Development Manager - Grand Rapids Children's Museum

Posted on 3/10/25

Job Title:                            Development Manager

Reports To:                       Chief Development Officer

FLSA Status:                      Exempt

Compensation Range:   $52,000-$62,000

Approved Date:               01/08/2025

Diversity and Inclusion Affirmation Statement

The Grand Rapids Children’s Museum is affirming of all identities and embraces differences in race, nationality, language, age, culture, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical and cognitive ability, religion, marital status, and socio-economic status, and expects our staff members to embrace this affirmation. In order to best serve our community, bilingual and multilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Job Summary

The Development Manager is responsible for overseeing and executing the fundraising and development strategies for Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. This role involves building and maintaining relationships with donors, securing funding through various channels, and ensuring the Museum’s financial health and growth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

•  Work with the CDO and  CEO to achieve goals set by the board, the strategic plan and our mission.
• Assist with the management of the donor database.
• Process donations and maintain appropriate communications with donors, including timely acknowledgements for all financial and in-kind contributions in collaboration with the Database Coordinator.
• Assist with the creation of successful fundraising materials, including annual appeal letters, brochures, emails, etc.
• Help coordinate mass mailings, including printing, bulk mail processing, region wide mailings and neighborhood notification mailings for special events.
• Assist with guest list generation and management for fundraising events.
• Establish and oversee weekly, monthly, yearly, and long-term development goals.
• Work with the Chief Development Officer on fundraiser events and major gifts.
• Work alongside the GRCM team and consultants to implement capital campaigns and other major fundraising initiatives.
• Prepare, manage, and oversee the development budget in alignment with CEO objectives.
• Work with the GRCM leadership team to ensure relevant communications, donor relations and sponsorship goals are established and met.
• Fully responsible for soliciting sponsorships for fundraising events and all exhibits, in collaboration with the Director of Marketing and Events. 
• Establish a major gift matrix and legacy giving program.
• Assist the CEO and CDO with relationship building and engagement of the board and other volunteer groups.
• Speak publicly to the media and in various contexts in the community about GRCM’s mission and programs.
• Meet with current and prospective donors on a continuing basis, sharing the need and making asks.
• Represent GRCM at community events, networking opportunities, and meetings with donors and stakeholders.
• Oversee timely acknowledgements of gifts.
• Provide the CDO with weekly contact reports and updates.

Supervisory Responsibilities

●       None

Additional Responsibilities

●       Perform all other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field required.
• At least 3 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and development is highly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Proven track record of successful fundraising, including major gifts, grants, and corporate sponsorships.
• Possess excellent planning and organization skills.
• Proficient in basic computer applications, including Google, Altru database software, Zoom and Teams.
• Ability to multi-task and strong ability to work under pressure.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient in Google Suite or related software.
• Extremely organized and meticulous with details.
• Excellent project management skills and ability to prioritize work and resources.
• Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize work and produce quality results on time with attention to detail.
• Ability to be flexible and creatively solve problems.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Sit at a desk and work on a computer for prolonged periods of time, talk and hear and use your hands to handle, control or feel objects, tools or controls.
• Lift up to 15 pounds.
• Use close vision and ability to focus on computer screens and documents; distance vision; peripheral vision; depth perception; color vision.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Challenging work demands including heavy workload/work quantity or quality demands, time demands, conflicting/multiple deadlines or tasks, infrequent rest breaks, long or unpredictable work hours, shiftwork.
• Challenging situations including dealing with employees and guests in an environment that is continuously changing.
• Our culture and mission is centered around “play” and the work environment is considered to be playful, rewarding, positive and fun.

Work Schedule

• Available Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm, flexibility for occasional weekend and on call support.
• Hours and days to be determined by the business needs of the organization and are subject to change.
•  Occasional travel as needed.