Senior Development Manager, First Graduate (San Francisco)

Association of Fundraising Professionals, Golden Gate Chapter (AFP Golden Gate); San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Health coverage

Generous paid time off

Job summary

First Graduate is seeking an Executive Director with a growth mindset to lead a 25-year-impact nonprofit. The Senior Development Manager will bridge fundraising operations and donor engagement, turning donor activity into student outcomes.

Join a mission-driven team shaping a robust development program focused on equity and impact. The role emphasizes donor stewardship, data-driven operations, and collaborative strategy with the Executive Director and Board to grow annual, multi-year, and

Qualifications

• 3+ years of nonprofit fundraising experience in development operations, individual giving, and donor relations.
• Excellent proficiency in CRM systems, preferably Salesforce.
• Strong writer with the ability to adapt voice across different audiences and channels.
• Experience planning and running events from start to finish with support from the team.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and able to juggle multiple priorities in a small team.

Responsibilities

• Development Operations & Systems: manage donor database (Salesforce), gift entry, donor records, reporting, moves management, and fundraising reports.
• Assess and improve development systems and processes; evaluate tools for team needs.
• Collaborate with Executive Director on forecasts and strategies for mid-level donors and campaigns.
• Own fundraising calendar and track progress toward revenue and engagement goals.
• Coordinate donor cultivation and stewardship events, manage vendor relationships and budgets.

Skills

Nonprofit fundraising

Donor relations

CRM systems (Salesforce)

Excellent writing

Event planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

THE OPPORTUNITY

First Graduate stands ready for our next chapter of growth, and the fundraising program that fuels it needs someone who can match that ambition. This is a chance to help build something at a pivotal moment: a new Executive Director arriving with fresh vision, an organization with a 25-year track record of proven impact, and a development program ready to be shaped by someone who wants to grow alongside it.

Job Title

Senior Development Manager

Job Type

Full-Time

Location

San Francisco

Compensation

$90,000-$110,000

Job Summary

First Graduate stands ready for our next chapter of growth, and the fundraising program that fuels it needs someone who can match that ambition. This is a chance to help build something at a pivotal moment: a new Executive Director arriving with fresh vision, an organization with a 25-year track record of proven impact, and a development program ready to be shaped by someone who wants to grow alongside it. Our ideal candidate believes operational excellence and inspired donor engagement aren’t separate jobs, but two halves of the same mission: turning every dollar raised into another student’s path to a college degree. They bring hands-on development experience, genuine fluency with donor data and the systems behind great stewardship, and a real belief that first-generation students deserve a fundraising program built to last. They see systems and operations work — the database, the gift processing, the reporting — as the foundation that makes bold fundraising possible. If that’s the kind of foundation you want to help build, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Development Operations & Systems — 50%
• Manage and strengthen development systems and workflows, including in the donor database (Salesforce) through gift entry, donor records, reporting, and moves management tracking; prepare fundraising reports for the Executive Director and Board
• Assess and improve development systems and processes, including evaluating whether current tools are meeting the team’s needs
• Collaborate with the Executive Director to develop annual forecasts and short- and long-term strategies for mid-level donors, with a focus on growing annual, multi-year, and campaign commitments to First Graduate
• Own the fundraising calendar and track progress toward annual revenue and engagement goals
• Collaborate with the finance team to ensure gifts are promptly entered in the CRM, acknowledged, and reconciled in accordance with best practices
• Direct internal strategy, planning, and implementation of donor cultivation and stewardship events, including Cap & Gown, managing vendor relationships, timelines, and budgets, and coordinating post-event follow-up and stewardship

Fundraising & Donor Engagement — 50%

• Provide proactive operational support to the Executive Director in managing their major donor portfolio tracking and prompting moves management activities; prepare talking points and briefing materials for donor meetings
• Direct execution of annual giving campaigns and appeals in partnership with the Executive Director and programs team
• Conduct prospect and pipeline development research to expand the individual giving program; identify prospective donors with the capacity and inclination to give at higher levels over time
• Collaborate with the Executive Director on corporate partnership outreach and stewardship, and partner with the team on foundation grants and other institutional fundraising
• Partner with the Board and Development Committee to engage donors, identify prospects, and activate board members as fundraising ambassadors
• Collaborate with the programs team to draft and publish key donor-facing materials — including appeals, newsletters, stewardship communications, and the Annual Report — with student and alumni stories

Required

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Genuine commitment to educational equity and First Graduate’s mission
• 3+ years of nonprofit fundraising experience, with a track record in development operations, individual giving, and donor relations
• Excellent proficiency in CRM systems, preferably Salesforce
• Strong writer with the ability to adapt voice across different audiences and channels
• Experience planning and running events from start to finish with support from the team
• Organized, detail-oriented, and proven ability to juggle multiple priorities; comfort working independently and collaboratively in a small team
• Bachelor’s degree

Preferred

• Experience with first-generation student populations or youth-serving organizations
• Familiarity with San Francisco Bay Area philanthropy and funders
• Experience working directly with executive leadership and engaging boards in fundraising

OUR TEAM: CULTURE AND BENEFITS

First Graduate is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. We grow and learn better together with a diverse team of employees. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent that our employees bring is an important part of our culture. In recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs.

• First Graduate offers a competitive benefits package, including health coverage, generous paid time off, and a hybrid work schedule.

The salary for this role is $90,000-110,000 annually.