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To become a development coordinator in a non-profit organization, you need an undergraduate degree, fundraising training, and experience as a copywriter or development assistant. Specialized training and experience are important, and the requirements vary depending on the size of the organization. Larger organizations require supervisory experience and topic-specific knowledge.
You can become a development coordinator by earning an undergraduate degree, undergoing fundraising training, and gaining some experience as a copywriter or development assistant. Accreditation of the fundraising team in the not-for-profit sector is somewhat fluid and often depends on the size of the development department and how the position is defined. Major institutions, such as major universities and museums, will require more substantial credentials than a local community organization or non-profit organization.
Development is a functional department that handles fundraising and donor communication tasks in non-profit organizations. You usually need an undergraduate degree to become a development coordinator, but that degree can be in almost every way that matters. There is no specific undergraduate course for the field of development. Critical skills are writing, communication, and budgeting. Majors in schools of communication, journalism, business, liberal arts and other areas will satisfy basic educational requirements for the position.
There are many training and continuing education options for development professionals in the not-for-profit sector. Many of the not-for-profit resource centers and development trade associations offer introductory and advanced courses in the functional areas administered by a development department. Trade associations, in particular, offer certification programs and credentials that will help your resume stand out. Since the development profession is not defined by a degree course, specialized training is an important step if you want to become a development coordinator.
In most cases, you will be expected to have some experience working in development as an assistant or grant writer before being considered for a development coordinator position. The amount and type of experience needed will depend on the size of the non-profit employer involved. A local nonprofit organization with a small operating budget will likely call its only contractor to hire a development coordinator, who will be functionally equivalent to a chief grant writer. In this case, academic credentials and specialized training in grant writing may be sufficient, and extensive industry experience may not be required.
Larger nonprofits with larger development teams expect a development coordinator to have general knowledge of the way a development department works, topic-specific experience, and supervisory experience. For example, if you want to become a development coordinator in the area of individual donations in a national non-profit organization, you will need at least two years experience as an assistant working on annual donation campaigns and donor matching to show that you understand all the development process and can supervise assistants who will work under you.
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