Development Manager

Association of Fundraising Professionals; Town of Texas, Houston (WI, TX); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Art League Houston seeks a Development Manager to drive donor engagement, manage grants, and oversee development operations. You will lead individual giving growth, cultivate new donors, and steward existing supporters while coordinating with the Executive Director on major donor relationships.

The role also involves maintaining the donor CRM, producing compelling grant proposals, and guiding fundraising campaigns and events to meet organizational goals.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of nonprofit fundraising, donor development, grants management, or related work.
• Demonstrated ability to build and steward relationships with donors, funders, or community partners.
• Strong grant writing, storytelling, and written communication skills.
• Experience with a donor database or CRM and an interest in using data to strengthen fundraising.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• A proactive approach and ability to identify opportunities, recommend next steps, and move work forward independently.
• Ability to work collaboratively and communicate warmly and professionally with donors, artists, Board members, funders, community partners, and colleagues.
• Commitment to Art League Houston's mission and values.

Responsibilities

• Develop strategies to deepen relationships with current donors, re-engage lapsed supporters, and cultivate new donors.
• Build and manage a pipeline of donors and prospects, with clear strategies for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Manage an assigned portfolio of donors and prospects through personalized outreach, meetings, events, exhibitions, arts access, and other engagement opportunities.
• Partner with the Executive Director on major donor relationships, including prospect research, meeting preparation, cultivation strategies, and follow-up.
• Develop annual giving, renewal, and donor acquisition efforts and ensure supporters receive thoughtful, timely acknowledgment and stewardship.
• Create meaningful opportunities for donors and prospective donors to connect with ALH's artists, programs, and impact.
• Manage ALH's existing foundation, corporate, and government grants portfolio, including research, proposals, submissions, award management, and reporting.
• Maintain the annual grants calendar and ensure applications and reports are accurate, compelling, and completed on time.
• Identify new funding opportunities aligned with ALH's mission, programs, and strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with staff to gather budgets, outcomes, impact data, and stories for proposals and reports.
• Support strong, ongoing relationships with institutional funders.
• Serve as the primary manager of ALH's donor CRM and integrate it into the organization's day-to-day fundraising work.
• Maintain accurate donor, prospect, gift, grant, and engagement records.
• Use donor data to identify prospects, lapsed donors, renewal opportunities, and opportunities for progressive engagement and giving.
• Track fundraising activity and progress toward goals and provide regular pipeline updates to the Executive Director.
• Coordinate gift acknowledgments and donor recognition and work with ALH's accounting team to ensure accurate gift reconciliation.
• Lead the fundraising and donor engagement components of ALH's annual Gala and other fundraising initiatives, including sponsorship cultivation, donor communications, recognition, and follow-up.
• Develop annual appeals and other targeted fundraising campaigns.
• Use ALH's exhibitions, openings, artist talks, and programs as opportunities for donor cultivation and stewardship.
• Draft compelling donor communications, appeals, sponsorship materials, acknowledgments, and stewardship updates.
• Collaborate with ALH's marketing staff to share stories and impact that demonstrate the value of philanthropic support.

Skills

Donor relations

Nonprofit fundraising

Grants management

Grant writing

CRM

Storytelling

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Position Summary

Art League Houston (ALH) seeks a relationship-driven, proactive, and highly organized Development Manager to strengthen and grow the organization's fundraising program.

Working closely with the Executive Director, the Development Manager will lead the day-to-day execution of ALH's development efforts, with a primary focus on growing individual giving and deepening donor relationships. The position will also manage ALH's grants portfolio, donor CRM and development operations, and support the fundraising components of special events and campaigns.

A key first-year priority will be helping ALH achieve a goal of at least $75,000 in new or additional individual contributed revenue through expanded donor cultivation and engagement.

ALH recently implemented a new donor CRM, creating an exciting opportunity for the Development Manager to help build a more strategic and consistent approach to fundraising. We are looking for someone who enjoys building relationships, can communicate compelling stories about impact, and has the initiative and follow-through to turn opportunities into sustained support for ALH's mission.

