Development Manager

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture; Boone (NC); On-site; USD 67,502,000 - 70,258,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture seeks a Development Manager to lead BRWIA’s fundraising and community engagement efforts in the High Country. This leadership role collaborates with the Executive Director and staff, supervising the Communications & Outreach Coordinator to align messaging with fundraising goals and organizational strategy.

The ideal candidate will have strong fundraising experience, excellent communication skills, and the ability to manage donor relationships, events, and reports

Qualifications

• Experience leading fundraising or donor stewardship programs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to supervise staff and coordinate across teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead BRWIA’s fundraising strategy with major gifts and institutional giving.
• Supervise Communications & Outreach Coordinator to align messaging with fundraising goals.
• Plan and execute the Savory Shindig fundraising event and stewardship events.
• Develop donor-focused narratives and impact reports with staff.
• Manage donor CRM and monthly fundraising reporting.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Event planning

Communication

Tools

Excel

GSuite

Canva

Adobe Suite

Job description

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture seeks Development Manager to lead the implementation of BRWIA’s fundraising and community engagement strategy, supporting the organization’s mission and ensuring long-term sustainability. This leadership role works closely with the Executive Director, Finance Coordinator and Grant Coordinator and provides direct supervision and strategic direction to the Communications & Outreach Coordinator to ensure alignment between development goals and organizational communications.

The Organization:

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) is a women-led non-profit organization that strives to build an equitable, sustainable High Country food system. Our mission is to support producers and to cultivate community connections that educate, inspire, and increase the demand for local food. We began as a grassroots project in 2003 by a group of women farmers and gardeners who were looking for supportive, knowledge-sharing networks. We remain dedicated to supporting women in leadership roles even as we serve the entire High Country community.

BRWIA operates the High Country Food Hub and the King Street Farmers Market.We also coordinate various programs that increase demand for and equitable access to local food and producers’ ability to sustainably meet that demand. These include a Double Up Food Bucks program and events such as seasonal producer workshops and a Farm-to-Plate dinner series and the Savory Shindig.

We are based in downtown Boone, NC, and serve the surrounding region.

This position will collaborate with the Executive Director, Communications & Outreach Coordinator, Grants Manager and other BRWIA staff to raise awareness about local food, BRWIA programs and the importance of building a resilient local food system in the High Country. This position will require occasional weekend and weeknight hours.

The Position:

Development Program Management (45% of time)

• Collaborate with the Executive Director to lead BRWIA’s comprehensive fundraising strategy, including individual giving, major gifts, sponsorships, institutional giving, and planned giving.
• Provide vision and leadership for donor cultivation, stewardship, and retention.
• Facilitate weekly development team meetings to coordinate fundraising and outreach efforts, ensure alignment with organizational goals, and support collaboration across team members.
• Contribute to organizational planning and long-term strategy in partnership with the Executive Director and development team.
• Directly supervise the Communications & Outreach Coordinator to ensure communications support development and organizational goals.
• Build and nurture strong relationships with donors, community partners, and stakeholders to expand BRWIA’s network and support.
• Represent BRWIA at community and development events in conjunction with the Executive Director (e.g., Farm to Plate dinners, Chamber of Commerce events).

Event Planning (30% of time)

• Lead execution of BRWIA’s annual fundraising event, Savory Shindig, including sponsorship solicitation and oversight of event logistics.
• In collaboration with the Communications & Outreach Coordinator, plan and execute stewardship events such as Farm Tours, Farm to Plate Restaurant benefits, Sustainer Circle meet ups, etc.
• Collaborate with staff to ensure events are effectively promoted and aligned with fundraising goals.
• Represent BRWIA at community and development events alongside the Executive Director.

Impact and Messaging Leadership (20% of time)

• Guide the development of donor-focused narratives and impact stories; work with Communications & Outreach Coordinator to develop donor materials
• Support Grant Manager in compiling BRWIA’s annual report
• Collaborate with Executive Director to create compelling fundraising appeals for mail and email
• Manage logistics for donor relation campaigns including revision, editing, preparation of materials and lists
• Oversee development content in collaboration with staff to ensure consistency and resonance with funder priorities and organizational goals
• Provide oversight of communications and marketing efforts to ensure integrated messaging across fundraising and public-facing channels

Donor Systems & Reporting (5% of time)

• Manage BRWIA’s donor CRM (Little Green Light), ensuring accurate records, coding, and reporting.
• Maintain systems for consistent donor tracking, communication, and stewardship.
• Review monthly donor and fundraising reports to monitor engagement, giving trends, and communication touchpoints.

The Candidate:

The ideal candidate will be detail oriented, extremely organized, have strong interpersonal skills and be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment while managing overlapping projects and deadlines.

The position will work closely with the Executive Director (their immediate supervisor), Communications & Marketing Coordinator, Finance Coordinator, an d Grants Manager.

An ideal candidate will provide leadership to build BRWIA’s presence in the High Country, develop systems to ensure long term sustainability and visibility of the organization and be an enthusiastic ambassador for local food in the community.

Qualification requirements:

• Strong attention to detail and highly organized.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills using all modes of electronic communications including text messages, email and phone.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team environment.
• Experience troubleshooting challenges.
• Proficiency in Excel, GSuite, Canva and Adobe Suite.
• Access to reliable transportation.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• 1-3 years of experience working in a development, communications or event management role
• Experience supporting fundraising campaigns or donor stewardship.
• Experience with CRM or donor database systems and strong data management skills.
• Experience leading a team and supervising staff.
• Familiarity with local food and farmers’ markets.
• Familiarity with the High Country local food system.
• Experience editing photos and videos for social media.

Compensation: $24/hour for 40 hours per week and employee is eligible to participate in Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture’s benefits program including group health, dental and vision insurance.

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, political beliefs, creed, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture encourages Black, Indigenous, and people of color; LGBTQ+ people; veterans; people with disabilities; people who have been formerly incarcerated; and members of other underrepresented or underserved groups to apply.