The Fund Development Manager plays a key role in advancing philanthropic support for Lighthouse by managing the organization’s annual giving program, donor engagement strategies, and day-to-day fundraising operations.  This role oversees key fundraising initiatives designed to expand the donor base, increase annual giving participation, and strengthen long-term donor relationships.

Working closely with the Vice President of Fund Development, the Fund Development Manager leads the execution of annual campaigns, donor stewardship initiatives, giving society engagement, and donor cultivation activities that support sustainable fundraising growth.

This role requires a highly organized relationship builder who is both strategic and hands-on, capable of managing fundraising initiatives while supporting a collaborative, mission-driven team.

Essential Job Functions: 

Annual Giving Strategy

• Manage and execute the organization’s annual giving program, including donor acquisition, renewal, and retention initiatives.
• Oversee annual fundraising campaigns including direct mail appeals, digital campaigns, and donor communications in collaboration with the Marketing team.
• Develop strategies to increase donor participation, annual giving revenue, and long-term donor engagement.
• Support the growth and engagement of the Raising Our Sights Giving Society
• Plan and execute cultivation events and engagement activities that deepen relationships with society members and encourage increased giving.
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Donor Pipeline Development

• Identify and qualify new donor prospects through research, referrals, events, and outreach (stewardship calls, emails, etc.)
• Build and maintain a pipeline of prospective donors and help transition qualified prospects to major gift cultivation when appropriate.
• Utilize donor data and research tools to inform outreach strategies and engagement opportunities.
• Assist VP of Fund Development in identifying and securing corporate sponsorships for fundraising initiatives and community events.
• Support relationships with community partners and corporate volunteers to expand engagement and philanthropic support.

Donor Relationship Management

• Manage a portfolio of individual donors and prospects with the goal of increasing annual contributions and long-term support.
• Cultivate and steward relationships through personalized outreach including meetings, calls, tours, and mission engagement opportunities.
• Ensure consistent stewardship and recognition of donors within the portfolio.
• Plan and coordinate donor engagement opportunities including tours, mission experiences, and targeted cultivation events.
• Organize and promote monthly donor tours to connect supports directly with Lighthouse programs and mission impact.
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Development Operations

• Prepare donor communications, proposals, reports, informational, and other materials needed to secure gifts.
• Maintain accurate donor records and prospect tracking within the donor database.
• Contribute to the creation and management of fund development’s calendar including events, appeals, etc.
• Ensure coordination across development initiatives including grants, appeals, donor engagement events, and stewardship communications.
• Provide support to the Fund Development Committee of the Board of Directors, fostering involvement.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the organization’s broader strategic fundraising plan.

Fund Development Team Support and Collaboration

• Support team members in managing grant submissions, donor communications, events, and development operations.
• Coordinate workflows across the development team to ensure timely execution of fundraising initiatives.
• Assist the VP of Fund Development in establishing annual development goals, performance metrics, and team priorities.

Education and Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, communications, business, marketing, or a related field.
• Minimum 3-5 years’ experience in fundraising, donor engagement, sales, relationship management, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success in donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship.
• Documented success in personally implementing sophisticated, multi-year cultivation strategies that use a relationship-building and moves management approach leading to successful gift closure
• Experience supervising or coordinating staff or project teams.
• Valid Florida driver’s license and reliable transportation.

Preferred:

• Experience in nonprofit or mission-driven organizations.
• Experience with B2B corporate priorities and strategies.
• Experience using donor management or CRM platforms (Bloomerang preferred)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, with a talent for building strong and productive relationships across the organization.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and able to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to engage and inspire donors and community partners.
• Demonstrated excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent editing and proofreading abilities with a strong grasp of brand voice and tone.
• Tactful, flexible, diplomatic, and trustworthy with a positive attitude.
• Extremely detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy.
• Strong working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Professional maturity and judgement.