Primary Responsibilities

Donor Engagement & Individual Giving

• Develop strategies to deepen relationships with current donors, re-engage lapsed supporters, and cultivate new donors.

• Build and manage a pipeline of donors and prospects, with clear strategies for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

• Manage an assigned portfolio of donors and prospects through personalized outreach, meetings, events, exhibitions, arts access, and other engagement opportunities.

• Partner with the Executive Director on major donor relationships, including prospect research, meeting preparation, cultivation strategies, and follow-up.

• Develop annual giving, renewal, and donor acquisition efforts and ensure supporters receive thoughtful, timely acknowledgment and stewardship.

• Create meaningful opportunities for donors and prospective donors to connect with ALH's artists, programs, and impact.

Grants & Institutional Giving

• Manage ALH's existing foundation, corporate, and government grants portfolio, including research, proposals, submissions, award management, and reporting.

• Maintain the annual grants calendar and ensure applications and reports are accurate, compelling, and completed on time.

• Identify new funding opportunities aligned with ALH's mission, programs, and strategic priorities.

• Collaborate with staff to gather budgets, outcomes, impact data, and stories for proposals and reports.

• Support strong, ongoing relationships with institutional funders.

Development Operations & CRM

• Serve as the primary manager of ALH's donor CRM and integrate it into the organization's day-to-day fundraising work.

• Maintain accurate donor, prospect, gift, grant, and engagement records.

• Use donor data to identify prospects, lapsed donors, renewal opportunities, and opportunities for progressive engagement and giving.

• Track fundraising activity and progress toward goals and provide regular pipeline updates to the Executive Director.

• Coordinate gift acknowledgments and donor recognition and work with ALH's accounting team to ensure accurate gift reconciliation.

Fundraising Events & Communications

• Lead the fundraising and donor engagement components of ALH's annual Gala and other fundraising initiatives, including sponsorship cultivation, donor communications, recognition, and follow-up.

• Develop annual appeals and other targeted fundraising campaigns.

• Use ALH's exhibitions, openings, artist talks, and programs as opportunities for donor cultivation and stewardship.

• Draft compelling donor communications, appeals, sponsorship materials, acknowledgments, and stewardship updates.

• Collaborate with ALH's marketing staff to share stories and impact that demonstrate the value of philanthropic support.

First-Year Priorities

During the first 12 months, the Development Manager will work with the Executive Director and Board leadership to:

• Help ALH achieve a goal of at least $75,000 in new or increased individual contributed revenue while stewarding the organization's existing donor base.

• Build and actively manage a strong pipeline of current, prospective, and lapsed donors.

• Bring ALH's new donor CRM fully to life as a tool for donor cultivation, stewardship, and fundraising strategy.

• Successfully manage ALH's existing grants portfolio while identifying opportunities for continued growth.

Skills & Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, donor development, grants management, or related work.

• Demonstrated ability to build and steward relationships with donors, funders, or community partners.

• Strong grant writing, storytelling, and written communication skills.

• Experience with a donor database or CRM and an interest in using data to strengthen fundraising.

• Excellent organizational and project management skills with strong attention to detail and follow-through.

• A proactive approach and ability to identify opportunities, recommend next steps, and move work forward independently.

• Ability to work collaboratively and communicate warmly and professionally with donors, artists, Board members, funders, community partners, and colleagues.

• Commitment to Art League Houston's mission and values.

A bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience is welcomed but not required. Experience in an arts or cultural organization is preferred.

About Art League Houston

Founded in 1948, Art League Houston connects the community through diverse, dynamic, and creative experiences that bring people together to see, make, and talk about contemporary visual art.

Art League Houston is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) that values workplace diversity. Art League Houston does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, religion, ancestry, disability, marital or partnership status, or veteran status. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request. Please contact [e-mail] 713 523 9530 Ext 7