External Relations Associate (Remote) - Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia seeks a 100% remote, experienced External Relations Associate to join its External Relations team. 

Reporting to the Director of External Relations and working collaboratively with Ballotpedia’s External Relations team members and others across the organization, you will primarily focus on prospecting new individual and foundation donors. You will also help administer and retain relationships with these prospects, actively seeking opportunities to grow Ballotpedia’s donor base. 

The External Relations Associate is a vital part of our fundraising team, dedicated to researching and connecting potential major donors with Ballotpedia’s mission. This role is perfect for someone enthusiastic about building relationships, who possesses excellent judgment and intuition and is highly motivated. You will be responsible for identifying, researching, engaging, and securing meetings with prospective donors capable of six and seven-figure contributions. If you are a creative problem solver who is organized, persistent, and comfortable with proactive outreach, including cold calling, and if you thrive in a role that requires excellent written and verbal communication skills, we want you on our team.

The anticipated start date for this position is December 2, 2024.

Key Responsibilities

As an External Relations Associate, you will:

Major Gift Prospecting

• Execute and optimize Ballotpedia’s prospecting plan to build relationships and secure meetings with major donors to meet annual fundraising goals.
• Conduct in-depth research on major donor prospects to determine the most effective approach for funding requests.
• Engage with prospects through emails, handwritten notes, phone calls, and limited in-person meetings, utilizing an effective moves management strategy.
• Qualify donor prospects to support Ballotpedia’s strategic and operational goals.
• Maintain an active portfolio of top prospective donors, with donors in the prospecting pipeline.
• Develop strategies to convert leads into prospects and prepare them for solicitation meetings with senior staff.
• Create regular reports and analyses on prospecting progress, recommending growth opportunities.
• Manage the organization’s Ballotpedia Society campaigns.
• Maintain the prospect database in Salesforce.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration

• Identify opportunities to pitch and sell Ballotpedia products and capabilities to new prospects.
• Develop and disseminate collateral materials.
• Conduct research on policy issues to produce well-informed pitches and proposals.

Qualifications

An ideal External Relations Associate will:

• Have 1-3 years of experience in nonprofit development and fundraising.
• Be a true believer in Ballotpedia’s mission to provide neutral, fact-based information to American voters. You’re excited about it and want to tell everyone else about it.
• Possess a strong customer service orientation and enthusiasm for connecting new donors to Ballotpedia.
• Demonstrate curiosity as a highly motivated self-starter and be eager to get to know our donors, discover what makes them tick, identify why they like Ballotpedia, and learn how we can get them to like Ballotpedia even more.
• Exemplify “organized persistence” in working with people to close meeting requests.
• Have the ability to handle rejection gracefully.
• Be effective at managing multiple projects with moving parts simultaneously.
• Have strong research, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Be highly proficient with Salesforce (preferred) or other donor databases.

Environment

The External Relations Associate will work remotely from home, as do all Ballotpedia staff. To join Ballotpedia, you must have a computer with internet access. Ballotpedia uses Google Suite (Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, and more), Slack, and Asana to accomplish its goals. Working familiarity and/or experience with these or similar platforms is highly desirable.

Ballotpedia has a flexible work environment, BP Flex, in which every employee enjoys unlimited vacation and flexibility in scheduling. During new employee training, each employee will be oriented to the principles of Ballotpedia’s flexible environment.

Compensation

The starting base pay range for the External Relations Associate is $55,000-$65,000, commensurate with experience, with additional fundraising performance incentives.

In addition to salary, Ballotpedia offers performance bonuses and a $8,000 annual benefits stipend, which can be used to pay for a full benefits package, including health, vision, and dental insurance; retirement accounts; and more. If benefits are not elected, the $8,000 stipend is treated as regular income and added to salary.

To Apply

To apply, click ‘Apply for this job’ below and complete the form.

Please attach the following in PDF format:

• Résumé
• Cover letter detailing your interest in Ballotpedia’s mission and your interest in and qualifications for the position

Please ensure that your current address is included in your résumé or cover letter. Applications without addresses will not be accepted.

Please note that if you are hired for this position, Ballotpedia participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Ballotpedia is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9. For more information on E-Verify, or if you believe that your employer has violated its E-Verify responsibilities, please contact DHS.

About Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia is a mission-driven organization dedicated to providing Americans with accurate, relevant, and reliable information about politics, elections, and public policy. Our goal is to close the ballot information gap and help voters make informed decisions. We value innovation, humility, hunger, and a collaborative spirit and are committed to continuously improving our offerings to better serve our audiences, readers, and candidates.