Development Manager

The James Beard Foundation; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan

Professional development

Paid time off

Fertility planning support

Parental leave

Job summary

The James Beard Foundation is seeking a Development Manager to lead the Patron Program, oversee donor communications, and support fundraising initiatives. Reporting to the Vice President of Philanthropy, you will manage daily development activities, donor stewardship, and program events across the organization.

You will collaborate with internal teams, coordinate gala and auction activities, and contribute to achieving aggressive fundraising goals while engaging Greens members and major donors.

Qualifications

• 5 years minimum of professional experience.
• Experience with Salesforce or comparable CRM.
• Tech savvy, proficient in MS 365, including Adobe Acrobat Pro, and Monday.com.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Proactive, customer‑service orientation.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines.
• Passion for food culture and JBF mission; ability to articulate philanthropic value.
• Ability to travel domestically and attend evening events as needed.

Responsibilities

• Own the day‑to‑day administration and execution of the JBF Patron Program.
• Coordinate with internal and external partners on Patron Program events and engagement opportunities.
• Monitor donor communications inboxes and respond to inquiries.
• Support donor follow‑up and communications pre‑ and post‑event as part of stewardship.

Skills

Salesforce CRM

MS 365

Adobe Acrobat Pro

Monday.com

Excellent communication

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

About The James Beard Foundation

The James Beard Foundation (JBF) is a vital cultural institution with deep roots honoring and advancing the culinary arts industry. JBF’s mission is to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability. As a 501(c)(3) national non‑profit organization, JBF brings its mission to life through the annual James Beard Awards, industry and community‑focused initiatives and programs, advocacy, partnerships, and events across the country. The Development team is responsible for generating more than $7 million in support in FY27, with a goal to grow to $10 million annually by FY29‑30. All members of the Development team work to cultivate and support a culture of philanthropy within the organization and represent JBF externally in front of current and prospective donor audiences.

Description

The Development Manager is a key member of the Development team at JBF, coordinating processes essential to reaching our ambitious goals and supporting our dynamic work. Reporting to the Vice President of Philanthropy, the Development Manager will manage the daily flow of development activities, initiatives, and communications, assist in creating fundraising goals, and solicit funds to meet these goals.

Patron Program

• Serve as the primary owner of the day‑to‑day administration and execution of the JBF Patron Program, reporting to and supervised by the Vice President of Philanthropy
• Coordinate with internal and external partners to oversee programmatic aspects of Patron Program events and other patron engagement opportunities
• Monitor Development and Patron Program email inboxes and phone/voicemail and respond to all inquiries in a timely manner
• Provide support for patron follow‑up and communications pre‑ and post‑event as part of a broader stewardship and cultivation strategy

Donor Communications

• Create and manage a departmental calendar of donor communications, initiatives, and events
• Draft regular donor and patron newsletters, brainstorm content, and project manage; serve as key liaison with other teams to source content and assets for monthly newsletters and other donor communications
• Project manage the creation of development communications pieces for fundraising campaigns, Patron Program events, Gala, Auction, and other initiatives
• Assist with drafting and proofing additional development copy as needed, including fundraising campaign texts, standardized donor acknowledgement templates, thank‑you emails, post‑event communications, program descriptions, etc.

Donor/Member Relations

• Provide support for donor follow‑up and communications pre‑ and post‑event as part of the broader stewardship and cultivation strategy
• Manage and track table and ticket sales for the Annual Gala; interface with donors and attendees pre‑ and post‑event
• Manage regular communication with Greens members; support the Director of Individual and Major Giving in communications and programming with the Young Patrons
• Represent the Development team at Greens events, stewarding Greens members; strategize the evolution and integration of Greens within the Patron Program
• Help to identify and manage partnerships and collaborations with other arts and cultural organizations to augment our young supporter and member base
• Provide support in the solicitation and fulfillment of prize packages for the annual Auction, including drafting item descriptions and providing other support as needed

Prospect Research

• Help conduct prospect research to identify individual, foundation, and corporate prospects
• Help build and update research profiles, prepare briefings for meetings and events, and respond to research requests
• Strategize outreach coordination with the Development team, stewarding information into Salesforce

Miscellaneous

• Support the Development team as needed

Requirements

• 5 years minimum of professional experience
• Experience with Salesforce or comparable CRM
• Tech savvy, proficient in MS 365, including Adobe Acrobat Pro, and Monday.com
• Excellent attention to detail
• Proactive, customer‑service orientation
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining accuracy and meeting deadlines
• Passion for food culture, culinary equity, and the JBF mission; ability to articulate a compelling case for philanthropic investment
• Ability to travel domestically and attend evening events as needed

Benefits

JBF offers a dynamic work environment with benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their dependents; life insurance; flexible spending account; commuter benefits; retirement savings; employee assistance program; tuition reimbursement and professional development; and generous paid time off. We also offer fertility planning support and up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Additional perks include staff events, tickets to events at Platform by JBF (Pier 57), and much more. The position is hybrid, requiring presence in the NYC office two days per week. Relocation is not eligible.