Development Coordinator

**About SoM**: Founded in 2002 by Sarah McLachlan, SoM is a registered charity that provides free, high-quality music education and mentorship to over 1,100 children and youth annually across **Vancouver, New Westminster, and Edmonton**. Our goal? To build inclusive, barrier-free communities where young people can find their voice through music.

The Development Coordinator is a key contributor to the Sarah McLachlan School of Music’s fundraising program—supporting donor relations and solicitation, data integrity, events, communications, and fundraising campaigns. Reporting to the Director of Development, this role strengthens day-to-day fundraising operations (stewardship, receipting, prospecting and research, database management) and helps coordinate SoM’s signature event, Barefoot in the Backyard. This role will contribute to any future SoM endowment campaigns, including prospecting, designing and developing collateral, pledge tracking, and committee support.

**Key Responsibilities**:
**Fundraising & Donor Relations**
- Assist in crafting compelling grant proposals, donor reports, and stewardship communications with impact stories and outcomes data.
- Maintain accurate, up-to-date donor records in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge (constituents, coding, actions, solicitations, gift batches, soft credits).
- Conduct donor prospect research and contribute to fundraising strategy execution.
- Support a culture of philanthropy across all SoM locations and programs.

**Event & Volunteer Coordination**
- Serve as the Event Coordinator, overseeing timelines, logistics, and volunteer coordination.
- Recruit, train, and manage volunteers from sign-up through day-of event support.
- Coordinate with vendors for catering, décor, thank-you gifts, and student performances.
- Assist with the design and production of event materials (e.g., posters, invitations, digital assets).

**Communications & Marketing**
- Assist in writing and editing newsletters, website content, and social media posts.
- Collect program stories and impact anecdotes for use in communications materials.
- Maintain regular updates to SoM’s website and social media channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Spotify, etc.).

**Endowment Campaign Readiness & Major Gifts Ops**
- Coordinate campaign administration: meeting agendas, contact reports, meeting briefs, and follow-ups for the Director of Development and Manager of Development.
- Support prospect identification and research (e.g., Grant Connect/DonorSearch or equivalent), building targeted lists for endowment prospects, corporate partners, and private foundations.
- Assist with case for support materials, FAQs, decks, one-pagers, and gift agreement templates; keep versions organized and on brand.
- Log and track pledges, installments, naming opportunities, and recognition preferences; prepare timely pledge reminders.

**Qualifications & Skills**

Required
- Post-secondary degree or equivalent mix of education/training/experience.
- 2+ years in development, advancement services, or events/admin supporting fundraising.
- Strong writing and donor-facing communication skills; impeccable spelling/grammar and
- Proven organization and time management; thrives with multiple timelines.
- Raiser’s Edge data entry and list/acknowledgment experience (or similar CRM with willingness to learn fast).
- Proficiency with Google Workspace, Gmail, Excel, Discord, and basic document/mail merge.
- Discretion and professionalism handling confidential information.

Assets (nice to have)
- Prospect research tools (Grant Connect/DonorSearch), and basic understanding of wealth and philanthropic indicators.
- Canva, basic Squarespace/HTML, Adobe, Microsoft suite
- Familiarity with CRA receipting requirements and Canadian gift policy basics

Attributes
- Calm, clear communicator—even under pressure/event crunch.
- Friendly, donor-positive presence; empathetic and culturally sensitive with diverse communities.
- Solutions-oriented, collaborative; notices risks early and proposes fixes.
- Mission-aligned passion for music, youth, and equitable access.
- **Skills**:

- Calm and clear communicator, even under pressure.
- Highly organized, with the ability to juggle multiple timelines and priorities.
- Solutions-oriented and collaborative in resolving day-to-day challenges.
- Ability to identify potential risks/areas of opportunity and to develop and implement effective solutions
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Experience dealing with confidentiality and sensitive information
- **Sarah McLachlan School of Music (SoM) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to an inclusive and safe work environment for people of all backgrounds.**_
- While we thank all applicants, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Posting closes at the end of day on _**October 16, 2025.**_
- A resume outlining your most relevant experience
- A cover letter, telling us a littl