Our Mission
Maryland Humanities creates and supports bold experiences that explore and elevate our shared stories to connect people, enhance lives, and enrich communities.
Our Vision
We envision a Maryland where the humanities are understood as central to everyday life because they help us reflect on the past, understand the present, and shape the future. The result will be a state where thoughtful and informed Marylanders are committed to a lifetime of learning that invigorates and strengthens our democracy through an open-minded exchange of ideas.
Our Values: We believe in:
- The invaluable knowledge and skills the humanities offer, promoting rigorous thinking and challenging people to consider complex issues, new ideas, and alternative points of view.
- The power of the humanities to enrich lives, building thoughtful, engaged communities.
- A community of belonging, celebrating and embracing each authentic self, lived experience, identity, and idea.
- A strong, equitable Maryland, valuing democracy, collaboration, learning, and leading.
Position Overview
The Development Specialist is an important part of Maryland Humanities’ (MH) advancement efforts and serves as a key member of the MH team. They will support efforts at growing and fostering corporate, foundation, and individual support. They will actively incorporate MH’s equity and inclusion lens in all the work that they do.
The Development Specialist reports to the Executive Director and works in close collaboration with MH Staff to understand the needs of the organization and contribute to resource growth to meet those needs.
Salary Range: $56,000-$62,000
FLSA Status: Exempt; Permanent; Full-time (35 hours/week)
Reports to: Executive Director
Working Conditions: This is a hybrid position with at least 1 day per week at Maryland Humanities’ office in Baltimore City
Supervisory Responsibilities: None
Duties/Responsibilities:
• Research and identify private and family foundations, corporate foundations, and other grant opportunities that align with the organization’s mission and funding needs
• Write and submit grant proposals and letters of inquiry in a clear, compelling, and timely manner in collaboration with program staff and other stakeholders
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of grant proposals, reports, and communications with funders
• Managing deliverables of sponsorship and donor benefits, including maintenance of acknowledgement on website and social media platforms
• Managing customer relationship management (CRM) database, eTapestry, incl. gift processing and acknowledgment; preparing queries and exports for solicitation; preparing donor reports; data integrity; etc.
• Preparing batch reports to ensure accuracy and reconciliation of gift management
• Preparing and processing bulk mailings in collaboration with requesting staff members
• Stay current with trends and best practices in grant writing and philanthropy to enhance the organization’s grant-seeking strategies
Required Skills/Abilities:
• Experience in non-profit fundraising or grant writing with demonstrated success in securing grants from private foundations, corporations, or other funding sources
• Demonstrated initiative to learn and enhance skills that promote equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness, and an understanding of systems of oppression and their impact on community
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills, with the ability to articulate the organization’s mission and funding needs in a clear and compelling manner
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively
• The ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams
Preferred Skills/Abilities:
• Skilled in examining and re-engineering program operations and procedures
• Familiarity with or excitement around community-centric fundraising or the application of a racial equity lens to development efforts
• Experience with customer relationship management (CRM) databases such as eTapestry or similar software, including gift processing, query preparation, and donor report generation
• Commitment to Maryland Humanities’ mission, vision, and values (see https://www.mdhumanities.org/about-us/mission-vision-values/)
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
• Maryland Humanities offices are located in Baltimore, MD. The Development Specialist will be expected to be on site at least once per week. Maryland Humanities staff meet in person at least 1 day per month.
• Prolonged periods of sitting and working on a computer
What we are offering
• The annual salary for this position is $56,000-$62,000.
• 35 hour work week with flexible scheduling.
• Employees are eligible for employer-provided health and dental insurance coverage (two plans offered, including one 100% employer paid), flex benefits, retirement (including a 4% employer contribution), monthly stipend to offset parking and/or work-from-home expenses, and annual funding for professional development.
• We have 21 days of vacation per year and 12 days of sick leave per year as well as access to advance and donated leave if needed
• 15 paid holidays and 2 floating holidays prorated for part time. Access to holiday exchange (i.e. observing Eid Al-Adha instead of Christmas)
• We offer a sabbatical with up to 6 weeks after five years of service and up to 10 weeks after 10 or more years of service.
• Employees have access to Volunteer Time Off.
• We offer Extended Family and Medical Leave of 12 weeks with additional eligibility for 4 weeks of a gradual return to work
• We traditionally close the offices at the end of the year, Dec 24–Jan 1.
How To Apply
To be considered for the role, we require that you submit your résumé along with responses to the following 2 prompts. Please limit your responses to 1 page.
1) Provide a summary of your experience with grant writing and/or fundraising. If you do not have prior experience, please share which skills and/or education you possess that are applicable to this position.
2) Provide your definition of racial equity and describe any experience you have in promoting equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness into your work.
We believe that the responses to these questions will give us a better understanding of your qualifications for the role, as well as your alignment with our organization’s values. We appreciate your time and effort in providing this information.
Please email materials to hr@mdhumanities.org with the subject line as “Development Specialist;” no phone calls please. For best consideration, applications are due by June 8, 2023. Search will remain open until filled.
No one candidate will be perfect for this job. The skills and experience needed to be successful in this job exist on a spectrum. Frequently cited statistics show that candidates with disabilities, BIPOC candidates, women, and members of marginalized and/or systematically excluded groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Maryland Humanities is happy to leave that statistic in the past. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. Please just apply.