Development and Grants Manager

Arts Hacker; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 68,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

CMT San Jose is seeking a Development & Grants Manager to advance contributed revenue through individual giving, donor relations, and grant writing. You will collaborate with the Managing Director to shape the annual development plan, coordinate campaigns, and steward donors across a broad portfolio.

The ideal candidate will manage grants end-to-end, build fundraising messaging, and work with Finance, Marketing, and Board members to maximize impact and ensure compliant reporting.

Qualifications

• Experience building and managing donor relations programs.
• Proven grant writing and grants management experience.
• Ability to plan fundraising campaigns and donor communications.
• Maintenance of donor records and reporting to leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead grant writing and grants management for the organization.
• Develop revenue forecasts, donor segmentation, and analytics to support planning.
• Manage individual giving program, including cultivation, solicitation, renewal, and stewardship.
• Coordinate campaigns with Managing Director and Marketing Manager.
• Support corporate giving and sponsorship outreach.
• Partner with Finance on forecasting and reporting.
• Oversee gala and major fundraising event logistics and stewardship.
• Engage Board and volunteers in fundraising activities.

Skills

Donor relations

Grant writing

Fundraising

Donor stewardship

CRM systems

Budgeting

Microsoft Office

Tools

CRM software

MS Office

Grants management software

Job description

Position Summary
The Development & Grants Manager supports CMT San Jose’s contributed revenue efforts, with
primary responsibility for individual giving and donor relations and a significant portfolio of grant
writing and grants management.

The position works closely with the Managing Director to build and carry out CMT’s annual
development plan, monitor support revenue, develop fundraising campaigns, cultivate and
steward donors, and identify opportunities to strengthen contributed revenue. The role partners
regularly with Marketing, Finance, Box Office, program staff, CMT’s Board of Directors, and CMT’s
volunteer Engagement Team.

Responsibilities

Development Planning, Revenue Modeling & Systems

• Build, maintain, and execute CMT’s annual development plan and contributed revenue model with the Managing Director.
• Maintain oversight of the support revenue matrix and monitor progress toward fundraising goals, analyzing historical performance donor behavior, campaign results, and revenue trends to identify risks and opportunities.
• Develop revenue forecasts, campaign scenarios, donor segmentation, and other analyses that support fundraising planning.
• Partner with Finance on forecasting, budget posture, reconciliation, and alignment between fundraising activity and financial reporting.
• Develop fundraising messaging, cases for support, donor stories, calls to action, and audience segmentation, and collaborate with marketing manager on donor-facing communication,

Individual Giving & Donor Relations

• Manage CMT’s individual giving program, including cultivation, solicitation, renewal, reengagement, and stewardship.
• Develop and execute annual and seasonal fundraising campaigns in partnership with the Managing Director and Marketing Manager.
• Maintain personal relationships across the donor base, including mid-level donors, through individualized outreach, solicitation, stewardship, and follow-up.
• Identify and prioritize prospects using giving history, CMT participation, institutional relationships, and, when available, capacity information.
• Engage current families, alumni, volunteers, patrons, and other members of the CMT community as donors, prospects, and long-term supporters.
• Manage donor acknowledgments, including tax letters and formal gift recognition.

Corporate Giving, Matching & Sponsorship Support

• Manage matching gifts, workplace giving, volunteer grants, and related programs.
• Support corporate giving and sponsorship opportunities developed through the Managing

Grants Management & Writing (Evolving responsibility within department)

• Lead grant writing and grants management for the organization.
• Prospect for foundation, corporate, government, and other institutional funding opportunities with the Managing Director.
• Maintain application, reporting, and renewal calendars.
• Write and compile proposals, letters of inquiry, reports, and supporting materials.
• Work across departments to collect program information, budgets, participation data, outcomes, testimonials, and other required materials.
• Track grant commitments, reporting requirements, and funder relationships.

Gala & Major Fundraising Events

• Partner with the Managing Director, Board, and event committee on the fundraising strategy and execution of CMT’s annual major fundraising event.
• Support sponsorship and VIP table-host solicitation and stewardship.
• Work with the event committee and auctioneer on live and silent auctions, raffles, paddleraise strategy, and other fundraising activities.
• Partner with Box Office on guest lists, registration, seating, and guest experience; followed by post event reconciliation, acknowledgement, and stewardship.

Board & Development Committee

• Serve as the primary staff partner to the Managing Director and Development Committee Chair.
• Coordinate committee meetings, including scheduling, agendas, materials, and follow-up.
• Provide fundraising updates and materials to support Board participation.
• Help engage Board members in giving, donor cultivation, introductions, campaigns, sponsorships, and stewardship.
• Track and follow up on development-related Board and committee action items.

The ideal candidate will be able to:

• Build and sustain genuine relationships with donors, board members, volunteers, and community members, and translate those relationships into sustained giving.
• Write compelling, audience-appropriate materials — from grant proposals and donor appeals to acknowledgment letters and campaign messaging — that make a clear case for support.
• Manage multiple concurrent deadlines and calendars (grant applications, campaign cycles, event timelines, board meetings) without letting details fall through the cracks.
• Move fluidly between relationship-driven work and systems/database management, maintaining accurate, well-organized donor and gift records.
• Partner effectively across departments — Finance, Marketing, Box Office, program staff — and adapt communication style to each audience.
• Support and coordinate volunteers, committees, and board members toward shared fundraising goals, including in a lead-staff capacity.
• Balance the operational demands of a major fundraising event (sponsorships, logistics, stewardship, reconciliation) with steady day-to-day development work.
• Candidate should have confidence using microsoft office, and learning new giving platforms for event coordination. An aptitude to adopt new technology in support of evolving data and analytics a plus.

CMT values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities to apply.

Salary Range: $ 68,000 – $74,000
Full time position includes full benefits and option to join 403b savings plan.