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Development Manager

Sports Backers is a nationally acclaimed 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire people to live actively. We achieve this mission by hosting events and facilitating programs that encourage people to get moving. Sports Backers is seeking a passionate and experienced Development Manager to support and strengthen fundraising efforts through individual, corporate, foundation, and jurisdictional funding.

Position Overview

The Development Manager plays a central role in advancing Sports Backers’ fundraising and donor engagement efforts. This position is responsible for managing the organization’s day-to-day development operations while supporting donor cultivation, stewardship, communications, and fundraising initiatives. The Development Manager will help drive an organized and proactive development process by keeping fundraising activities on track, ensuring timely follow-up with donors and prospects, coordinating meetings and stewardship touchpoints, and supporting strategic fundraising goals.

The ideal candidate will be highly organized, detail-oriented, relationship-focused, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. This person should bring strong project management skills, fundraising experience, and enthusiasm for advancing active living across the Richmond region.

This is a full-time, office-based position located in Richmond, Virginia, with the expectation of being on-site for events and occasional flexibility to work remotely. This role includes evening and weekend work, as well as requires assisting with physical aspects of event set-up.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Manage and help coordinate the organization’s development operations and fundraising processes, ensuring timely donor follow-up, acknowledgements, meeting coordination, and stewardship activities.
• Support the Director of Development and Executive Director by tracking fundraising priorities, maintaining timelines, and helping ensure accountability for donor outreach and relationship management.
• Draft and personalize donor thank-you letters, emails, and stewardship communications.
• Assist in executing donor stewardship activities, including mailings, calls, event invitations, and donor engagement opportunities.
• Maintain donor recognition listings across publications, website, signage, and event materials.
• Maintain and update donor records in the database, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality.
• Generate reports, mailing lists, and dashboards for fundraising campaigns and donor engagement efforts.
• Help manage fundraising calendars, donor pipelines, and prospect tracking systems.
• Create, manage, and troubleshoot online donation pages and fundraising forms (e.g., Soapbox or similar platforms).
• Provide administrative and logistical support for special events, donor receptions, fundraising campaigns, and meetings.
• Manage Sports Backers’ President’s Council, the organization’s volunteer young professional group.
• Support staff and volunteers during event setup, execution, and breakdown.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience preferred.
• 2–4 years of fundraising, nonprofit development, account management, project management, or related experience preferred.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Experience coordinating schedules, tracking projects, and managing follow-up processes.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and donor database systems (e.g. Salesforce or similar tools).
• Experience creating, managing, and troubleshooting online donation pages and fundraising platforms (e.g., Soapbox or similar tools).
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.
• Comfort interacting professionally with donors, volunteers, community partners, and leadership.
• Passion for Sports Backers’ mission and enthusiasm for active living.

Salary and Key Benefits

• Annual salary starting at $55,000, commensurate with experience
• 3 Weeks Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Health Insurance
• Mobile Phone

Sports Backers believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success as a nonprofit, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. It is the policy of Sports Backers, in accordance with all applicable laws, to provide all individuals with equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender-identity, pregnancy, age, marital status, veteran or disability status, national origin, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law in all terms, conditions and privileges of employment.

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