Development Manager

The Woodruff Arts Center; United States; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Woodruff Arts Center is seeking a Development Manager in Atlanta to provide executive support to the Senior Vice President of Advancement and the Vice President of Advancement while coordinating donor engagement and fundraising operations. This full‑time role requires 3–5 years in nonprofit administration and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

You will manage donor and prospect materials, track gifts and sponsorships, and help align development activities across the Arts Center.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or 4 years of experience in lieu of degree.
• 3–5 years of experience in administration, development operations, or project management in a fundraising environment.
• Experience supporting senior executives is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive administrative support to the Senior Vice President of Development and the Vice President of Advancement, including complex calendar management, meeting preparation, correspondence, expense reporting, and travel coordination.
• Coordinate and prepare materials for donor and prospect meetings, including briefing documents, proposals, agendas, and follow-up correspondence.
• Manage the Arts Center’s primary development tracking systems, supporting corporate, individual, and foundation fundraising functions, including developing and refining processes to track partnership benefits and deliverables and ensure timely fulfillment.
• Maintain and create reports, donor lists, prospect lists, asset lists, and cross campus sponsorship opportunities with associated benefits.
• Assist with reconciliation of development tracking systems, Development Operations reports, and Finance reports.
• Conduct prospect research and support pipeline development, identifying and qualifying new corporate and individual prospects for the Senior Vice President and Vice President.
• Support donor outreach and stewardship, including drafting correspondence, scheduling cultivation touchpoints, and tracking engagement across assigned portfolios.
• Support team meetings, including preparing agendas, taking notes, and tracking cross campus deliverables.
• Coordinate Development team meetings and Art Partner meetings, including scheduling, agenda preparation, materials, note taking, and follow-up on action items.
• Serve as a primary liaison between the Development team and Development Operations, ensuring accurate data flow, timely gift processing, and consistent reporting.
• Maintain centralized campus wide corporate fundraising calendar of donor engagement and stewardship events and departmental deadlines.
• Facilitate both internally and externally the approval of credit lines, logos, and donor listings.
• Support project management of fundraising campaigns and initiatives, including timeline tracking and cross-team coordination, with an emphasis on building scalable systems and processes for the team.
• Attend internal and external meetings, special events, and community events as required. Events may occasionally be outside of normal office hours.
• Other duties and responsibilities as required.

Skills

Calendar management

Donor relations

Executive support

Project coordination

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or 4 years of Experience in lieu of Degree

Tools

Tessitura CRM

Microsoft Office

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Woodruff Arts Center employees play an integral role in creating and supporting great art and education initiatives at the nation’s third largest arts center. Comprised of three Art Partners—Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and High Museum of Art—there’s a role for everyone at The Woodruff.

Reports to: Senior Vice President, Advancement FLSA: United States of America (Exempt) Employment Status: Regular/Full time

The Development Manager serves as the primary administrative and operational partner to the Senior Vice President of Advancement and the Vice President of Advancement, supporting the full scope of their fundraising portfolios. The role combines executive-level administrative support, financial tracking and reporting, meeting management, and direct donor and prospect engagement. The Development Manager also serves as a bridge between the Development team, Development Operations, and the three Art Partners, ensuring information flows accurately and deliverables stay on track across campus.

WORK SCHEDULE: Standard office hours are 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; however, evening and weekend availability may be required for campus and donor events.

Primary Duties:

• Provide comprehensive administrative support to the Senior Vice President of Development and the Vice President of Advancement, including complex calendar management, meeting preparation, correspondence, expense reporting, and travel coordination.
• Coordinate and prepare materials for donor and prospect meetings, including briefing documents, proposals, agendas, and follow-up correspondence.
• Manage the Arts Center’s primary development tracking systems, supporting corporate, individual, and foundation fundraising functions, including developing and refining processes to track partnership benefits and deliverables and ensure timely fulfillment.
• Maintain and create reports, donor lists, prospect lists, asset lists, and cross campus sponsorship opportunities with associated benefits.
• Assist with reconciliation of development tracking systems, Development Operations reports, and Finance reports.
• Conduct prospect research and support pipeline development, identifying and qualifying new corporate and individual prospects for the Senior Vice President and Vice President.
• Support donor outreach and stewardship, including drafting correspondence, scheduling cultivation touchpoints, and tracking engagement across assigned portfolios.
• Support team meetings, including preparing agendas, taking notes, and tracking cross campus deliverables.
• Coordinate Development team meetings and Art Partner meetings, including scheduling, agenda preparation, materials, note taking, and follow-up on action items.
• Serve as a primary liaison between the Development team and Development Operations, ensuring accurate data flow, timely gift processing, and consistent reporting.
• Maintain centralized campus wide corporate fundraising calendar of donor engagement and stewardship events and departmental deadlines.
• Facilitate both internally and externally the approval of credit lines, logos, and donor listings.
• Support project management of fundraising campaigns and initiatives, including timeline tracking and cross-team coordination, with an emphasis on building scalable systems and processes for the team.
• Attend internal and external meetings, special events, and community events as required. Events may occasionally be outside of normal office hours.
• Other duties and responsibilities as required.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or 4 years of Experience in lieu of Degree
• 3-5 years of experience in administration, development operations, or project management in a fundraising environment.
• Experience supporting senior executives is strongly preferred.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Self‑motivated, proactive and forward-thinking
• Strong computer literacy and proficiency in Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• High level knowledge of CRM systems (Tessitura experience preferred), preferably in a fundraising environment
• Experience managing complex calendars and competing priorities for multiple senior leaders
• Experience developing, improving, or implementing tracking systems and processes in a fundraising or nonprofit environment
• Outstanding organization and project management skills, and a high commitment to customer service
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to interact effectively with a range of stakeholders, including high level donors
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively and in a fast‑paced team environment
• Must possess a high level of discretion and diplomacy

The Woodruff Arts Center is one of the largest arts centers in the world, home to the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre, the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and the High Museum of Art, the leading art museum in the Southeast. Over 800,000 patrons travel to The Woodruff for outstanding theatre, music and exhibitions each year.

Employment Woodruff Arts Center employees play an integral role in creating and supporting great art and education initiatives at the nation’s third largest arts center. Comprised of three Art Partners—Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and High Museum of Art—there’s a role for everyone at the Woodruff.