ABOUT CRADLES TO CRAYONS:
Cradles to Crayons (C2C) was founded in 2002, with the mission of providing children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school and at play. C2C is at the cutting edge of volunteer management and has become the largest volunteer opportunity in the Boston area (where the organization is headquartered) providing unique, hands-on opportunities for people to help other people.
How Our Model Works: Cradles to Crayons collects new and nearly new children’s items through grassroots community drives and corporate donations. Donations are then processed and packaged by volunteers, and are distributed to disadvantaged children through a collaborative network of social service agencies and school partners. C2C supplies these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities that have with communities that need.
Cradles to Crayons meets a critical need as many children 12 years old and younger live in poverty stricken situations. Their living conditions can have negative effects on their self-esteem as poverty can lead to behavioral, social and emotional problems; their education as half of these children start 1st grade up to 2 years later than their peers; and their safety as they may live in more hazardous environments that can increase the risk of injury.
While meeting the immediate needs of low-income children, Cradles to Crayons also sets a foundation for lasting change by providing meaningful, tangible volunteer opportunities to thousands of individuals and families and hundreds of corporations each year by organizing clothing collections, hosting a fundraiser, or working in The Giving Factory warehouse.
Cradles to Crayons earned the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator for the sixth consecutive year. Only 4% of charities rated have received at least six consecutive 4-star evaluations, differentiating C2C from its peers and indicating that C2C outperforms most other charities in America.

POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Executive Assistant is a critical development position at Cradles to Crayons. The EAPM works closely with the VP of Development and is responsible for a range of administrative activities as well as for providing leadership on select National projects. The EA works across the organization leveraging his/her skills, time, and resources as well as that of the VP of Development and the National Leadership Team. The EA is a strong generalist, possessing a broad range of skills, including fundraising experience, research, outreach, administrative planning and execution, documentation, and accountability. The EA is committed to lifelong learning and is excited about the opportunities for impact, learning and growth in a rapidly changing environment.

The EA supports the VP of Development in managing national fund raising initiatives. In addition, the EA participates in the development of revenue plans, budgets, and timelines. The EA plans and executes key projects, including assisting the VP of Development to prepare for development work with the National and Boston Boards.

The Executive Assistant reports to, and is responsible for supporting, the VP of Development. Some weekend and evening work is required including travel to locations not accessible by public transportation so access to personal transportation is an essential part of the job requirement.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Model and lead a positive “One Cradles” culture, underpinned by Cradles’ Cultural Values and related behaviors
• Works directly with the VP of Development to:
o Plan and schedule meetings and provide support to the VP of Development, including but not limited to internal and external meeting preparation; draft donor correspondences and emails; follow-up; taking meeting minutes; and assisting with revenue tracking.
o Support all administrative aspects of National fundraising and Boston major gifts program
• Actively support efforts to reach National annual revenue goals, as well as major gifts portion of the Boston office budget, and Boston capital campaign goals
• Serve as staff for the National and Boston Development Committee and individual Committee members.
• Provide support to identify potential National Foundation funders
• Conduct donor research
• Input and maintain up-to-date and accurate donor records in Cradles to Crayons’ CRM database.
• Serve as the primary contact for individuals and organizations seeking information from the VP of Development, prioritizing these requests, and ensuring outgoing communication is timely and accurate.
• Create, edit, and prepare presentations for the VP of Development as needed and ensure that the VP of Development is well prepared for meetings presentations, and events.
• Respond to Board of Directors donor questions and requests as appropriate.
• Draft correspondence with key donors, constituents and friends of the organization. Research and prepare information for VP as needed.
• Research and provide relevant data analysis.
• Develop and provide regular and ad-hoc reports.
• Outreach:
o In collaboration with the VP of Development, identify, coordinate, manage and conduct internal and external outreach activities
• Accountability:
o Support VP of Development in creating strategic and operational plans, including goals, execution steps and accountabilities and any other aspects that would support the VP of Development
• Administrative planning and execution:
o Scheduling for VP of Development
o Correspondence
o Budgeting
o Travel
o Salesforce
o Prepping VP of Development for meetings
o All other administrative activities to support C2C achieve its revenue goals

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES:
Ideal candidates possess a Bachelor’s degree, plus 7 to 10 years of professional development and project management experience. Must be able to demonstrate:
• Passion about the mission and vision of the organization
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced and collaborative environment
• Aptitude for relationship building and relationship management
• Excellent verbal communications skills
• Excellent writing and proofreading skills
• Strong project management skills, with experience in a project leadership or facilitation role.
• Strong analytical skills
• Curiosity, coupled with strong research skills
• Ability to work well independently and as part of a team
• Strong organizational skills and excellent attention to detail
• Expertise in Microsoft Office suite
• Proficiency in using CRM Systems; SalesForce proficiency preferred
• Social media knowledge and skills
• Flexible work style and ability to work with frequently shifting priorities
• Strong sense of humor
• Development background or familiarity with fundraising concepts a plus
• Ability to take initiative and work independently

WORKING CONDITIONS:
This is a warehouse environment and normal changes in temperature are to be expected while working inside the warehouse or outside, on or around the loading dock. There are no hazardous or significantly unpleasant conditions.

ACCOMMODATION:
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, Cradles to Crayons will make no accommodations which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others, or which impose undue hardships on the organization.

TO APPLY:
It is the policy of Cradles to Crayons to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Please send a cover letter and resume with relevant experience to kmetcalf@cradlestocrayons.org.