Development Manager

The Village Learning Place, Inc.; Baltimore (MD); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical & Dental

SIMPLE IRA

PTO 18 days

Paid holidays 10

Job summary

Village Learning Place in Baltimore, MD is seeking a full-time Development Officer to lead fundraising, donor engagement, grant writing, events, and communications in support of the organization’s mission. Hybrid work is required with regular on-site presence for local events.

Responsibilities include cultivating individual and institutional donors, planning campaigns (30th anniversary and capital campaign), and producing timely stewardship communications.

Qualifications

• At least three years of nonprofit development fundraising experience.
• Excellent writing and editing skills for diverse audiences.
• Experience managing multiple projects, deadlines, and details.
• Strong relationship-building with donors and community partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead fundraising and donor relationships, including annual appeals and donor stewardship.
• Perform grant writing and reporting from planning to submission and follow-up.
• Plan and execute donor events and develop communications strategies.
• Maintain donor records, track gifts, acknowledgments, and tax receipts.

Skills

Written communication

Verbal communication

Project management

Independent work

Tech proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

DonorPerfect CRM

Job description

Fundraising | Grants | Donor Engagement | Events | Communications

Organization: Village Learning Place

Location: Baltimore, Maryland | Hybrid; regular on-site and local event presence required

Position: Full-time, regular | 40 hours per week | Salaried, exempt

Schedule: Primarily Monday-Friday; occasional evenings and weekends

Salary: $60,000-$65,000 annually, depending on experience

Reports to: Executive Director

Anticipated start: Early October 2026

What you’ll do

Fundraising and donor relationships

• Manage individual giving efforts, including annual appeals, monthly giving, donor cultivation, and stewardship plans.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward individual, institutional, corporate, and community supporters through thoughtful outreach, meetings, communications, and events.
• Help plan and carry out fundraising strategies connected to VLP’s 30th anniversary and capital campaign.
• Create donor acknowledgments, fundraising materials, impact updates, and stewardship communications that are timely, specific, and engaging.

Grant writing and management

• Take responsibility for grant writing and reporting, from planning and drafting through submission and follow-up.
• Research prospective funders and develop clear, persuasive proposals and reports in partnership with program and leadership staff.
• Manage the fundraising calendar, submission process, supporting materials, and reporting requirements so commitments are accurate and deadlines are met.
• Maintain effective grant-writing systems and coordinate development or grant-writing consultants as assigned.

Events, engagement, and communications

• Plan and execute donor and fundraising events, including Read Between the Wines and anniversary or community-based events developed with staff and volunteer committees.
• Design strategies that deepen engagement with donors, volunteers, alumni, sponsors, and community members.
• Manage development-related communications across our website, newsletters, social media, fundraising campaigns, and event promotion.
• Collaborate with program staff to gather stories, outcomes, and data that demonstrate VLP’s impact and bring the mission to life.

Development operations and community partnerships

• Maintain accurate donor and prospect records in the donor database and ensure gifts, acknowledgments, and tax receipts are processed and tracked correctly.
• Monitor development metrics and prepare clear progress reports for the Executive Director and other organizational leaders.
• Strengthen relationships with community partners, sponsors, and corporate supporters, and represent VLP at local events and networking opportunities.
• Coordinate fundraising and communications consultants as assigned while keeping priorities, deliverables, and deadlines moving.

What you’ll bring

• At least three years of relevant experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, donor relations, grant writing, communications, or a closely related field.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with the judgment to turn broad ideas, program information, and data into clear and persuasive messages for different audiences.
• Experience managing multiple projects, deadlines, and details without losing sight of the larger goal.
• Strong verbal communication and relationship-building skills with donors, community members, colleagues, volunteers, and partners.
• Comfort working independently, collaborating across a small team, and shifting priorities when circumstances change.
• Proficiency with common workplace technology and the ability to learn donor databases, project tools, and communications platforms quickly.
• A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.

Especially helpful

• Direct experience writing and managing grants; experience with institutional funders is strongly preferred.
• Experience with individual giving, donor stewardship, fundraising events, or development communications.
• Experience supporting a capital campaign, anniversary campaign, or other major fundraising initiative.
• Familiarity with DonorPerfect or another donor/customer relationship management system.
• Knowledge of Baltimore and enthusiasm for building relationships across the city’s nonprofit, philanthropic, business, and neighborhood communities.

How you’ll work

You bring professionalism, sound judgment, and a collaborative approach to your work. You stay organized, attend to details, and can turn broad ideas into clear next steps. You learn quickly, ask thoughtful questions, communicate openly, and follow through on commitments. When priorities shift, you adapt while keeping others informed. You are comfortable building relationships with donors, partners, colleagues, and community members and contributing to a respectful, community-centered workplace.

Compensation and benefits

The salary range for this full-time (40 hours/week) exempt position is $60,000-$65,000 annually, depending on relevant experience and education.

• 100% paid employee medical and dental coverage beginning on the first day of employment. (Employees may add dependents at their own expense.)
• SIMPLE IRA with up to a 3% employer match
• 18 days of PTO
• 10 paid holidays

Equal opportunity

Village Learning Place is an equal opportunity employer. We value a workplace that welcomes different backgrounds, experiences, identities, and perspectives, and we encourage qualified candidates who share our commitment to literacy, learning, and community to apply.