Development Manager

The Neighborhood Bridge; Oak Park (IL); Hybrid; USD 67,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Neighborhood Bridge in Oak Park, IL seeks a Development Manager to lead fundraising operations, donor stewardship, and program execution in a hybrid setting. You will work closely with the Executive Director, board, and volunteers to build scalable donor processes that accelerate growth.

You will oversee individual giving, grants, and communications, while creating efficient workflows, dashboards, and reporting to advance organizational impact for Chicago’s West Side families.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Five or more years of nonprofit fundraising, development operations, or related work.
• Experience implementing fundraising campaigns or donor stewardship initiatives.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Experience coordinating volunteers, committees, or cross-functional teams.
• Experience managing a donor CRM or fundraising database.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with exceptional attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead implementation of the organization’s annual individual giving strategy.
• Manage fundraising appeals and timely donor acknowledgments.
• Maintain a pipeline of prospective donors and cultivate stewardship opportunities.
• Support the Executive Director in major gift solicitation with $1,000+ donors.
• Build stewardship strategies for mid-level and major donors.
• Grow recurring giving programs and donor profiles.
• Prepare briefing materials for Executive Director meetings.
• Track fundraising performance and recommend improvements.
• Equip Board members with information and tools for fundraising.

Skills

Project management

Organizational skills

Written communication

Verbal communication

Volunteer/board coordination

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Little Green Light

Mailchimp

Canva

Job description

Compensation: $67,000-$75,000, commensurate with experience, plus a competitive benefits package

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Reports To: Executive Director

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Location: Oak Park, Illinois (Hybrid)

Compensation: $67,000-$75,000, commensurate with experience, plus a competitive benefits package

About The Neighborhood Bridge

The Neighborhood Bridge (TNB) was founded in 2023 to connect individuals and families on Chicago’s West Side with the resources they need to thrive. Working alongside schools, service providers, volunteers, donors, and community partners, TNB helps remove barriers to stability through family advocacy, basic needs assistance, and trusted community relationships.

Operating from the former St. Catherine-St. Lucy rectory in Oak Park, TNB currently partners with five schools serving families in Austin:

• St. Catherine-St. Lucy School
• St. Angela School
• Chicago Jesuit Academy
• Catalyst Circle Rock
• Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School

Current programs include the Advocate Program, which helps families navigate social services, and the Essentials Pantry, providing household necessities at no cost. Adult education programming will launch in 2027.

Organizational Values

Integrity and Transparency: We uphold the highest standards of honesty, accountability, and clear communication.

Meaningful Engagement and Service with Dignity: We engage authentically with participants and families while honoring their strengths and potential.

Inclusivity: We invest in practices and resources that foster a welcoming and equitable environment.

Thoughtful Advocacy: We lead with empathy, listen deeply, and adapt to evolving community needs.

The Opportunity

The Neighborhood Bridge has experienced remarkable growth since its founding in 2023. Strong community partnerships, generous philanthropic support, an engaged volunteer network, and visionary leadership have positioned the organization for its next stage of growth.

This is an opportunity for a builder. Rather than maintaining an established development department, you’ll help shape it.

Unlike many development roles, you’ll join an organization with an active Board, committed volunteers, loyal donors, and an Executive Director who genuinely enjoys fundraising and relationship-building. Your opportunity is to build the systems, processes, and donor experience that will allow these strengths to scale. If you enjoy developing clear and effective systems, coordinating talented people, improving processes, and seeing your ideas quickly become reality, you’ll thrive in this role.

Position Summary

The Development Manager serves as The Neighborhood Bridge’s fundraising operations leader, responsible for coordinating the systems, projects, and day-to-day activities that support successful fundraising. Working closely with the Executive Director, Business Manager, Chair of the Development Committee, Board, volunteers, and consultants, this position ensures that development priorities move from strategy to execution.

The Development Manager oversees individual giving and donor stewardship, fundraising operations, committee coordination, grant management, and development communications while building efficient systems that support sustainable organizational growth.

