Senior Development Manager

Position Description

The Senior Development Manager plays a critical leadership role in advancing Mighty Writers’ fundraising strategy and long-term financial sustainability. Working in close partnership with the Director of Development, Executive Team, and program leadership, this role supports the cultivation, stewardship, and growth of philanthropic support from individuals, major donors, foundations, corporations, state and institutional funders, and community partners.

The Senior Development Manager supports the Development team in achieving revenue goals by leveraging key internal and external relationships, expanding and deepening Mighty Writers’ donor and partnership base, and engaging supporters through ongoing fundraising activities and special events. This role is responsible for building and sustaining relationships with large-scale donors, corporations, professional organizations, civic leaders, and influencers to secure funding and capacity-building opportunities.

In addition, the Senior Development Manager oversees grants management and reporting to ensure institutional and state compliance, manages development systems and workflows, and supports the execution of a diversified fundraising strategy aligned with Mighty Writers’ mission, strategic priorities, and community impact goals. All development initiatives are grounded in Mighty Writers’ core values of equity, literacy empowerment, and meaningful community partnership.

Requirements

● Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or fundraising certification is a plus.

● Minimum 5–7 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, preferably in a youth development, education, or community-based nonprofit.

● Demonstrated success in donor cultivation, grant writing, and managing a small fundraising team.

● Strong writing, editing, communication, and interpersonal skills.

● Experience with donor CRMs and data-driven fundraising practices.

● Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across departments in a fast-paced, mission-driven organization.

● Excellent leadership, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills.

● A passion for building and serving urban and rural communities.

● Proven ability to develop good rapport with people of all ages and backgrounds.

● Ability to work evenings or weekends as required for programs and events.

● Commitment to the mission of advancing literacy and equity for children and youth.

Additional Desirable Requirements

● Bi-lingual English/Spanish

Key Responsibilities

● Partner with the Director of Development to implement MW’s annual fundraising strategy, revenue goals, and multi-faceted donor engagement plan.

● Serve as second-in-command of the Development Department, providing strategic input on department planning, operations, and resource allocation.

● Provide resources, guidance, and feedback to the Grants Manager and Development Specialist as needed to ensure timely, accurate, and compelling grant submissions, reporting, and campaign planning and tracking.

● Collaborate with Executive Director, Development Director and leadership team to integrate development priorities with organizational strategy, program needs, and external partnerships.

● Represent Development in cross-departmental meetings, helping to strengthen communication.

● Support Development Director in managing Mighty Writers’ portfolio of individual, corporate, and foundation donors; cultivate relationships through meetings, calls, site visits, and stewardship events.

● Lead or support the development of funder presentations, pitch materials, and donor communications in collaboration with the Marketing & Communications team.

● Ensure all donor stewardship practices are consistent, timely, and mission-aligned, including donor acknowledgments and impact reporting.

● Assist with planning and executing fundraising campaigns, year-end appeals, donor events, and special campaigns (e.g., summer programming, capital projects).

● Supports the Grants Manager in managing the entire grants life cycle, including prospecting, proposal writing, budgets, submissions, and reporting.

● Oversee large scale, state grants and their deliverables to ensure accuracy, alignment with funder requirements, and consistency with MW’s program model and financial systems.

● Support Development Department operations, including donor database management, reporting, task tracking, and CRM optimization (e.g., Salesforce, etc).

● Establish and strengthen standard operating procedures (SOPs) to increase efficiency, accuracy, and transparency.

● Partner with Finance to reconcile revenue, track expenses, and prepare data for audits and board reporting.

● Track departmental KPIs and prepare regular performance updates for the Director of Development and Executive Team.

● Partner with the Marketing & Communications team to align fundraising messaging with brand strategy and program stories.

● Work with Program Directors to gather program data, success stories, and impact metrics to support fundraising and stewardship needs.

● Support organization-wide initiatives, community events, volunteer engagement, and strategic planning efforts.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Mighty Writers provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Mighty Writers complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation and training.

This job description is not all-inclusive.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Philadelphia, PA 19104