Development Manager

University of Denver; Aurora (CO); On-site; USD 60,000 - 64,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer-paid health insurance

Paid time off

Flexible scheduling

Job summary

Rocky Mountain Welcome Center is seeking a Development Manager to lead and coordinate the day-to-day development function. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role focuses on growing individual and major gift giving while stewarding donors, managing grants, and leading communications and events to drive fundraising growth.

You will work closely with program staff and partners to translate outcomes into compelling donor stories, overseeing operations, and ensuring fundraising goals are met.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of nonprofit fundraising experience with measurable results.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to cultivate and steward donor relationships and major gifts.
• Experience supervising staff, consultants, or vendors.

Responsibilities

• Grow individual giving and major donor relationships.
• Lead the development function and annual fundraising plan.
• Manage grants and foundation relations oversight and reporting.
• Oversee donor communications and fundraising materials.
• Plan and execute donor engagement events and partnerships.

Skills

Communication

Relationship building

Organizational skills

Salesforce

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Rocky Mountain Welcome Center Development Manager

Reports to: Executive Director (Diana Higuera)

Position: 32 hours/week (full benefits eligible)

Compensation: $60,000–$64,000 annually, depending on experience

Benefits:

• 100% employer-paid health insurance
• Over four weeks of paid time off, including three weeks of vacation plus our annual paid office closure from December 24 through January 1, in addition to paid federal holidays.
• Flexible scheduling.

About Rocky Mountain Welcome Center

Rocky Mountain Welcome Center (RMWC) is an immigrant-led nonprofit organization fostering intercultural learning, understanding, and integration among immigrants, refugees, and Colorado residents. Through programs that support mental health, youth, education, legal navigation, and community integration, RMWC serves more than 2,000 individuals each year. RMWC has built a strong foundation of grant funding and community partnerships. We are seeking an experienced Development Manager to lead our fundraising growth by expanding individual philanthropy, strengthening donor relationships, and overseeing all aspects of the organization's development program.

Why Join Rocky Mountain Welcome Center?

At Rocky Mountain Welcome Center, every team member has the opportunity to make a direct impact in the lives of immigrant and refugee families. This is not a position where fundraising happens behind a desk. Our Development Manager works closely with program staff, meets participants and community partners, attends events, and sees firsthand how philanthropy creates meaningful change. We are a collaborative, mission-driven organization that values teamwork, innovation, flexibility, and continuous learning. We believe the best ideas come from working together, and every staff member has the opportunity to contribute to the organization's growth and future direction. While fundraising occasionally requires evening or weekend events, we offer flexible scheduling that supports a healthy work-life balance. As Rocky Mountain Welcome Center continues to grow, this position offers an exciting opportunity to help shape our fundraising strategy, strengthen relationships with donors and partners, and grow professionally alongside an expanding organization.

What makes this opportunity unique?

• Join an organization experiencing significant growth.
• Work directly with the Executive Director and Board of Directors.
• Build and shape a growing development department.
• See the direct impact of your fundraising in the community.
• Opportunity for increasing responsibility as the organization grows.

Position Summary

The Development Manager serves as the organization's fundraising leader and is responsible for leading and coordinating the day-to-day development function. Working in close partnership with the Executive Director, this position focuses primarily on growing individual and major donor giving while overseeing donor stewardship, grant management, fundraising communications, development operations, and donor engagement events. The Development Manager develops recommendations and fundraising strategies in partnership with the Executive Director. The Executive Director retains final responsibility for organizational priorities while the Development Manager leads implementation, manages development operations, and ensures fundraising goals are achieved.

Key Responsibilities

1. Grow Individual Giving & Major Donor Relationships
   1. Develop and implement strategies to increase individual giving and major gifts.
   2. Build, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of individual and major donors.
   3. Identify new donor prospects and develop long-term cultivation strategies.
   4. Partner with the Executive Director on major donor meetings and gift solicitations.
   5. Develop annual giving campaigns and strengthen donor engagement.
   6. Ensure donors receive meaningful stewardship and timely recognition.
2. Lead the Development Function
   1. Partner with the Executive Director to develop and implement the annual fundraising plan.
   2. Manage the fundraising calendar and development priorities.
   3. Track fundraising metrics, maintain Salesforce, and prepare reports for leadership and the Board.
   4. Recommend strategies to strengthen fundraising performance and diversify revenue.
3. Manage Grants & Foundation Relations
   1. Oversee the organization's grant portfolio.
   2. Supervise and coordinate grant writers and consultants.
   3. Write grant proposals when appropriate and prepare all grant reports.
   4. Partner with the Executive Director to identify and prioritize grant opportunities.
   5. In conjunction with the Executive Director steward relationships with foundation funders and ensure timely submissions.
   6. Track grant reporting deadlines and submissions.
4. Oversee Donor Communications
   1. Lead donor communications and fundraising messaging via all media outlets.
   2. Manage production of the annual report.
   3. Oversee newsletters, fundraising appeals, donor stewardship materials among others.
   4. Coordinate external communications vendors and consultants.
   5. Work with program staff to translate outcomes into compelling donor stories.
5. Plan & Execute Donor Engagement Events
   1. Plan and execute donor cultivation lunches, house gatherings, and community engagement events.
   2. Coordinate invitations, logistics, follow-up, and stewardship.
   3. Develop corporate partnerships and sponsorship opportunities that support fundraising goals.

Qualifications

• Commitment to RMWC's mission and immigrant and refugee communities.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of experience in nonprofit fundraising with quantifiable success in increasing all revenue sources.
• Demonstrated success cultivating and stewarding individual donors and securing major gifts.
• Experience developing fundraising strategies and managing development operations.
• Experience supervising staff, consultants, or vendors.
• Experience with donor databases (Salesforce preferred).
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently while collaborating closely with the Executive Director.

Measures of Success

• Achievement of overall organizational fundraising goals of almost $800,000.
• Strengthen donor stewardship and long-term relationships, grow individual and major donors and actively manage a strong pipeline of prospective donors.
• Build a diverse and robust funding pipeline by prospecting and identification of new corporate, individual and foundations.
• Ensure high-quality management of grants, fundraising communications, and development operations.