Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Nonprofit Development Manager

💰 $ - $

NonprofitDevelopmentFundraisingLeadership

🎯 Role Definition

The Nonprofit Development Manager leads fundraising operations and donor cultivation strategies to expand revenue, increase donor retention, and support organizational growth. This role develops and implements annual fundraising plans, manages major gifts and grants, oversees donor stewardship and communications, collaborates with program and finance teams to build budgets and proposals, and partners with board members and volunteers to unlock philanthropy. The ideal candidate is strategic, metrics-oriented, and adept at turning relationships into sustainable philanthropic support.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Development Coordinator or Development Associate with 1–3 years donor-facing experience
  • Grant Writer or Philanthropy Officer with solid proposal and reporting experience
  • Program Manager or Communications Manager with stakeholder engagement experience

Advancement To:

  • Director of Development / Head of Development
  • Chief Development Officer / VP of Advancement
  • Executive Director (for smaller organizations with fundraising leadership experience)

Lateral Moves:

  • Corporate Partnerships / Sponsorship Manager
  • Institutional Giving Manager
  • Development Operations or CRM Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, implement, and continuously refine a comprehensive annual and multi-year development plan that integrates major gifts, individual giving, grants, corporate partnerships, planned giving, special events, and digital campaigns to meet revenue goals and align with strategic priorities.
  • Lead identification, qualification, and cultivation of prospective major donors through tailored outreach, personalized engagement plans, meaningful visits, and solicitation strategies that convert prospects into committed supporters.
  • Prepare, write, and submit compelling grant proposals and renewal applications, including detailed budgets, narratives, logic models, and impact metrics, while ensuring timely submission and strict compliance with funder guidelines.
  • Manage a donor portfolio of mid- to major-level prospects, executing customized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans that increase gift size, frequency, and donor lifetime value.
  • Collaborate with executive leadership and the board to develop, coach, and support board-led fundraising activities, including major gift solicitations, donor events, and peer-to-peer outreach strategies.
  • Oversee and enhance donor stewardship programs, ensuring prompt gift acknowledgements, personalized recognition, thoughtful reporting on impact, and stewardship touchpoints that drive retention and upgrades.
  • Design and implement integrated fundraising campaigns (annual fund, capital campaigns, emergency appeals) that leverage direct mail, email, social, events, and peer networks to maximize donor acquisition and retention.
  • Lead prospect research and portfolio management by leveraging wealth screening, moves management techniques, and CRM analytics to prioritize outreach and optimize fundraising efforts.
  • Manage the donor database (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Bloomerang), ensuring data integrity, accurate gift entry, segmentation for appeals, and generation of reports and dashboards for leadership decision-making.
  • Produce timely development reports and fundraising dashboards, analyze key performance indicators (donor retention, average gift size, pipeline velocity), and translate data into actionable strategies to improve fundraising performance.
  • Coordinate the preparation of fundraising materials, cases for support, cultivation packets, proposals, impact reports, and presentations for donors, foundations, and corporate partners.
  • Plan and execute cultivation and stewardship events, including donor briefings, recognition receptions, volunteer appreciation gatherings, and site visits that deepen donor engagement and demonstrate programmatic impact.
  • Supervise, mentor, and evaluate development staff, interns, and volunteers, providing coaching, goal-setting, and professional development to build capacity and execute fundraising priorities effectively.
  • Collaborate closely with Finance to create accurate fundraising budgets, maintain revenue forecasts, reconcile gifts and grant expenditures, prepare restricted fund reports, and ensure fiscal accountability.
  • Negotiate and secure corporate sponsorships and partnerships by creating mutually beneficial proposals, sponsorship packages, and measurable ROI frameworks that align company values with programmatic needs.
  • Manage complex gift agreements, memoranda of understanding, restricted funds, and donor intent documentation in partnership with legal or compliance teams to ensure stewardship obligations are met and audited.
  • Lead strategy and implementation for planned giving and legacy programs, working with advisors and donors to structure bequests, annuities, and other deferred gift vehicles that support long-term sustainability.
  • Oversee volunteer gift officers and peer-to-peer fundraisers, providing training, materials, and ongoing support to increase their effectiveness in donor outreach and solicitation.
  • Develop and maintain compelling online fundraising properties including donation pages, campaign landing pages, and peer-to-peer platforms, optimizing conversion with A/B testing and analytics.
  • Drive cross-departmental collaboration with Programs, Marketing, and Impact teams to align storytelling, case studies, and outcome measurement with fundraising asks and donor communications.
  • Ensure compliance with nonprofit fundraising regulations, donor privacy policies, gift acceptance policies, and ethical standards, updating policies and practices as needed.
  • Create and manage timelines, project plans, and resource allocation for major fundraising initiatives including capital campaigns, ensuring milestones, volunteer engagement, and campaign communications are executed on schedule.
  • Identify and implement process improvements, automation opportunities, and vendor relationships (e.g., fundraising platforms, prospect research tools, fulfillment vendors) to increase team efficiency and donor experience.
  • Lead post-award grant management by tracking deliverables, coordinating program and finance reporting, preparing funder reports, and ensuring timely compliance with grant terms.

