Development Manager Jobs in Ames, IA

Job DescriptionThe Opportunity Reach Out and Read seeks a dynamic Development Manager (Senior Associate of Individual Giving) to play a pivotal role in advancing the national office's fundraising efforts in alignment with the affiliate network. Reporting to the National Director of Development, Individual and Major Gifts, this role will assist in orchestrating comprehensive donor communications, managing critical fundraising campaigns, and ensuring exceptional stewardship and relationship management across Reach Out and Read's network. In this position, they will coordinate content and input from affiliates to support centralized annual giving and monthly donor campaigns while managing a sophisticated development calendar aligned with key fundraising priorities. The ideal candidate will blend solid analytical skills with relationship management expertise, overseeing everything from national campaign coordination and gift acknowledgment processes to data-driven reporting and prospect cultivation. This role offers a unique opportunity to help shape Reach Out and Read's donor engagement strategy while growing into portfolio management responsibilities, ultimately managing relationships with 25-50 individual prospects. The ideal candidate will thrive in a collaborative environment, excel at both strategic planning and hands-on execution and be passionate about building meaningful donor relationships to drive Reach Out and Read's impact. Your Key Responsibilities Will Include:Donor Communication and Campaign Coordination (40%) Proactively manage a communication calendar of the Reach Out and Read National’s outreach activities in support of affiliate network fundraising priorities. Oversee the review and submission process of affiliate input for national campaigns, supporting the development of proposals, fundraising plans, and materials to engage prospects at national and local levels. Assist in producing fundraising and stewardship communications, both in print and online. Support outreach coordination to supporters, monthly donors, and prospects. Data Management and Reporting (25%) Formulate, design, and develop reports, tools, and analyses to enable informed decision-making in fundraising and donor experience. Design and generate reports to monitor prospect and donor activities, ensuring strategic follow-up by key staff. Manage, measure, and report on fundraising activities to support revenue goals. Team Support and Donor Engagement (20%) Assist the Individual Giving team by preparing frontline staff for donor cultivation visits and solicitations through research, briefings, and follow-up support. Provide administrative and logistical support to enhance the effectiveness of the Individual Giving team. Gift Acknowledgement and Donor Stewardship (15%) Manage the gift acknowledgment process, ensuring accuracy in segmentation and timely turnaround. Lead the annual refresh of acknowledgment letters. Maintain donor mailing lists and ensure proper segmentation. Monitor and manage the development team inbox, responding to requests within 24 hours. Qualifications There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We’ll honor your lived and professional experience as key aspects of your candidacy for the role and prioritize applicants with experience dismantling the structural inequities that disproportionately impact children and families with traditionally marginalized identities. We are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate most of the qualifications and experiences listed below: Commitment to increasing equity in opportunity and outcomes for children and a recognition of factors known to significantly impact differential outcomes for children, including race, ethnicity, language, and socio-economic status. Minimum of four years of professional experience in a fundraising or development environment, with a track record of supporting donor engagement and fundraising campaigns. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling messages and communicate effectively with diverse audiences. Highly organized, with strong project management skills and the ability to juggle multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Proactive and resourceful, able to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams. Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership, development officers, local leadership, and donors. Experience with fundraising databases, with proficiency in Salesforce preferred. Analytical mindset, with the ability to generate reports, interpret data, and support informed decision-making in donor strategy and fundraising efforts. Commitment to donor stewardship and relationship building, demonstrating attention to detail and a passion for fostering meaningful connections with supporters. Knowledge of fundraising best practices and trends, with an understanding of donor engagement, stewardship, and solicitation strategies. Position Specifications This is a full-time (40 hours/week) exempt position, with a flexible location working from a home office anywhere in the country. Travel to 1-2 national meetings per year is required, with the possibility for occasional travel for team meetings. Compensation and Benefits Salary will be competitive with similar roles at non-profit organizations of a comparable size, and you will also receive a robust benefits package. The salary range for this position is $72,000-$80,000 commensurate with experience. We offer medical and dental insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with match, paid vacation, professional development stipend, and more. Commitment to Diversity: Reach Out and Read is committed to building an organization that embraces diversity, pursues equity, and fosters an environment of inclusion. Reach Out and Read sits at the intersection of health and education, uniquely positioned to play a critical role in addressing systemic disparities and inequities in the public health framework. Reach Out and Read strives to be an antiracist organization, using its influence to fight against social injustice by supporting a culture of learning, empowerment, equity, and a deep appreciation for the unique experiences that we each bring to our communities. And, we believe that changing the world begins with holding ourselves and our workplace to that same standard. About Reach Out and Read: Founded in 1989, Reach Out and Read is a national non-profit organization working to ensure all families have the opportunity to create meaningful everyday moments through shared reading aloud and building relationships. By leveraging pediatric care to champion the positive effects of reading daily and distributing books, Reach Out and Read gives young children a foundation for success and reaches 4.4 million children across the county – half of whom identify as BIPOC and two-thirds of whom come from low-income families. Reach Out and Read’s tens of thousands of trained pediatric providers use books as a diagnostic tool during regular check-ups, and teach parents how to engage their child with a book to promote positive parent-child interactions during the rapid brain growth between birth and age five. The daily practice of reading aloud with a parent supports children’s literacy and math skill development, their social-emotional development, and prepares them for future success in school. Working together with our sites and providers, we leverage our three decades of expertise, build on our literacy foundations, and engage our shared networks as a catalyst for change, focusing on equitably strengthening and deepening our impact on the children, families, and communities we serve. The Impact: Reach Out and Read program sites are located in 6,200 clinics, safety net hospitals, medical systems, and other healthcare settings in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Reach Out and Read serves 4.4 million children and their families annually. More than 7.1 million new, developmentally appropriate books are integrated into well-child visits with families annually. 36,000 clinicians currently participate in Reach Out and Read Our peer-reviewed body of evidence demonstrates that Reach Out and Read parents are two-and-a-half times more likely to read regularly to their children, and that children experiencing Reach Out and Read show enhanced language development. To learn more about Reach Out and Read, visit ************************ Reach Out and Read is an Equal Opportunity Employer Reach Out and Read is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status. Reach Out and Read is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and we are committed to making special accommodations for your interview or work as a member of our team. If specific accommodations are needed, please email ************************ and our HR team will work to accommodate your needs.