DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Full Time
Reports to the Director of Development
Seattle Parks Foundation is a 20-year-old nonprofit with a history of successful planning, organizing, advocacy, and fundraising on behalf of our city’s public spaces.
The Development Manager is one of the public faces of our foundation—a key relationship builder who works closely with community partners and donors to deliver on the promise of Parks for All. As such, this individual must model our core commitments as an organization:
•We listen to learn, work in partnership, and lift up others.
•We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This means confronting our assumptions about structures of oppression and, in response, continually remaking our internal culture.
•We are accountable. When we commit, we deliver. When we make a mistake, we accept responsibility.
•We embrace change and the challenges that come with it.
•We nurture a culture of gratitude and continually celebrate and thank volunteers, staff, partners, and donors.
JOB DESCRIPTION
We are seeking a Development Manager to enrich our community giving and institutional giving programs. This individual will lead and implement the annual campaign, including all solicitation, acknowledgment, cultivation, and stewardship activities and events. The Development Manager is responsible for cultivating positive relations with donors, staff, and community partners to ensure that Seattle Parks Foundation’s community giving goals are met.
The Development Manager will be directly responsible for stewarding all donors that give under $1,000. This job involves working closely with the Director of Development and the Communications Manager; an engaged, connected, and strategic board of directors; a joyful, diverse, and experienced staff who embrace the organization’s mission; and community partners who contribute their abundant intelligence and wisdom.
The successful candidate will manage multiple projects and deadlines, is a self-starter, comfortable meeting in person or on the phone with donors and partners, committed to working with community members to support community-led solutions, innovative and creative, detailed-oriented, and has a passion for equitable parks and public spaces.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Fund Development
•Uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and apply those values in developing, implementing, and evaluating organizational and individual work.
•Work with the Director of Development to manage and execute the foundation’s annual campaign in a way that increases donor retention, deepens donor engagement, and meet or exceed annual revenue goals.
•Build collaborative relationships with fiscally sponsored groups to help them achieve their mission and meet their fundraising goals.
•Develop fundraising resources for community partners, including grant application templates and giving day toolkits.
•Manage annual giving day campaigns and inspire community partner participation and engagement in these efforts.
•Manage (and draft, as needed) correspondence with donors, including email and direct mail solicitations, proposals, project updates, and acknowledgment letters.
•Conduct research as needed on prospective donors.
•Manage special recognition benefits and acknowledgment for donor programs, including Corporate Partners, Monthly Donors, Loyal Donors, and Legacy Donors.
•Work with the Director of Development to run the foundation’s Corporate Sponsorship program and meet its revenue goals by retaining sponsors and identifying prospects.
•Work with the CEO and Director of Development to administer the annual Board Giving Campaign.
•Develop compelling content for appeals by working with the Communications Manager and other staff.
•Manage annual campaign budget (revenues and expenses) including: ongoing tracking of budget to actual and contributing projections for revenue and expenses during annual budgeting process.
•Oversee pledge payment tracking, and work with the Director of Development, CFO, and Foundation Coordinator on pledge payment reminders.
•Manage production calendars for the annual campaign and review donor lists to ensure accuracy before their use or publication.
•Provide fundraising support for capital campaign fundraising efforts as needed.
Institutional Giving Program
•Develop and maintain a robust grant tracking system to identify and monitor engagement activities, applications, and reports.
•Ensure timely signing and return of grant agreements.
•Create a robust grant tracking system.
•Develop a collection of grant application resources for community partner use.
Donor Engagement and Stewardship
•Work with the Director of Development to develop and implement a donor stewardship plan and calendar.
•Serve as the primary contact for general fundraising inquiries from donors, and loop in other staff as needed.
•Hold primary responsibility for <$1,000 donor engagement and retention.
•Plan and conduct foundation donor events throughout the year, consistently monitoring and evaluating the impact of donor engagement activities, and recommending adjustments and new strategies as needed.
•Attend foundation and partner-related events as needed.
•Sign donor acknowledgment letters and make donor acknowledgment calls daily.
DESIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND ABILITIES
•Demonstrated commitment to Seattle Parks Foundation’s mission and to racial equity
•Fundraising experience in the nonprofit sector
•Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
•Experience drafting successful fundraising appeals or proposals
•Proficiency in using donor database systems, preferably Raiser’s Edge
•Strong project management skills; grant tracking experience preferred
•Meticulous attention to detail
•Ability to work collaboratively and with a positive attitude in a team environment
•Exceptional relationship-building and interpersonal skills
•Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, adaptive environment
•Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications—Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
•Proficiency with MailChimp and Smartsheet preferred
•High comfort level communicating over phone
•Ability to work occasional nonstandard hours, including at evening and weekend events
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
This is a full-time, exempt position with an annual salary of $50,000 to $55,000, depending on experience level.
We also offer a generous benefits package, including:
•Employer-paid medical insurance
•IRA plan, with organizational match of up to 2% of annual salary
•Paid vacation and sick leave
•10 paid holidays per year
•Unlimited ORCA transit pass or transportation stipend
To apply, please submit a resume and a cover letter to info@seattleparksfoundation.org. In your cover letter, please describe how your personal and/or professional experiences relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion have influenced your career or specific aspects of your previous jobs. Please also share an experience you’ve had inspiring giving through a successful event, funder proposal, and/or campaign.