Job Description

Cova is a social enterprise building a healthier Central America through community-centered safe water solutions. Through Cova’s proven Circuit Rider model, our team provides post-construction support to rural communities to deliver long-term sustainable improvement to water systems across El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Cova’s work currently provides safe drinking water solutions to 1.5 million people across 2,500 rural communities.

Cova seeks a passionate and experienced Development Director to lead fundraising efforts, build strategic partnerships, and secure the financial resources needed to expand our impact. The Development Director will be responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive fundraising strategy, cultivating donor relationships, and increasing Cova’s visibility among philanthropic organizations, foundations, and individual donors.

We are seeking an eager, preferably bilingual (English/Spanish), motivated, highly organized, detailed oriented, and passionate individual. They thrive in dynamic environments, are tech-savvy, and can manage multiple tasks while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail. This candidate brings strong interpersonal skills, working well with staff, donors, and external partners. Most importantly, they are committed to the organization’s mission and committed to improving access to safe drinking water across Central America.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Fundraising Partnerships (70%)

• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy and annual plan to secure funding from foundations, strategic funders, individual donors, corporate sponsors, and government grants.
• Conduct research to identify and evaluate potential funding opportunities from foundations, government agencies, corporations, and other institutional funders aligned with Cova’s mission and programs.
• Collaborate with the leadership team to align grant strategies with organizational goals and priorities.
• Serve as the primary staff member responsible for managing grant schedules, writing and delegating grant components, and tracking submitted proposals.
• Oversee compliance with funder requirements, including financial and narrative reporting, ensuring activities and outcomes align with grant objectives.
• Collaborate with the CEO to cultivate and steward key donor relationships with foundation representatives and institutional funders.
• Stay up to date with current trends and best practices to generate new development and communications ideas to increase revenue and donor loyalty.
• Track fundraising metrics and provide regular reports to the CEO and Board of Directors.

Individual Donor Relations & Stewardship (20%)

• Coordinate efforts to ensure major donors receive regular updates on Cova’s impact.
• Manage CEO’s donor relationships, identifying and supporting key touch points and outreach.
• Lead the execution of fundraising campaigns, annual appeals, and peer-to-peer giving initiatives.

Cova Team Collaborations (10%)

• Collaborate with the Marketing Team to develop compelling donor materials, including newsletters, social media content, and impact reports.
• Partner with Communications Director and other leaders to communicate our impact externally to donors and funders.
• Represent Cova at networking events, conferences, and donor meetings to increase visibility and engagement.
• Develop case statements and storytelling strategies that highlight Cova’s mission and success stories.
• Other duties as assigned.

Desired Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in development and fundraising.
• 5+ years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, development, or a related field.
• Passion for global water access, community development, and sustainability.
• Proven track record of securing major gifts, grants, and corporate sponsorships.
• Strong grant writing and proposal development skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Spanish (preferred).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Proficiency in Salesforce.
• Willingness to travel once/twice annually to program sites in Central America and strategic conferences as needed.

Compensation & Benefits

• The salary range for this position is $80,000 – $95,000/year.
• Flexible work environment
• 5% matching 401k
• Healthcare stipend
• Unlimited vacation

Location

The position is fully remote.

To Apply

To apply, please email your resume and a cover letter explaining your relevant experience and why you would like to join the Cova team to [email protected] with Development Director in the subject line by April 11, 2025. Applications will be reviewed as soon as they are received with the anticipated start date May, 2025.

Job Description

Cova is a social enterprise building a healthier Central America through community-centered safe water solutions. Through Cova’s proven Circuit Rider model, our team provides post-construction support to rural communities to deliver long-term sustainable improvement to water systems across El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Cova’s work currently provides safe drinking water solutions to 1.5 million people across 2,500 rural communities.

Cova seeks a highly organized and detail-oriented Part-Time Development Associate (10-20 hours/week) to support fundraising efforts, donor stewardship, and database management. This role will assist in executing fundraising events, managing donor outreach, and ensuring timely donor acknowledgments. The Development Associate will also play a key role in maintaining Cova’s donor database (Salesforce), processing donations, reconciling financial records, and supporting virtual office administration. This position is fully remote but must be based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

We are looking for an eager, motivated, and proactive individual with exceptional communication and organizational skills. The ideal candidate is tech-savvy, experienced in donor database management, and comfortable handling multiple tasks while maintaining accuracy. They will collaborate closely with the Development Director and CEO, supporting donor relations, data tracking, and administrative functions. Most importantly, they are committed to the organization’s mission and committed to improving access to safe drinking water across Central America.

Key Responsibilities

Development Support (40%)

• Support the Development Director in the execution of fundraising events, including managing registration and attendance, materials, room/virtual room set-up and other duties as requested.
• Check PO Box for mail and donations, and follow organizational policies and processes for opening and depositing checks.
• Assist with donor outreach as directed by the Development Director, such as phone calls, emails, and mail to donors to engage donors and update them on Cova’s work.
• Manage the donor acknowledgement process by producing timely acknowledgement letters and assigning additional outreach to the Executive Director and Development Director.

Database and Records Support (40%)

• Manage the donor database, Salesforce, by ensuring high quality data entry and management and following best practices and processes. This includes entering gifts and new constituents, duplicate record management, credit card updates, adding bulk actions, making global changes, and other data clean-up as needed.
• Prepare and assist in running reports, queries, and lists for development and communications purposes as directed by the Development Director; as well as for financial purposes as directed by the CEO.
• Oversee quarterly reconciliation between Salesforce and our financial systems by pulling the right reports/queries/lists that are necessary for reconciliation review and sharing with the appropriate individuals to approve.
• Manage third party donation platforms.

Remote Office Administration (20%)

• Independently manage all virtual office functions in the US, including supply procurement and IT systems management.
• Serve as the point person for orientation, coordinating the onboarding for volunteers, travelers, and staff.
• Handle job postings for interns and employees, and assist in recruitment efforts by shortlisting applicants and/or participating in interviews as needed.
• Receive and process mail from PO Box in Saint Paul on weekly basis.
• Take meeting minutes upon request.
• Obtain notary certification to assist with Central American legal documents. Cova will cover all the associated costs.
• Support the CEO and team in administrative tasks as directed.

Other duties as assigned.

Desired Skills and Abilities

• Associate’s Degree or higher
• 1-2 years of experience in a non-profit environment
• Experience managing and working in a donor database (such as Salesforce)
• Experience handling and processing donations and maintaining donor privacy
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office
• Spanish skills highly preferred but not required.

Compensation & Benefits

• The salary range for this position is $21-$26/hour
• Flexible work environment
• Competitive benefits

Location

The position is fully remote but must be based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

To Apply

To apply, please email your resume, a cover letter, explaining your relevant experience and why you would like to join the Cova team to [email protected]. Please put “Development Associate” in the subject line and submit your materials by April 28, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with the anticipated start date in June, 2025.