Development Manager (nonprofit fundraising & grants) - Center on Policy Initiatives

About the Center on Policy Initiatives 

The Center on Policy Initiatives is an independent nonprofit that has been at the forefront of the fight for worker and economic justice since 1997. We are the San Diego County people’s think tank. We conduct research, generate policy solutions, advance leadership development, and build alliances to win policies that benefit working families and diverse communities. 

Position Summary  

The Center on Policy Initiatives is searching for an amazing Development Manager to join our team. We’re looking for someone who can expand on our 25-year track record of winning grant support for our work. We're also looking for someone who is excited to help us build a larger base of individual and organizational donors to sustain and propel this work for the next 25 years. 

The Development Manager is responsible for coordinating, managing, driving and evaluating the organization's development functions. Currently, most of CPI’s funding comes from foundation grants, and maintaining these grants and relationships will be most of the Development Manager’s responsibilities. This position will also support fundraising for local coalition work, statewide and regional networks, and fiscally sponsored projects. The Development Manager needs to be a perceptive listener, a clear and persuasive writer, a good storyteller, and adept at identifying opportunities to build support for our work.  

The ideal person in this role is an organizer at heart and believes in values-based and community-centric fundraising. They are experienced in building relationships with foundation funders and individual donors, have strong interpersonal skills, and are excited by the opportunity to be involved with new, as well as established, development projects.    
 

Key Responsibilities 

Fundraising Planning, Systems, and Infrastructure 

• Manage the process of developing a fundraising plan, including raising revenue from foundations, individual donor development, labor unions and other nonprofits. 

• Implement fundraising strategies and produce reports on progress.  

• Maintain and enhance systems required to run a best practice fundraising program. 

• Create and maintain an annual fundraising calendar of activities, including following up with staff, board, or volunteers on their to-dos. 

• Maintain donor, foundation, grant, and other funder records. 

• Create periodic fundraising reports using the fundraising plan and database. 

• Stay abreast of campaigns, program initiatives and successes.  

• Create and manage clear success metrics, holding yourself and others accountable for achieving those goals, and develop periodic reports on progress.  

• Work with finance staff to reconcile records. 

• Coordinate meetings of the Development Team (Executive Director, Deputy Director, and Finance staff) and other development-related meetings. 

Foundation & Other Grants 

• Identify, qualify and prioritize funding opportunities. 

• Facilitate the development of relationships with funders through regular communications, including creating a calendar of touchpoints. 

• Schedule and prepare for development-related meetings and presentations. 

• Draft letters of intent and grant proposals, frame and edit proposals, and write reports. Coordinate the gathering of information (budgets, materials, evaluation reports, etc.) to support grant requests and reporting. 

• Maintain grants calendar to track and meet grant submission and reporting deadlines. 

• Work with staff to track progress and grants deliverables. 

Individual Donors 

• Prospect, identify, and prioritize major donors. 

• Manage donor cultivation, including sending personal notes, thank you letters, email/other communications, and setting up meetings or phone calls. 

• Manage process that includes cultivation, solicitation, and acknowledgement. 

• Monitor and maintain online giving. 

• Working with the Communications Team, plan out periodic appeals and draft copies. 

Union, Community, Business & Other Institutional Donors 

• Facilitate identifying, qualifying, and prioritizing other institutional donors. 

• Facilitate the development of relationships through regular communications, personal notes, thank you letters, setting up meetings/calls, etc. 

• Manage process that includes cultivation, solicitation, and acknowledgement. 

Special Events & Projects 

• Plan and organize meet and greets, house parties, and other fundraising events. 

• Coordinate and harmonize consultant activities and strategies to ensure the most efficient and effective use of resources to generate the greatest impact and outcomes possible. Track progress and deliverables. 

Communications and Marketing 

• In collaboration with the Communications Team, write, and coordinate communications, materials and marketing efforts designed for fundraising. 

• Ensure periodic communications to funders and donors, including the bimonthly newsletter 

• Work with program staff to get regular program reports and stories about people impacted by CPI’s work. 

Supervisorial Responsibilities: 

• The Development Manager does not have routine and regular supervision responsibilities for other full-time staff.  

• The Development Manager may occasionally supervise the work of temporary employees (e.g. contract grant writers), interns, and community volunteers. 

Required Qualifications 

• Demonstrated passion and commitment to economic, social, and racial justice. 

• Three or more years of fundraising experience at an organization with a $1 million annual budget. 

• Track record of success in front-line fundraising solicitation, stewardship, donor recognition, prospect research, grant proposal writing, gift administration, and development policies and procedures. 

• Demonstrated success in securing and managing five to six-figure grants and five-figure contributions from individuals. 

• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills. 

• Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating project-based teams. 

• Demonstrated knowledge and best practices in the field of philanthropy, development, and grants 

• Familiarity with development practices for 501(c)(3). 

• Flexible to work evenings and weekends as needed. 

• Have reliable transportation.  

• Commitment to CPI’s mission including racial and gender equity. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Four or more years of experience as senior level development professional or senior level nonprofit manager at an organization with a $2 million annual budget. 

• Experience working with donor databases. 

• Experience managing a team, staff, and volunteers. 

• Bilingual or multilingual. 

• Familiarity with development practices for 501(c)(4) organizations. 

Autonomy: 

• The Development Manager is expected to use sound judgement, in alignment with the organization's mission and values.  

• The Development Manager is the primary staff contact for the Fundraising Committee of the Board which supports the organization’s fundraising goals and strategies. 

• The Development Manager is empowered to achieve the organization’s fundraising goals in the time and manner they think best. However, they shall not independently make decisions that might risk the organization’s reputation or its ability to achieve its programmatic goals. 

• The Development Manager is empowered to develop their own vision and plan and take it upon themselves to figure out how to get it done, including finding alternative paths when challenges and problems inevitably arise. They can do what they need to do to achieve their goals, including being open with their manager about where they need help, anticipating problems, brainstorming solutions, driving work forward, and course-correcting where needed. While the Development Manager can lean on their manager for support, they don’t require super-hands-on supervision to keep the work moving forward, and don’t leave a meeting without ensuring to-dos are captured with names and timelines. They are expected to communicate expectations and changes in a timely manner. 

Physical Requirements:  

• Must be able to lift 25 lbs. 

• Ability to sit or stand for prolonged periods in meetings or while working on a computer. 

• Frequently required to sit, stand, walk and reach. 

• Required to push, pull, lift and carry. 

Transporation Requirements: 

This position requires occasional driving throughout San Diego County using a personal vehicle or other reliable & trustworthy transportation source.  We offer mileage reimbursement for authorized trips. 

SALARY AND BENEFITS: 
CPI’s salary and benefit standards are competitive and reflect our commitment to economic justice and equal pay for equal work. The salary range for this position is between $75,880-$96,624 per year. We offer a full benefits package including employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with employer contribution, and a generous paid time-off program including paid sick, vacation, and holidays. 

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