Nonprofit Development Manager

Adam's Camp; Englewood (CO); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

PTO

Job summary

Adam’s Camp in Englewood, Colorado is seeking a Development Manager who can build the fundraising systems from the ground up. The role focuses on annual giving, major gifts, corporate sponsorships, and donor communications, working directly with the Executive Director and board to craft a sustainable growth plan.

This is an entrepreneurial, relationship‑driven position with hybrid-remote Fridays, not a grants or events lead.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of fundraising or nonprofit development experience.
• Proven ability to identify, cultivate, and solicit donors and sponsors.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.
• Experience with donor databases, CRM systems, and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Build and implement an annual development plan with measurable goals.
• Develop a major-gift pipeline and donor acquisition strategies.
• Cultivate corporate partnerships and sponsorship opportunities.
• Lead annual giving programs and donor communications.
• Establish prospect management and stewardship processes.
• Collaborate with staff and board to align fundraising with priorities.
• Oversee donor-management platform activities and reporting.

Skills

Relationship building

Communication

Independent work

CRM systems

Donor databases

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

CRM software

Office software

Job description

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Location: Englewood, Colorado

Salary: $70,000–$80,000 annually

Benefits: Medical, Dental, PTO

Reports to: Executive Director

Status: Full-Time, Exempt, Hybrid-Remote Fridays

WHO WE ARE

Founded 40 years ago, Adam’s Camp is a community of people and families that supports children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

At Adam’s Camp, unique therapy and adventure programs are designed and delivered by dedicated therapists and counselors who help children, youth, and adults with IDD to have impactful experiences that go far beyond camp. Our mountain camp programs are combined with sibling and parent offerings that address the needs of the entire family, creating an amazing and supportive environment for families and campers alike.

As Adam’s Camp enters its next 40 years, we am investing in the systems, relationships, and resources necessary to build a sustainable future for the organization and the families we serve.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Adam’s Camp is seeking a Development Manager who is a builder

You will build the systems and pipeline needed to significantly expand it. You will identify prospects, open relationships, make the first asks, develop a major-gift pipeline, cultivate corporate partnerships, strengthen annual giving, and build the systems necessary to support long-term fundraising growth.

This is an entrepreneurial development position for someone who enjoys creating something.

The Development Manager will serve as Adam’s Camp’s primary day-to-day development professional and will work directly with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to develop and execute a sustainable fundraising strategy. The position will have primary responsibility for annual giving, individual donor acquisition and cultivation, major-gift pipeline development, corporate sponsorships, donor communications, and development systems.

This position does not manage grants or fundraising events Adam’s Camp has dedicated staff and volunteers responsible for those areas. The Development Manager will collaborate with those teams when donor, sponsor, or fundraising relationships overlap, but will not have operational ownership of grants or events. This is also not a people-management position

THE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE

Adam’s Camp has an opportunity to significantly grow its fundraising capacity. Historically, Adam’s Camp has averaged approximately $500K annually in donations outside of grants and events, with relatively limited proactive development outreach, and we believe there is significant opportunity to grow that to a steady $1M+ annually. We are looking for someone who can help us answer an important organizational question:

How do we build a development program capable of growing with Adam’s Camp over the next 5–10 years?

Fundraising is relationship-driven, and we understand that meaningful pipelines take time to develop. We view this as a three-year build. We're looking for someone energized by that challenge, who can bring Adam's Camp to life for potential donors through storytelling. More fundraising means more campers can experience the magic of Adam’s Camp!

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Build the Fundraising Strategy and Prospect Pipeline

• Partner with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to develop and implement an annual development plan with measurable goals and strategies.
• Build an individual donor and major-gift prospect pipeline from the ground up.
• Research and identify new individual, corporate, and community prospects.
• Develop strategies to move prospects from identification to cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and long-term engagement.

2. Individual Giving & Major Gifts

• Coordinate donor meetings, camp tours, site visits, calls, and other experiences that deepen understanding of Adam’s Camp’s impact.
• Identify individuals with the capacity and affinity to support Adam’s Camp and help build long‑term relationships.
• Initiate donor relationships and secure introductory meetings, calls, tours, and other cultivation opportunities.
• Develop individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies for prospective major donors.

3. Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships

• Identify, research, cultivate, solicit, and steward corporate partners whose values align with Adam’s Camp.
• Build a pipeline of prospective corporate partners.
• Develop customized sponsorship proposals and partnership opportunities that create meaningful value for both Adam’s Camp and corporate supporters.
• Collaborate with the Adam’s Camp team when corporate relationships intersect with fundraising events or agreed‑upon benefits.

4. Annual Giving & Fundraising Communications

• Develop and execute strategies to grow annual giving and recurring giving.
• Lead donor acquisition and retention strategies.
• Plan and execute annual appeals, giving campaigns, donor communications, and stewardship outreach.
• Work with internal staff and external partners to develop compelling fundraising materials, case statements, donor stories, sponsorship proposals, presentations, and impact reports.
• Use storytelling to connect donors emotionally and intellectually to the mission and demonstrate the importance of their investment.
• Serve as the internal owner of Adam’s Camp’s donor-management platform and ensure it supports effective prospect management, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

5. Board Engagement

• Partner with the Executive Director to engage Board members as ambassadors, advocates, donors, and fundraisers.
• Conduct periodic one-on-one meetings with Board members to understand their networks, interests, and fundraising opportunities.
• Help build a culture in which fundraising is viewed as a shared organizational responsibility.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the Executive Director, Finance, Programs, Operations, Communications, Events, and Grants staff to align fundraising efforts with organizational priorities.
• Perform other duties that support the mission and development goals of Adam’s Camp.

FIRST 12 MONTHS: WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

By the end of the first year, the successful candidate will have:

1. Built a meaningful prospect pipeline

Created a clearly documented pipeline of qualified individual and major‑gift prospects, including new prospects who had no previous relationship with Adam’s Camp. Targets to be set together in the first 60 days.

2. Established a consistent relationship-development rhythm

Completed a meaningful number of donor and prospect meetings, camp tours, cultivation conversations, and follow‑up activities. Targets to be set together in the first 60 days.

3. Strengthened annual and recurring giving

Developed and implemented a strategy to increase donor acquisition, retention, recurring giving, and annual fund participation.

4. Built new corporate relationships

Identified, cultivated, and secured new corporate partners and sponsorship opportunities.

5. Created a sustainable development system

Established clear prospect‑management, donor‑cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship processes that Adam’s Camp can build upon over the next several years.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, nonprofit development, sales, business development, relationship management, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability toidentify, cultivate, and develop new relationships, rather than solely steward an existing portfolio.
• Demonstrated success securing charitable contributions, sponsorships, sales, or other contributed revenue.
• Comfort initiating relationships and making direct asks.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Exceptional relationship‑building and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of outcomes.
• Strong organizational and project‑management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining consistent follow‑through.
• Proficiency with donor databases, spreadsheets, email marketing, and standard office technology.

Preferred

• Experience building a major‑gift program or prospect pipeline.
• Experience with individual donor cultivation and solicitation.
• Experience developing corporate partnerships and sponsorships.
• Experience working with nonprofit Boards.
• Experience in a nonprofit organization with a budget of $2M+.
• Familiarity with Colorado philanthropy and the Colorado nonprofit community.
• Experience with CRM or donor‑management systems.
• Experience working with children, adults, or families impacted by disability or other mission‑driven human services organizations.

THE PERSON WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The ideal candidate is an entrepreneurial relationship builder who enjoys creating something from the ground up.

You are comfortable walking into a room where there isn't already a relationship and figuring out how to start one. You can research a prospect, make the call, ask for the meeting, listen carefully, identify alignment, develop the relationship, and eventually make the ask.

You don't need to have every answer when you arrive. You need the curiosity, confidence, discipline, and relational intelligence to build the answers.

You understand that fundraising is ultimately about people. You also understand that sustainable fundraising requires systems, accountability, strategy, and patience.

Most importantly, you believe deeply in the potential of children and young adults with disabilities and are motivated by the opportunity to connect people who care about that mission with an organization creating transformational experiences.