Secondary Functions

  • Support organizational strategic planning by providing fundraising forecasts, scenario modeling, and revenue diversification recommendations.
  • Provide backup support for donor services, gift processing, and database administration during peak times or staff transitions.
  • Collaborate with marketing to optimize content calendars, case studies, and impact storytelling that support appeals and donor journeys.
  • Participate in community and industry events to represent the organization, expand networks, and identify new funding prospects.
  • Assist with recruiting, onboarding, and training development volunteers and temporary campaign staff as required.
  • Monitor sector trends, philanthropic shifts, and competitor activity to inform fundraising strategy and identify new opportunities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Major gift solicitation and stewardship: proven ability to cultivate, solicit, and close six- and five-figure gifts with personalized strategies.
  • Grant writing and management: demonstrated experience writing complex proposals, creating budgets, and producing funder reports.
  • CRM proficiency: strong experience with Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Bloomerang, or similar donor management systems including segmentation and reporting.
  • Prospect research & moves management: skilled in wealth screening, donor research tools, and moves management to prioritize high-potential prospects.
  • Fundraising analytics & reporting: ability to create dashboards, analyze KPIs (donor retention, pipeline metrics), and translate data into fundraising actions.
  • Campaign planning & execution: experience designing and running capital campaigns, annual funds, and targeted appeals with measurable outcomes.
  • Budgeting & fiscal stewardship: capacity to build fundraising budgets, monitor revenue forecasts, and reconcile restricted funds with finance teams.
  • Events & sponsorship management: track record organizing fundraising events and securing corporate sponsorships and in-kind support.
  • Digital fundraising & online platforms: familiarity with donation platforms, peer-to-peer tools, email appeals, and conversion optimization techniques.
  • Legal/compliance knowledge: understanding of gift agreements, donor intent, privacy/security best practices, and nonprofit fundraising regulations.
  • Project management: ability to manage multiple high-visibility initiatives with clear timelines, deliverables, and cross-functional coordination.
  • Microsoft Office / Google Workspace and familiarity with analytics tools (Excel, Google Analytics, Tableau or similar).

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills with the ability to engage donors, board members, and senior leaders.
  • Persuasive written and verbal communication capable of crafting compelling cases for support and presenting to diverse audiences.
  • Strategic thinker with creativity to design campaigns and tactics that resonate with target donor segments.
  • High emotional intelligence and diplomacy when navigating sensitive donor conversations and stewarding relationships.
  • Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage portfolios, deadlines, and reporting obligations.
  • Resilient, goal-oriented mindset with a track record of meeting or exceeding fundraising targets.
  • Collaborative team player who can work effectively across programs, marketing, finance, and volunteer leaders.
  • Adaptable and proactive, comfortable working in a fast-paced nonprofit environment with shifting priorities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Communications, Business, Public Administration, Marketing, or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Public Administration (MPA), MBA, or related advanced degree; CFRE, ACFRE, or equivalent fundraising certification preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Nonprofit Management
  • Public Administration
  • Communications / Journalism
  • Business Administration / Marketing
  • Social Work / Human Services

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 5–8 years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, development, or philanthropy, including proven major gift and grant experience.

Preferred:

  • 7–10+ years with demonstrated success leading fundraising initiatives, managing teams or portfolios, and achieving fundraising targets in a nonprofit or philanthropic environment. Experience with capital campaigns, corporate partnerships, planned giving, and working with volunteer gift officers or boards is strongly preferred.
Explore More Careers