Development Manager

Edmonds Center for the Arts; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work environment

Retirement plan with match

Paid vacation time

Health insurance

Job summary

Edmonds Center for the Arts in Edmonds, WA, is seeking a Development Manager to advance fundraising strategy, major donor engagement, and board relations. This senior role partners with the Director of Development to lead an expanding, data-driven advancement program.

The role focuses on building systems, donor care, and event support, with the aim of growing capacity and impact within a community-focused arts organization. It requires equity-minded leadership and cross-team collaboration.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive fundraising experience with diverse donor engagement.
• Experience managing donor data, stewardship, and reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with donors and board members.
• Strong ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Collaborative, problem-solving approach across teams.

Responsibilities

• Shadow the Director of Development on strategy and major gifts.
• Own donor data integrity in the CRM and reporting pipelines.
• Maintain donor pipelines and moves management and create regular gift activity reports.
• Support donor stewardship with acknowledgments, updates, and impact reporting.
• Assist in preparing donor briefings and histories for senior staff.
• Help plan and run two annual signature events and coordinate donor communications.
• Oversee gift processing workflows and ensure proper documentation and reconciliation.
• Coordinate with development, finance, and marketing teams for timely communications.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Communication

Project management

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Fundraising certificate

Tools

CRM systems

Project management tools

Job description

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Permanent, Full-Time, Non-Exempt

REPORTS TO: Director of Development

STARTING SALARY RANGE: $65,000-85,000

Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA) is one of the premier performing arts centers in the Pacific Northwest--a 700-seat jewel-box venue located in Edmonds, Washington, just 20 minutes north of Seattle. Owned and operated by the Edmonds Public Facilities District (PFD), ECA opened in 2006 in a beautifully renovated historic high school and has since built a beloved reputation for live performance, arts education, and community engagement across the Puget Sound region.

Every year, ECA curates a focused season of presented events spanning music, dance, comedy, theater, spoken word, and more, from classical to Broadway, jazz to folk, pop to world music, with complementary educational events. Through our Rentals Department, we host 130+ additional events produced by touring and local artists and community organizations. Together, these programs serve more than 90,000 patrons annually, supported by a financially stable organization.

Edmonds Center for the Arts is where community and culture come alive!

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

The Development Manager will partner closely with the Director of Development on fundraising strategy, major donor engagement, and board relations, with a path toward taking on greater strategic ownership over time. This is a strong opportunity for a mid-career fundraising professional who wants to deepen their strategic impact by first building mastery of the systems and relationships that drive a high-functioning development program.

Reporting to the Director of Development, you'll be the operational engine of ECA's advancement program — a detail-oriented, organized professional who keeps the database accurate, donors well cared for, and events running smoothly.

The right candidate is committed to equity and inclusion, welcoming of diverse perspectives, and invested in making sure colleagues and partners feel valued and empowered.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Development Manager is helping sustain a cultural anchor for the Pacific Northwest. You'll play a pivotal role in ensuring that exciting performances, arts education, and community engagement continue to thrive for the 90,000+ patrons we serve each year. Here's what that looks like day-to-day:

• Growth & Strategic Development. You'll shadow the Development Director on high-level strategy, major gift conversations, and board engagement, with the goal of building the skills and judgment to grow into strategic fundraising leadership over time.
• Database & Data Integrity. You'll serve as the organization's champion for donor data, owning the CRM/database, including gift entry, donor coding, and data hygiene standards that the whole team can rely on.
• Moves Management & Reporting. You'll maintain donor pipelines and moves management tracking, and pull regular reports on gift activity, donor trends, and campaign performance to support leadership's strategic decisions.
• Donor Stewardship. You'll support the execution of stewardship touchpoints, including acknowledgment letters, gift receipts, impact updates, and donor recognition, ensuring donors feel consistently valued and informed.
• Donor Relations Support. You'll assist in cultivating and maintaining relationships with individual donors, helping prepare briefings, donor histories, and giving summaries to support major donor conversations led by senior staff.
• Special Events Support. You'll support the planning and execution of the organization's two annual signature events and smaller donor engagement touchpoints throughout the year, coordinating logistics, guest lists, and donor communications alongside the contracted event planner.
• Gift Processing & Systems. You'll manage gift processing workflows and ensure proper documentation, coding, and reconciliation between the database and financial records.
• Cross-Team Coordination. You'll work closely with development, finance, and marketing colleagues to keep donor communications, acknowledgments, and reporting aligned and timely.

ABOUT YOU (EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS)

We're not just looking for someone who checks every box. We're looking for a connector: someone who leads with curiosity and heart, brings a commitment to trust-building, and is energized by the opportunity to grow something meaningful alongside a passionate team. This is a senior leadership position. We expect candidates to bring commensurate experience and a demonstrated track record of success in comparable roles.

The right person for this role will bring:

• 5+ years of progressive fundraising experience, including interest in engaging with all facets of development.
• Comfortable working with technology, including donor databases, CRM systems, project management tools ... and excited to learn new ones.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to connect authentically with donors, board members, volunteers, and community partners across diverse backgrounds.
• Strong project management ability. You're organized, deadline-driven, and able to manage competing priorities without losing sight of the bigger picture.
• Collaborative and solution-oriented, able to pivot gracefully when plans change and bring people together to solve problems creatively.

Even Better if you have... (Knowledge, Skills, Ability that might set you apart)

• A passion for the arts and enthusiasm for the mission, vision, and values of ECA.
• Bachelor of Arts in a relevant field, or completion of a fundraising certificate program, or equivalent education, training, and experience.
• Familiarity with the Puget Sound arts community and funding ecosystem.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The Director of Development position is a 100% full-time, non-exempt position. It is a hybrid role, with flexibility as needed. The starting salary range for this position is $65,000-85,000. The offered salary will be commensurate with the selected candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Additional Benefits

ECA believes in the importance of taking care of our team so that in turn they can be committed to supporting our critical mission and access to the arts in our community. This position is eligible for a competitive package including:

• Flexible work environment
• 100% Paid Long Term Disability and Life Insurance, with the option to enroll in voluntary plans.
• Retirement Plan with match (Washington State PERS), and ability to enroll in a 457b Deferred Compensation Plan.
• 10-25 days of vacation time per year, commensurate with tenure and accruable up to 30 days a year.
• Up to 12 days of sick time and 14 paid holidays per year
• Additional paid & unpaid leave for reasons including jury service, military service, emergency responder service, bereavement, and family medical needs.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Healthcare & Daycare Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA)

Working Conditions

This position will occasionally require work beyond standard business hours, including evenings and weekends, to attend some performances, meetings, and special events. Physical requirements include prolonged periods of computer use in an office setting, repetitive use of hands and wrists, close-range visual focus, the ability to communicate clearly. There also will be occasional local travel.

NOTICES

Edmonds Public Facilities District/Edmonds Center for the Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to advancing equity through our work and to becoming a more inclusive organization.

NOTE: Pursuant to the Immigration Reform and Control Act, all new employees must present acceptable documents verifying identity, and authorization to be employed in the United States. Additionally, all applicants must possess a valid Driver’s License.

NOTE: An EPFD/ECA Application Form is required for all EPFD/ECA job openings. It is important that you review the application carefully. A candidate may be disqualified due to an incomplete application form. Any individual requiring ADA accommodation during any part of the selection process should advise EPFD/ECA of the need.