Development Manager

Friends of the Children New York; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO

Paid holidays

Medical insurance

Hybrid work in Harlem (3 days/week)

Job summary

Friends of the Children New York is seeking a Development Manager to drive fundraising strategies across individual giving, foundations, and corporate partnerships. You will steward a donor portfolio, draft compelling materials, and collaborate with a broad network to advance revenue goals.

The role requires strong project management, excellent writing, relationship-building, and data management skills, with a commitment to equitable philanthropy and supporting children and families facing

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field; 5+ years in nonprofit development or fundraising.
• Experience with fundraising databases; Bloomerang or similar CRM preferred.
• Proven ability to prepare persuasive written materials (grant proposals, donor comms, reports).
• Strong multitasking skills; ability to manage multiple projects and stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; donor and stakeholder engagement expertise.

Responsibilities

• Support Development Director in achieving annual fundraising goals and developing the annual development plan.
• Manage a portfolio of donors, including major and mid-level donors and corporate partners.
• Conduct prospect research to identify new funding opportunities and partnerships.
• Develop and manage communications plan to increase visibility and donor engagement.
• Lead donor-facing content and materials (flyers, brochures, presentations, sponsorship materials).
• Coordinate fundraising events, campaigns, and stewardship initiatives.
• Collaborate with programs, operations, and leadership to gather impact data and storytelling content.
• Oversee projects from planning through execution with strong timelines.

Skills

Project management

Grant writing

Donor relations

Prospect research

Relationship building

Data management

Clear communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree required

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Bloomerang CRM

Canva

Job description

The Development Manager will play a key role in advancing the chapter’s fundraising goals and building a sustainable, diversified development program. The position will support fundraising across individual giving, foundation and corporate partnerships, grants, special events, donor communications, and stewardship. Working under the direction of the Development Director, the Development Manager will collaborate closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, staff, supporters, and the FOTC national network to implement development strategies that advance the organization’s mission, values, and revenue objectives. This role requires strong project-management, writing, relationship-building, and data-management skills, along with a commitment to equitable philanthropy and the long-term success of children and families.

Essential Functions / Responsibilities

• Support the Development Director in achieving annual fundraising and revenue goals and in developing and implementing the annual development plan, fundraising strategies, and systems that strengthen the organization’s long-term sustainability.
• Manage a portfolio of assigned individual donors, including major and mid-level donors, corporate partners, and prospects, with responsibility for cultivation, solicitation, relationship management, stewardship, and identifying opportunities for deeper engagement.
• Conduct prospect research and identify new individual, corporate, and foundation funding opportunities, partnerships, and prospects.
• Participate in development planning, budgeting, forecasting, and fundraising analysis, and provide regular updates to the Development Director on fundraising progress, assigned initiatives, opportunities, and challenges.
• Manage fundraising initiatives and special projects from planning through execution, including fundraising events, annual and year-end campaigns, donor stewardship initiatives, corporate and programmatic engagement opportunities, and other development activities.
• Develop and manage the organization’s communications plan to increase visibility and support donor engagement and fundraising efforts, including social media, email communications, newsletters, campaigns, and other digital outreach, in coordination with the Development Director and Development Coordinator.
• Lead the development of donor-facing and marketing content and materials, including flyers, brochures, presentations, sponsorship materials, fundraising appeals, impact updates, social media content, and event materials, ensuring all communications reflect the organization’s voice, values, and storytelling standards.
• Manage donor stewardship touchpoints and engagement activities throughout the year.
• Collaborate with Program, Operations, Board and Leadership Council members, and other stakeholders to support fundraising initiatives and gather program information, impact data, stories, photos, and other content needed for fundraising, stewardship, communications, and donor engagement.
• Perform other development-related duties and special projects as assigned.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with demonstrated ability to independently take ownership of projects from concept through completion, establish timelines and priorities, coordinate multiple stakeholders and deliverables, anticipate next steps, and meet deadlines with limited day-to-day direction.
• Highly proactive, resourceful, and solutions-oriented, with the ability to take an assignment or goal, determine what is needed to move it forward, and follow through to successful completion while keeping the Development Director appropriately informed.
• Excellent written/verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to develop clear, compelling, and polished fundraising, donor, marketing, and digital content for a variety of audiences.
• Strong communications and content-development skills, with an understanding of social media, email marketing, digital engagement, and nonprofit storytelling.
• Proficiency with Canva or similar design platforms and comfort creating polished flyers, presentations, social media graphics, donor materials, and other visual content. Comfortable learning and using additional digital tools and platforms as needed.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing accurate, high-quality work.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously, particularly during high-volume fundraising, campaign, and event periods.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively and to build effective working relationships across teams and with donors, Board members, volunteers, and external partners.
• Demonstrate initiative, sound judgment, adaptability, and the ability to identify and address needs without requiring extensive day-to-day direction.
• Demonstrate discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential donor, financial, and organizational information.
• Be willing and able to attend and actively participate in team meetings, staff functions, development events, and occasional evening and weekend activities as needed.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to the Friends of the Children mission and to serving children and families facing systemic barriers and significant challenges.

Required Education, Experience, & Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• At least 5 years’ experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, grant writing, donor relations, or a closely related field.
• Experience with fundraising database programs; experience with Bloomerang or a comparable CRM is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience preparing persuasive written materials, such as grant proposals, donor communications, reports, appeals, or presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and stakeholder relationships simultaneously.

Compensation, Benefits / Work Environment

• Salary range: $72,000 – $85,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
• Comprehensive benefits package provided, including PTO, paid holidays, and medical insurance.
• Currently, this position is hybrid role with a regular expectation of working in the Harlem office 3 days per week, with additional in-office attendance as needed for meetings, events, and organizational priorities. The in-office requirement is an essential function of the role and includes regular in‑person collaboration with team members, Board members, donors, and other partners.
• This position may require occasional local travel, as well as occasional evening or weekend work for donor meetings, events, and organizational activities.

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices. The equal employment opportunity policy of FOTC provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants. We hire and promote individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.

All employees are expected to perform their roles in alignment with our values and to commit to create a sense of belonging for themselves, our colleagues and the children and families we serve.

FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN VALUES

Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth, Friends, and program teams, but also applies to all Friends of the Children employees, volunteers, and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire, coach, and manage; and most importantly, we use our values to change the way the world treats and views our most vulnerable youth.

PUT CHILDREN FIRST

We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential, we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youth's needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS ON LOVE

We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love and acceptance. Our practice is rooted in the wisdom of communities, tailoring support to honor each youth’s unique identity and shared heritage. We don’t give up easily and take a no matter what approach to our work. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy and healthy communication. We build community through one‑on‑one connections that are authentic, respectful, and meaningful.

COMMIT TO EMPOWERMENT

We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work, and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other.

PURSUE GOALS RELENTLESSLY

We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long‑term outcomes.

UNLOCK ALL POTENTIAL

We believe everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential, because where you start shouldn’t decide how far you go. We advocate to ensure every child, regardless of historical and present challenges, has the resources, support, and voice needed to thrive. We amplify and listen to the hopes and dreams of the children, families, and communities we serve. We harness different perspectives to overcome barriers and drive measurable change for every child. Together, we work to challenge and remove obstacles so potential isn’t limited by any circumstance.