Temporary, Part-Time – Development Assistant

Temporary, Part-Time – Development Assistant

Development Department
Reporting to:
Institutional Fundraising Officer
Part-Time, Non-Exempt
Temporary, One-Year Contract, 20 hours per week

Location:

New York City [Hybrid – 2 days in-office]
Monthly Pay: $2,720/month (reflecting an annual salary of $66,300)
Final date to receive applications:
Friday, August 7, 2026

Kennedy Human Rights is seeking a temporary, part-time,
Development Assistant to join our Development team for a one-year contract – a hands-on introduction to donor research, database management, and grant writing at a mission-driven organization with a global reach.

This role is designed as a launchpad: you’ll build practical, transferable skills in prospect research, Salesforce administration, and writing grant proposals, working directly alongside our Institutional Fundraising Officer and gaining exposure to how a human rights nonprofit runs its fundraising operation day to day. This is a great opportunity for a recent graduate looking to gain work experience in the non-profit human rights space and curious about how human rights work gets funded.

Development Department:

The work of Kennedy Human Rights Center is possible thanks to a dynamic, multi-source model of revenue, supported by an endowment, individual giving (largely driven by board and leadership council support), events (such as our annual Ripple of Hope gala and Compass Investor Conference), and institutional (grant-based) support.

Responsibilities:

• Research potential funders and build prospect briefs and tracking systems for the Development team;
• Maintain and update donor records in our donor data management system (Salesforce), keeping outreach history current and accurate
• Produce donor and funder reports directly from Salesforce to support team strategy and decision-making
• Partner with Institutional Funding Officer and the Communications team on monthly funder engagement materials and donor mailing lists
• Help maintain and improve systems for tracking grants, funder engagement, and departmental workflows
• Assist in drafting and editing funding proposals for Kennedy Human Rights programs
• Liaise with colleagues across our programmatic teams, at every level, as projects require
• Assist in event planning and support for special donor related events
• Assist with other tasks and activities as needed, including but not limited to general admin work.

What You’ll Gain from this Role:

• Professional technical skills in Salesforce (common non-profit CRM platform) – one of the most transferable skills in the nonprofit sector
• Real experience conducting donor prospect research, a specialized skill in high demand across fundraising teams
• Grant-writing experience, from drafting through editing, on live proposals
• Direct mentorship from an Institutional Fundraising Officer and exposure to how a multi-source revenue model works in practice
• A close-up view of the human rights field alongside attorneys, educators, and human rights organizers – useful whether you stay in development or move toward programming, policy, or advocacy.

A successful candidate must have the following skills and experiences:

• Recent graduate with coursework or prior experience related to nonprofit, social justice, or human rights work;
• Strong interest in fundraising, development, grant writing, data management, or nonprofit operations;
• Familiarity with the nonprofit sector and comfort working in a mission-driven environment;
• Awareness and interest in current events and issues relating to human rights around the world;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite, including spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel & Google Sheets;
• Proven ability to learn complex organizational work quickly and connect program goals to funding opportunities; genuine curiosity to understand Kennedy Human Rights’ mission, strategy, and partners in depth;
• Strong initiative and self-motivation – able to identify next steps, conduct follow‑up research, and advance projects independently once trained;
• Excellent organizational and systems skills, with experience maintaining or improving databases, pipelines, or internal processes to increase team efficiency;
• Strong…