Mission Advancement Associate

Organization: Heartland Animal Shelter
Location: Wheeling, IL
Job Type: Part-Time
Reports to: Director of Mission Advancement

Position Summary:
Heartland Animal Shelter is seeking a detail-oriented and highly organized Mission Advancement Associate to support the Mission Advancement team by ensuring accurate and timely recording of donor contributions. The ideal candidate will play a critical role in maintaining donor data integrity, processing gifts, and ensuring proper donor acknowledgment. This position will also be responsible for drafting grant proposals, grant submission, reporting and data tracking. This is a vital behind-the-scenes role in helping Heartland Animal Shelter build and sustain positive relationships with its supporters.
Key Responsibilities:

Data Management:

• Develop and document procedures for data entry, reporting, and reconciliation.
• Accurately record all donations (online, mail, in-person, and event-related) in the donor database.
• Ensure proper coding of gifts, including donor designations, campaign allocations, and pledge payments.
• Reconcile daily and monthly gift entries with the finance department to ensure accurate financial reporting.
• Prepare timely and personalized acknowledgment letters and receipts for all gifts, ensuring compliance with IRS guidelines.
• Maintain and update donor records, ensuring the accuracy of contact information, giving history, deduping records, and preferences
• Implement and follow data entry protocols to maintain data integrity.
• Assist in generating donor reports, mailing lists, and other data queries as needed by the Development team.
• Provide support for special events, including tracking event-related donations, in-kind gifts and generating registration reports
• Assist with routine database maintenance, including deduplication of records and database clean-up.

Foundation Giving:

• Utilize donor CRM to maintain a comprehensive grants calendar, including submission deadlines and reporting
• Manage Foundation Giving committee of volunteers who identify and research prospective grant opportunities from foundations and corporations
• Manage volunteers who write and submit well-researched, high-quality grant proposals, including letters of inquiry, full applications, and supporting documentation.
• Manage volunteers to prepare and submit timely and accurate grant reports, ensuring compliance with funder requirements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in nonprofit administration, data management, or a related field.
• 1-2 years of experience in gift processing, donor acknowledgements, donor database management, or nonprofit operations.
• Experience in donor database software (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, DonorPerfect, or similar).
• Strong attention to detail with a high level of accuracy in data entry.
• 1-2 years of experience in grant writing or development.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Volunteer recruitment and management experience is a plus.
• Fear Free Certification, or willingness to receive certification within 6 months of employment at no expense

Mission and Culture Expectations:

• Treat people around you with compassion and kindness in all your actions, build trust by demonstrating authenticity and following through on your commitments, encourage self-care and work-life balance through your own example, and work to build strong relationships with fellow team members (staff and volunteers) by creating communication loops to share and receive honest feedback
• Promote, uplift and model Heartland’s Culture Expectations. Stay abreast of external changes in animal welfare and community support systems; work with leadership to support our mission, vision, and values and contributions to organizational objectives.
• Lead by example through direct and impactful personal and organizational contributions towards Heartland’s organizational goals and mission.

Time Commitment/Location

• This is a part-time hybrid position working at our beautiful shelter facility in Wheeling as well as remotely..
• Being available to work occasional evenings and weekends is a requirement of this role.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Competitive hourly pay, commensurate with experience
• Accrued time off
• Flexible work schedule
• Professional development opportunities
• Employee’s pets are eligible for discounted vaccines and diagnostics and at cost medications and medical supplies
• A positive, mission-driven work environment

Equal Opportunity:
Heartland Animal shelter is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer that does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender or gender preference, handicap, or national origin.

To Apply: Send your one page cover letter and resume to [email protected]

About Us:
Heartland Animal Shelter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to reducing animal homelessness and unnecessary euthanasia by rescuing, sheltering, and placing dogs and cats in need. Since 2002, Heartland has saved more than 18,000 animals—focusing on those most at risk of euthanasia in open-admission shelters—while maintaining an exceptional 96% live release rate. Founded by Dr. Herbert Preiser, DVM, our work is powered by strategic partnerships, passionate staff, and a commitment to creating a humane community where pets and people thrive. We foster a collaborative, positive workplace where individual strengths are celebrated and mission-driven work is both meaningful and fun.