Development Manager --Community Fundraising

Foundation Fighting Blindness; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive bonus

Technology stipend

Remote work

Job summary

Foundation Fighting Blindness is seeking a Development Manager to drive fundraising results and lead volunteers across Raleigh, Charlotte, and South Carolina. You’ll implement strategies, grow event revenue, and collaborate with internal teams to advance mission-driven programs.

You’ll build trusted relationships with donors and partners, manage donor databases, and communicate scientific progress in accessible terms. Remote-friendly with regional travel and occasional evenings.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years in fundraising, community engagement, development, or related nonprofit roles.
• Proven success meeting or growing revenue goals via individual giving, sponsorships, or events.
• Strong ability to build and sustain relationships with volunteers, donors, and partners.
• Experience recruiting and supporting volunteer leaders and committees.
• Comfortable as a public-facing representative in local communities.
• Excellent organizational skills to manage multiple priorities across a defined territory.
• Experience using a donor database/CRM to track engagement and inform fundraising decisions.
• Clear, compassionate communication to explain complex information accessibly.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating with internal teams in a remote environment.
• Willingness to travel regionally and work some evenings/weekends for events.

Responsibilities

• Plan and carry out fundraising strategies to grow revenue across Raleigh, Charlotte, and South Carolina.
• Build and maintain relationships with volunteers, donors, businesses, sponsors, and partners.
• Coordinate with volunteer committees to plan and execute fundraising events and activities.
• Set priorities with Regional Director and internal teams; define milestones and success metrics.
• Recruit, support, and motivate volunteer leaders across chapters.
• Represent the Foundation in the community, sharing resources and scientific progress.
• Leverage donor databases to track engagement and inform outreach decisions.
• Tailor approaches to each community to help chapters grow and succeed.
• Prepare materials and resources to support events and local engagement.
• Explain the Foundation’s work with clear, accessible scientific messaging.

Skills

Fundraising

Community engagement

Volunteer management

Donor relations

CRM usage

Public speaking

Remote collaboration

Tools

Salesforce

Raiser's Edge

Microsoft 365

Zoom

Job description

Fundraising & Community Leadership Role | $500K Revenue Responsibility Across Raleigh, Charlotte & South Carolina

The Development Manager is responsible for fundraising results, volunteer leadership, and key chapter activities across a defined three-community territory that includes Raleigh, Charlotte, and South Carolina. This role is accountable for achieving approximately $500K in planned annual fundraising revenue across the territory.

This position is the face of the Foundation within the territory and the first point of contact for chapter members, volunteers, donors, and local partners. They build strong, trusted relationships with individuals, businesses, and community organizations, connect people to local resources, and help share scientific advancements in ways that are meaningful and accessible.

This is a hands-on fundraising and leadership role that blends clear goal accountability with strong collaboration. The Development Manager develops and implements fundraising strategies, partners closely with volunteer committees, and grows event and community-based revenue, working in close coordination with internal teams and grounded in the Foundation’s collaborative, mission-driven culture.

Key Responsibilities

Grounded in the Foundation’s collaborative, mission-driven culture, this role blends clear fundraising accountability with relationship-based, community-centered work. The following are representative of the duties and responsibilities associated with this position and are not meant to be an all-inclusive list.

• Plan and carry out fundraising strategies that grow revenue year over year across assigned communities
• Build and maintain strong relationships with volunteers, donors, local businesses, sponsors, and community partners
• Work closely with volunteer committees to plan and execute successful fundraising events and activities
• Partner with the Regional Director and internal teams to set priorities, milestones, and measures of success for the territory
• Recruit, support, and motivate volunteer leaders, helping them feel connected, effective, and appreciated over time
• Serve as the Foundation’s primary representative in the community—sharing resources, building awareness, and communicating scientific progress in accessible, meaningful ways
• Use the donor database to track engagement, understand giving potential, support outreach, and inform fundraising decisions
• Tailor approaches to the unique strengths and needs of each community, offering guidance that helps chapters grow and succeed
• Manage community materials and resources needed to support events and local engagement
• Build enough scientific understanding to confidently explain the Foundation’s work and describe the impact it has on individuals and families

Essential Qualifications

• Must have 3-5+ years of experience in fundraising, community engagement, development, volunteer management or a related non‑profit role
• Demonstrated success meeting or growing revenue goals, including individual giving, corporate sponsorships, peer-to-peer fundraising, or event-based fundraising
• Strong relationship-builder with the ability to engage and sustain authentic connections with volunteers, donors, community partners, and local businesses
• Experience recruiting, supporting, and working effectively with volunteer leaders, including committees or chapter‑based volunteers
• Comfortable serving as a visible, public‑facing representative within local communities
• Well organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, and events across a defined territory
• Experience using a donor database or CRM (such as Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, or similar) to track engagement, run reports, and support fundraising efforts
• Clear and compassionate communicator, able to explain complex information in ways that are accessible and meaningful
• Able to work independently while collaborating closely with internal teams in a remote environment
• Willingness to learn and communicate scientific or technical information at a high level to support education and engagement
• Comfortable with regular regional travel and occasional evening or weekend work for events
• Proficient with everyday technology tools, including Microsoft 365, Zoom, databases, and calendars. Experience working with chapter-based or volunteer-led networks is preferred

Position Specifics

• Internal title: Community Manager- MidSouth Territory
• Territory Specifics: Established Chapters; Existing Volunteer Leadership
• Location: Remote/ Home-Office (Based on Raleigh, Triangle, or Charlotte area with regional travel)
• Compensation: Budgeted starting salary range: $80,000- 90,000/yr, commensurate with experience and aligned with geographic market considerations and internal equity. Additional 5% annual incentive bonus eligibilty
• Tools & support: Company-provided HP or Mac laptop, monitor, printer, and a $120 monthly technology stipend
• Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday, with flexibility; occasional evenings and weekends required for events
• Reporting relationship: Reports to the Regional Director
• People management: No direct reports