi-task
- Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
- Legally eligible to work in Hong Kong; sponsorship not provided.
Preferred
- Experience working with databases, specifically Raiser's Edge
- Previous accounting experience
- Experience living or working internationally
- Cantonese and Mandarin speaking a plus, but not required
To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will also:
- Have a passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact an up-and-coming non-profit organization
- Be an innovative and creative thinker - you are not afraid to try something new and inspire others to do so
- Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
- Have a strong work ethic, take initiative, and require minimal direction
- Work well independently as well as part of a team
- Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment
Compensation
Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include health, dental, vision, long-term disability insurance, and a 401K match. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through the lifelong gift of education.
Application Procedure
Please send a cover letter and resume by email with "Dev Associate Asia-Pacific" in the subject line (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to hiring@roomtoread.org. Due to high applicant volume, you may not receive a response from Room to Read.
Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.
