Development Manager at Harvard Hillel

hillel; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Harvard Hillel in Cambridge, MA seeks a Development Manager to connect people, funds and resources to our mission on the Harvard University campus. The role leads fundraising operations, donor communications, and project management within the development team.

You will coordinate grants, donor engagement, and program activities, with opportunities to advance into donor-facing roles as you grow with the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• At least 3 years of experience in development or fundraising.
• Experience with donor databases and communications tools.

Responsibilities

• Support fundraising success and maintain the fundraising database and related tools.
• Coordinate and communicate across departments for pledges, gifts, and grants.
• Plan fundraising activities and manage donor engagement across channels.
• Own grant portfolios, draft proposals, and track reporting requirements.
• Manage program engagement systems and support event coordination.

Skills

Fundraising knowledge

Project management

Donor relations

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Donor Perfect

Constant Contact

Harvard Hillel website CMS

Job description

Development Manager

Harvard Hillel

Role Overview

Make your mark on Jewish student life by joining Harvard Hillel as the Development Manager. You'll connect people, vital funds, and resources to our mission of being a Jewish home, both physical and virtual, on the Harvard University campus - a place where students find meaningful connections and friendship while engaging in unique opportunities to make Jewish thought and culture integral in the life of the University.

The development manager serves as a hub of information, pro-active project management, and administrative expertise for Harvard Hillel's fundraising team.

The manager's primary responsibilities are to plan, coordinate, and communicate upcoming activities of the Development department, and to coordinate and communicate upcoming shared projects effectively across departments. The manager engages across the organization to play an active role leading and supporting high-impact projects.

As the organization's needs evolve, and the manager develops their experience and skills, it is anticipated that the manager will be mentored and trained into a donor-facing Development role.

What You'll Do

Key responsibilities in year one

Development Operations

• Support fundraising success and learn about fundraising strategy. Maintain the fundraising management database and related online systems, as the key tools of development operations, to ensure effective stewardship of existing constituents.
• Actively manage the fundraising management system (Donor Perfect), ensuring clean records, data, outreach lists.
• Actively manage the communication tools (Constant Contact and HH website), ensuring effective engagement of audience segments.
• Work closely with colleagues across departments, including Operations, central services, and finance, to record and track information and materials for pledges, gifts, donations, grants and contracts, routinely scanning, tracking, communicating, and acknowledging as needed between departments.
• Project manage a donor records project, establishing an implementation timeline and metrics of success, to verify the accuracy, completeness, and confidentiality of donor records.
• Maintain relationships with donors, customers, and vendors to bring forward payments, billing, contracting, and trouble‑shoot inquiries as needed.

Development Engagement

• Plan and implement future fundraising activities, guided by research and engagement of prospective donors, funders, and other constituents of Harvard Hillel.
• Conduct research to identify prospective donors, corporate funders, and private foundations.
• Coordinate fundraising appeals across social media, email, website, and print.
• Track gifts in Donor Perfect; generate and send acknowledgements for pledges, gifts, donations, and other payments.
• Engage with Harvard Hillel Board of Directors and staff to steward gifts and pledges.
• Engage with colleagues across departments to coordinate and implement fundraising events.

Grants and Institutional Giving

• Own Harvard Hillel's grant portfolio, writing compelling proposals and reports that translate our programs into fundable, measurable work.
• Research and qualify private foundations, family foundations, corporate funders, and government or Hillel International funding opportunities aligned with Harvard Hillel's strategic priorities.
• Draft, edit, and submit letters of inquiry, full proposals, budgets and budget narratives, and supporting attachments, working with the Director of Development and Executive Director to shape the case for support.
• Maintain a rolling grants calendar covering all application, reporting, and renewal deadlines, and drive the internal timeline so every submission is complete and on time.
• Gather program data, outcomes, and stories from Program, Rabbinic, and Operations colleagues to build accurate narratives and to write interim and final reports that meet each funder's requirements.
• Partner with Finance to build proposal budgets, track restricted funds, and ensure spending and reporting align with award terms.
• Record all grant activity in Donor Perfect - submissions, awards, declines, payment schedules, and reporting requirements - so institutional revenue is forecast accurately.

Program Operations

• Manage HEART, the Harvard Hillel student engagement database, guided by programming goals to engage students throughout the academic year.
• Design and manage forms across multiple tools to support student engagement through event registrations, student surveys, and payments for student trips.
• Support student-led travel and logistics as needed, working closely with the Program Director, student leaders, and others as needed.
• Work closely with colleagues who are planning and coordinating program-related events. Engage in shared support as needed for High Holidays and on-site events.

What You've Accomplished

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• No less than 3 years of experience in a dynam