Development Operations Manager

National Park Trust; Rockville (MD); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with a 5% company match

Health and dental insurance with a viz

Flexible spending account

Life insurance, short-term, and long‑‑

Job summary

National Park Trust in Rockville, MD is seeking a Development Operations Manager to build reliable systems for fundraisers, manage donor records in Neon CRM, and ensure accurate reporting. This hands‑on role blends process improvement with detailed data work to honor donor intent and support campaigns.

You will oversee gift processing, pledges, acknowledgments, and moves management, generate dashboards for leadership, and collaborate with Finance, Donor Relations, and Communications to

Qualifications

• Experience administering a fundraising CRM and managing gift and pledge records.
• Strong Excel and data analysis skills.
• Experience with prospect research and portfolio tracking.
• Ability to document and improve processes.
• Commitment to National Park Trust’s mission.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary administrator of Neon CRM and manage donor records and gifts.
• Maintain pledge schedules, donations, and donor intent; coordinate with staff.
• Prepare receipts, acknowledgments, and donor communications; support workflow.
• Coordinate prospect research, portfolios, and activity in Neon; keep records current.
• Produce reports and dashboards for leadership; support finance reconciliation and controls.

Skills

CRM administration

Data analysis

Donor relations

Excel

Attention to detail

Tools

Neon CRM

Excel

Job description

Salary: Anticipated salary is $75,000–$80,000, commensurate with experience.

Job Type: Full-time, regular staff member

Reports to: Senior Director of Development

Location: Rockville, MD

Work Type: Hybrid - The expectations for this position range from full-time in-office work to a blend of remote and in-office work, depending on the Park Trust's needs.

About National Park Trust

National Park Trust preserves parks today and creates park stewards for tomorrow. We work closely with the National Park Service to acquire privately owned lands that expand and complete national parks. Our Youth and Family Programs help children and families experience and care for public parks, lands, and waters.

The Opportunity

National Park Trust is expanding its development team as it launches the initial phase of a $20 million campaign and works to grow sustainable private support. The Development Operations Manager will build reliable systems that enable fundraisers to understand their portfolios, honor donor intent, steward gifts, and make decisions based on accurate information. This is a hands‑on manager role: the person will improve processes and analysis while also doing the detailed data and gift work that keeps them sound.

Key Responsibilities

CRM and Data Management

• Serve as the primary administrator of Neon CRM, including data standards, coding, cleanup, imports, permissions, documentation, and staff training.
• Maintain accurate donor, gift, household, institutional, and campaign records; establish practical quality checks and resolve discrepancies with colleagues.
• Create clear procedures for entering interactions, updating records, producing lists, and protecting confidential donor information.

Gift, Pledge, and Acknowledgment Administration

• Oversee and carry out timely gift entry and processing, including donations received through third-party platforms, donor designations, restrictions, and campaign commitments.
• Maintain multiyear pledge schedules, payment status, and documentation of donor intent; provide accurate balances and status information to fundraisers and leadership.
• Produce receipts and acknowledgments and manage the acknowledgment workflow. Coordinate personalized language with Donor Relations, the Executive Director, and relationship managers.
• Reconcile fundraising records with Finance and help strengthen controls, exception handling, and handoffs between Neon and the financial system.

Prospect Research and Moves Management

• Conduct and coordinate prospect research, including capacity and affinity indicators, giving history, institutional information, and screening results; prepare usable profiles and briefing inputs for fundraisers.
• Administer prospect assignments, portfolio records, stages, next steps, and contact activity in Neon; prompt staff to keep records current and make the pipeline visible.
• Support the Senior Director of Development in identifying and prioritizing prospects for qualification, including candidates emerging from annual and mid-level giving and prospects beyond the current donor file.

Reporting and Analysis

• Produce reliable revenue, pledge, pipeline, campaign, and activity reports and dashboards for development leadership and appropriate board review.
• Analyze retention, renewals, upgrades, appeal response, event engagement, and portfolio movement to inform decisions; distinguish commitments from cash received.
• Provide clean lists and data support for approved mail, email, events, stewardship, and institutional giving workflows; coordinate with Communications and Donor Relations on audience criteria.

Systems and Process Improvement

• Document repeatable development procedures and train colleagues to use them; improve workflows as staffing and campaign activity grow.
• Partner with Finance on reconciliation, with Donor Relations on acknowledgment execution, and with fundraisers on prospect activity and reporting needs.
• Assess data and system needs, set practical priorities with the Senior Director of Development, and support future onboarding of development staff.

Qualifications

• Experience administering a fundraising CRM and managing gift and pledge records, preferably in a nonprofit development office. Neon experience is helpful.
• Strong Excel and data analysis skills; ability to build reports and translate findings into useful information for colleagues.
• Experience with prospect research, portfolio tracking, database hygiene, and finance reconciliation, or demonstrated ability to develop these practices.
• Sound judgment with confidential information; accuracy, persistence, and comfort doing detailed transactional work.
• Ability to document and improve processes, train colleagues, manage competing deadlines, and collaborate with Development, Finance, and Communications.
• Commitment to National Park Trust’s mission.

Special Requirements

• All staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Reasonable accommodations will be considered for qualified individuals with disabilities or for those with sincerely held religious beliefs, in accordance with applicable law.
• The candidate must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check.

Physical Requirements

• Some physical exertion, including outdoor recreation activities.
• Lifting items up to 25-40 lbs.
• Driver’s license and use of a car.
• Local and overnight travel will be required.

Benefits

• 401(k) plan with a 5% company match
• Health and dental insurance with a vision program
• Flexible spending account
• Life insurance, short-term, and long-term disability insurance
• Vacation, sick leave, and observance of all federal holidays

National Park Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not tolerate unlawful discrimination or harassment. We seek diversity in thought, background, and experience among our staff, Board of Trustees, donors, and partners. Diversity within our organization informs our programming, strengthens our partnerships, and enables us to serve diverse stakeholders and communities effectively. National Park Trust complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding nondiscriminatory hiring and employment practices. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.