Communications and Development Associate

Project: Holiday Gift Drive Project Manager, 2026 Coordination & Donor Engagement

Project Overview

The Contractor will provide project coordination and donor engagement support for Building Futures' 2026 Holiday Gift Drive (HGD). Working as part of the Development team, the Contractor will serve as the primary point of contact for Holiday Gift Drive donors while coordinating campaign activities, supporting volunteers, and assisting with donation tracking and stewardship with the data for Social Media (SM) final product of the Holiday Report.

Deliverables - The Contractor will:

· Serve as the primary donor contact for the Holiday Gift Drive.

· Maintain accurate donor communication and donation tracking records, using the “Groups” excel sheet.

· Assist with Salesforce data entry and documentation.

· Draft communications and social media content for staff approval.

· Support volunteer coordination and campaign logistics.

· Assist with the Holiday Gift Drive report and donor recognition materials.

· Other tasks as needed

Timeframe: Services will be provided beginning in August 2026 and ending by 1/31/2027; during the planning, implementation, and closeout phases of the 2026 Holiday Gift Drive.

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Scope of Services

1. Project Coordination

· Participate in project onboarding and planning meetings.

· Coordinate assigned Holiday Gift Drive activities with guidance from the Development team.

· Help monitor project timelines and communicate progress on assigned tasks.

· Assist in documenting campaign procedures and workflows.

2. Donor Communications

· Serve as the primary point of contact for Holiday Gift Drive donors, community groups, and participating organizations.

· Reach out to Groups using excel list provided, and track who responds. Respond to donor inquiries in a timely and professional manner.

· Coordinate donation drop-off-points and schedule appointments for drop-offs at 1840 Fairway to be received by Consultant.

· Track pledged donations, delivery dates, and donor story (for report) and donor contact information. Take photos for SM and HGD report.

· Escalate questions or issues to Building Futures staff when appropriate.

3. Donation Tracking & Records

· Assist with receiving and documenting in-kind donations and prepare In-Kind Donation Forms

· If received by others, coordinate with others to obtain any missing information.

· Enter or update donor and donation records in Salesforce and other internal tracking systems.

· Help maintain accurate records of both in-kind and monetary contributions.

4. Donor Stewardship & Communications

· Take photos of donation deliveries for SM and gather the story behind it and jot it down in the “groups” excel sheet. When impactful, draft donor recognition bullet points for social media content for review and approval by Building Futures staff.

· Support efforts to strengthen relationships with Holiday Gift Drive donors and encourage future engagement (ie the “jot it down”).

5. Volunteer & Event Support

· Assist with coordinating Holiday Gift Drive volunteer activities, including Shopping Day and Volunteer Gift Wrap Day, in collaboration with Building Futures staff. Help manage volunteer communications and online volunteer registrations as assigned.

6. Holiday Report

· Help prepare the Holiday Gift Drive Report, with a target-date, a print-ready-completion-date of January 20, 2027. This would use the final “group list” of who brought items, SM posts/photos and donor stories complied by consultant.

· Potentially assist with compiling FY 2025–2026 in-kind donation records and identifying donors eligible for Annual Report recognition (Aug Sept)

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Building Futures Responsibilities

· Provide Direction: Building Futures staff will provide overall campaign oversight, strategic direction, approval of external communications, volunteer support, financial processing, and access to organizational systems and resources. The Contractor will work collaboratively with staff and elevate questions or decisions requiring organizational approval.

· Acknowledgments: Building Futures will prepare and send all formal donor acknowledgments, including tax receipts and official gift acknowledgment letters, in accordance with organizational policies. The Contractor will provide timely, informal stewardship communications as appropriate, including thank-you emails, follow-up messages, scheduling communications, and other donor correspondence that supports relationship-building throughout the Holiday Gift Drive.

· Reimbursements: Building Futures will reimburse the Contractor for approved business mileage incurred while traveling between the Building Futures administrative office, located at 1840 Fairway Drive, San Leandro, CA, and donor meetings or other pre-approved Holiday Gift Drive-related locations. Mileage reimbursement will be paid at the organization's standard reimbursement rate (@ 0.725 per mile thru 1/31/2027) and must be supported by timely mileage documentation. See email sent to gmail “Mileage”