Why You’ll Love This Role

• Build the fundraising infrastructure for a growing nonprofit, setting a strong foundation for years to come.
• Partner directly with an Executive Director who enjoys donor relationships and serves as the organization’s lead fundraiser.
• Work alongside experienced volunteers, fundraisers, and communications professionals.
• See your work make an immediate impact on children and families across Chicago’s West Side.
• Enjoy a flexible hybrid work environment with opportunities for professional growth as the organization continues to expand.

Primary Responsibilities

Individual Giving & Donor Stewardship (30%)

Lead implementation of the organization’s annual individual giving strategy by:

• Managing spring and year-end fundraising appeals.
• Ensuring timely, meaningful donor acknowledgments that reinforce a culture of gratitude.
• Maintaining a pipeline of prospective donors and ensuring cultivation and stewardship opportunities move forward.
• Supporting the Executive Director in the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gift donors and prospects of $1,000 or more.
• Building intentional stewardship strategies for mid-level and major donors.
• Growing The Bridge Builders recurring giving program.
• Preparing donor profiles and briefing materials to support Executive Director meetings.
• Tracking fundraising performance and recommending improvements based on data.
• Equipping Board members with information, prospect research, stewardship assignments, and tools to participate effectively in fundraising.

Committee Coordination (20%)

Leverage the expertise of volunteers, committees, and consultants by:

• Serving as the primary liaison to the Development and Communications Committees.
• Coordinating annual work plans and project timelines.
• Equipping volunteers with the information, tools, and support needed to contribute effectively.
• Keeping projects moving forward across multiple teams and stakeholders.

Grant Management & Institutional Funding (20%)

Strengthen the organization’s readiness for foundation, corporate, and government funding by:

• Maintaining the annual grants calendar.
• Coordinating proposal development and reporting with staff, volunteers, consultants, and other grant-writing resources.
• Collecting program outcomes, stories, testimonials, and data to strengthen proposals and reports.
• Supporting implementation of evaluation tools developed by subject matter experts.
• Ensuring institutional funding deadlines, reporting requirements, and supporting materials are tracked and completed.

Development Operations & Organizational Systems (15%)

Build and strengthen the infrastructure that supports fundraising success by:

• Managing donor records and engagement activities in the organization’s Little Green Light CRM.
• Coordinating gift processing and reconciliation with the Business Manager.
• Producing fundraising dashboards and reports for leadership.
• Maintaining integrated fundraising, communications, and grants calendars.
• Documenting development processes and standard operating procedures.
• Organizing shared resources and documentation so volunteers and staff can easily access what they need.

Communications & Storytelling (10%)

Strengthen donor communications as an essential component of TNB’s fundraising strategy by:

• Coordinating fundraising appeals, donor updates, stewardship communications, and development-related newsletter content in collaboration with TNB’s communications function.
• Developing donor-facing storytelling resources, templates, messaging, and talking points for staff, volunteers, and Board members.
• Identifying and collecting stories, outcomes, and other content that demonstrate TNB’s impact to current and prospective donors.

Events & Community Engagement (5%)

Engage donors and strengthen community relationships by:

• Supporting 1-2 fundraising events annually.
• Representing TNB at donor, volunteer, networking, and community events.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Five or more years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, development operations, advancement, project management, or a related field.
• Experience implementing fundraising campaigns or donor stewardship initiatives.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Experience coordinating volunteers, committees, or cross-functional teams.
• Experience managing a donor CRM or fundraising database.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.

Preferred

• Experience with annual giving, major gifts, recurring giving, and donor retention strategies.
• Familiarity with Little Green Light, Mailchimp, and Canva.
• Grant management experience.
• Experience working in a growing or volunteer-driven nonprofit.
• Familiarity with the Chicago, Austin, and Oak Park philanthropic communities.
• Familiarity with Community-Centric Fundraising principles or resource development in historically marginalized communities.

Personal Characteristics

The strongest candidates will be:

• Mission-driven leaders committed to serving families with dignity and respect.
• Systems builders who enjoy developing clear, effective processes.
• Collaborative relationship builders who work well across teams.
• Skilled project managers who consistently follow through.
• Comfortable leading through influence rather than formal authority.
• Curious professionals who continuously seek better ways of working.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid schedule with flexibility between remote and in-person work.
• Regular presence at TNB’s Oak Park office.
• Some evening and weekend meetings and events.
• Local travel throughout Oak Park, Austin, and the greater Chicago area.