Development Assistant

Location:​ Portland area, This position is based in our Portland office, and is not remote.

Salary:​ Salary is commensurate with experience and begins at $51,358

Position Category: Full Time, Exempt

The Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO) is seeking a detail-oriented, driven, and mission-focused individual to join our team as a Development Assistant. At DPO, “development” means more than fundraising — it means building and nurturing the relationships that power our Party, from grassroots donors and monthly contributors to email subscribers, social media followers, elected officials, and candidates. This role supports that work across every channel where we connect with our supporters: email, SMS, social media, web, direct mail, and in-person events.

This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position based in Portland. Evening and weekend work is required, and occasional statewide travel is necessary. The Development Assistant reports to the Development Director.

Responsibilities

Digital Fundraising and Communications

• Support the Party’s email program by helping draft, build, send, and quality-check fundraising appeals, engagement messages, and communications for both the Development and Communications departments.
• Support grassroots SMS fundraising and messaging by drafting, pulling lists, and scheduling sends.
• Help maintain the Party’s social media presence, including drafting and scheduling content that supports fundraising, event promotion, rapid response, and supporter engagement.
• Make routine updates to the Democratic Party of Oregon including event and donation pages.
• Assist with paid digital advertising on Facebook/Meta and other platforms to promote fundraising initiatives, events, and Party messaging.
• Produce basic graphic design for sponsorship sheets, event programs, social graphics, and other digital assets using established templates and brand guidelines.
• Track and report basic digital performance data across email, social, and web, and provide first-line support to staff, officers, candidates, and volunteers using the Party’s digital tools.

Grassroots Development and Donor Support

• Support the monthly direct mail and special appeal mail programs, including data tracking, list pulls, and coordinating production and mailing.
• Enter and maintain accurate fundraising data in NGP VAN, including timely posting of checks and donations, and help maintain Grassroots and Capitol Circle donor lists.
• Support the monthly donor program by helping steward existing donors, follow up with lapsed contributors, and welcome new donors, and manage the donor thank-you program, including timely acknowledgments, receipts, and personalized correspondence such as birthday and sympathy cards.
• Assist with planning, logistics, and on-site support for grassroots and large fundraising events, including quarterly State Central Committee fundraisers, house parties, small-dollar donor events, the annual Wayne Morse Gala, the biennial Oregon Summit, the biennial General Election Night Event, and other VIP events.
• Conduct basic donor research to help identify potential new supporters and donors.
• Help coordinate interns and volunteers on data entry, donor acknowledgments, and event-day logistics.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Strong commitment to the values of the Democratic Party and a desire to grow DPO’s grassroots donor programs.
• Strong writing skills with attention to detail, and a willingness to learn fundraising and political copywriting.
• Strong organization, follow-through, and ability to juggle multiple projects and deadlines.
• Computer proficiency and willingness to learn new tools, including CRMs, email platforms, and content management systems.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including being comfortable speaking with donors and supporters on the phone.
• Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a collaborative team.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends as needed, and to travel occasionally.
• Must be an Oregon resident or be willing to establish Oregon residency.

Preferred but not required:

• Experience with email and digital fundraising, organizing, or communications tools such as NGP VAN, ActionKit, or similar platforms.
• Experience with content management systems such as WordPress, Squarespace, or Drupal.
• Basic graphic design skills (Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar).
• Working knowledge of HTML and CSS.
• Experience with Google Analytics or other digital analytics tools.
• Previous experience in development, fundraising, event planning, or donor stewardship with a campaign or nonprofit organization.
• Experience conducting donor research.
• Experience managing volunteers or interns.

To Apply

Submit a resume with three references and a one-page cover letter detailing your interest and qualifications to at [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time exempt position, based in Portland, available immediately. Salary is commensurate with experience and begins at $51,358, but a higher starting salary is negotiable for the right candidate. Benefits include a phone stipend, fully paid health, vision, and dental coverage, guaranteed weekly time off and work hours caps, annual bonuses and cost of living raises, paid family leave, sick and vacation leave, as well as a 401k. This position is represented by the Campaign Workers Guild.

This is not a remote position, and the applicant must be an Oregon resident or be willing to establish Oregon residency. 

Equal Opportunity Statement

The Democratic Party of Oregon is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. We know there are great candidates who won’t fit everything we’ve described above, or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We are dedicated to constantly improving our organization, in part by making sure our staff reflects the communities most impacted by our work. We are committed to building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. Women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition.