Development & Communications Manager

College Bound Opportunities; Highland Park (IL); Hybrid; USD 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

PTO

Professional development support

Flexible work environment

Job summary

College Bound Opportunities (CBO) seeks a Senior Development Associate to lead development operations, donor stewardship, and campaign support from Highland Park, IL. This role centers on data integrity, donor relations, and strategic communications to expand CBO's fundraising base.

Responsibilities include CRM management, gift acknowledgments, dashboards, and collaboration with the ED and Board. Hybrid in-person presence three days weekly; salary $50k–$60k in a nonprofit setting.

Qualifications

• Detail-oriented and organized in managing data and follow-ups.
• Adept with data and CRM platforms to segment donors by level and recency.
• Clear, audience-aware communicator in writing and in person.
• Independent and solutions-driven, with proactive ownership.
• Relationship-oriented and donor-focused to build trust and stewardship.
• Growth-minded and coachable, thriving in a small, evolving nonprofit.
• Demonstrated commitment to educational access for first-generation students.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain CBO's CRM (Raiser's Edge) with accurate donor records and segmentation.
• Manage the gift acknowledgment workflow end-to-end (receipts, notes, calls, letters).
• Track fundraising dashboards and performance metrics for the ED and Board.
• Reconcile gift income with Finance and support audit/compliance needs.
• Identify opportunities to streamline manual workflows, including AI tools where appropriate.
• Support a future CRM needs assessment ahead of Raiser's Edge renewal.

Skills

CRM management

Data analysis

Donor relations

Communication

Process improvement

Nonprofit fundraising

Raiser's Edge

Tools

Raiser's Edge

Job description

Highland Park, IL|Full-Time|Hybrid - in-office three days per week

About College Bound Opportunities

College Bound Opportunities (CBO) empowers and inspires low-income, first-generation Scholars to graduate from college and achieve their full potential. Through mentoring, college access and persistence support, and an emphasis on community, CBO helps Scholars thrive in college and beyond.

Since 2006, CBO has succeeded with the help of mentors, supporters, and staff who are passionate about increasing educational equity and economic justice for students in six partner schools in Lake County, Illinois. Annually, CBO supports about 200 high school and college students; students have attended over 100 four-year colleges and universities, and 98% have graduated or are on track to graduate. CBO's 330+ alumni are working, pursuing graduate degrees, and raising families in their communities.

About the Role

The Senior Development Associate (SDA) is CBO's primary development role, reporting directly to the Executive Director (ED). This role is designed to grow with CBO's growth - building the systems, relationships, and communications that let CBO expand its base of support, and increased responsibility as the function matures.

Responsibilities

Development Operations

• Own and maintain CBO's CRM (Raiser's Edge) - accurate donor records, clean data, and donor segmentation by giving level, recency, affinity, and consecutive years of giving; manage user permissions and data security.
• Manage the gift acknowledgment workflow end-to-end - tax receipts, ED handwritten notes and thank-you calls, student thank-you letters, and pledge documentation.
• Track fundraising dashboards and performance metrics for the ED and Board.
• Reconcile gift income with Finance on a regular cadence; support audit and compliance needs as they arise.
• Identify opportunities to streamline manual workflows (including with AI tools, where appropriate).
• Support a future CRM needs assessment ahead of CBO's next Raiser's Edge renewal decision.

20th Anniversary Campaign Support

CBO's internal day-to-day counterpart to the outside firm partnering on the campaign.

• Serve as CBO's internal day-to-day partner to the outside campaign firm.
• Analyze and segment CBO's donor database to identify campaign prospects - for example, founders, mentors, alumni, as well as potential motivators such as funding modernization, innovation, named scholar programs, etc.
• Support campaign logistics, donor outreach coordination, and reporting.

Communications

• Own production of CBO's monthly newsletter, website updates, and donor stewardship pieces.
• Manage and collaborate with outsourced graphics designer on content and creative execution.
• Develop a communications strategy tailored to each audience - donors, mentors, the broader community.
• Support donor-facing content - impact updates, stewardship materials, and annual giving reports.

Major Donor Cultivation & Stewardship

• Plan and execute stewardship activities - personalized updates, impact reporting, and recognition materials.
• Maintain a donor recognition program honoring long-tenured and legacy givers.
• Keep every donor and prospect record current in the CRM.
• Support ED meeting preparation and follow-up.
• Bring a segmentation mindset to cultivation and stewardship.

Events Management

Ownership of CBO's annual fundraising events - golf outing, pickleball event, and annual gala.

• Manage the budget for each event - tracking revenue and expense targets and reporting results to the ED.
• Coordinate sponsorship and ticket sales - benefit fulfillment and payment tracking.
• Manage event vendors and venues - venue, catering, AV, rentals, printing.
• Coordinate event committees and volunteers.
• Build and run the day-of event timeline.
• Close out each event - reconcile budget, enter gifts/pledges into the CRM, coordinate thank-yous.
• Partner with outside event planner support when appropriate (e.g., the 20th Anniversary Celebration).

Foundation & Corporate Prospecting

• Identify and open the door to new foundation and corporate opportunities in Lake County and beyond.
• Build relationships with corporate partners around talent-pipeline and community-partnership opportunities.

Key Relationships

• Graphic Design Contractor - day-to-day collaboration on content and creative execution.
• Development Consulting Partners - including the firm supporting the 20th Anniversary Campaign.
• CBO Staff & Board - event partnership, board-facing materials, and donor relationships.

Qualifications & Skills

• Detail-oriented and organized - keeps systems, data, and follow-ups accurate and on track.
• Adept with data and systems - spreadsheets and CRM platforms (Raiser's Edge or similar).
• Clear, audience-aware communicator in writing and in person.
• Independent and solutions-driven - takes ownership and moves work forward without constant direction.
• Relationship-oriented and donor-focused - genuine interest in people, not just logistics.
• Coachable and growth-minded - energized by building something in a small, evolving nonprofit.
• Demonstrated commitment to educational access for first-generation students.

Work Environment and Benefits

• CBO operates in a hybrid model, with offices located in Highland Park, Illinois. This role expects in-office presence three days per week. CBO offers a competitive compensation package including:
• Salary range of $50,000-$60,000, commensurate with experience.
• Health insurance, PTO, and professional development support.
• A flexible work environment that values balance, accountability, and connection.