Development Manager, Corporate & Individual Fundraising

Aims Local College District•Greeley, CO

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Aims Community College actively supports an environment that embraces the College's Mission, Vision, Values and a culture of innovation and care. The College embraces and seeks to hire individuals who want to be a part of this environment and have the skill sets necessary to be successful in this position. The Foundation focuses on building long-term relationships with individuals, businesses, and industry leaders in Northern Colorado to support philanthropic goals and enhance student success. The role involves identifying philanthropic opportunities, emphasizing relational fundraising over transactional methods, and fostering sustainable partnerships through trust, understanding donor motivations, and engagement. Key responsibilities include developing tailored philanthropic proposals, working closely with the Foundation Executive Director, supporting marketing initiatives, and assisting with event coordination. The Development Manager also helps oversee departmental operations, maintains the Foundation's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, and participates in professional development activities. Flexibility in work hours is necessary to accommodate various events.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Nonprofit Management, Business, Communications, or other related field; plus three (3) years of experience in fundraising, with a strong track record of securing annual, mid-level, and major gifts—including individual contributions of $25,000 or more and achieving annual fundraising totals of $300,000 or higher, or an equivalent combination of education and/or work experience.
Knowledge of: Fundraising regulations, ethics, and compliance standards (e.g., CASE guidelines, IRS charitable giving laws, AFP Code of Ethics, and Donor Bill of Rights).
Knowledge of: Annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, capital campaigns, and grant writing.
Knowledge of: Marketing and communications strategies related to donor engagement.
Knowledge of: Event planning and donor stewardship best practices.
Track record of meeting or exceeding fundraising goals.
Experience with donor segmentation and personalized solicitation strategies.
Experience analyzing and applying wealth analytics to guide individual donor conversations.
Ability to analyze fundraising metrics and adapt strategies accordingly.
Experience collaborating with boards, leadership teams, and/or volunteers, with a focus on fostering a supportive, team-oriented environment build on mutual respect and shared goals.
Strong storytelling skills to articulate mission and impact to donors, with the ability to connect individual donor interests to broader initiatives.
Demonstrated talent for engaging unfamiliar individuals with confidence and authenticity.
Demonstrated ability to present to groups and speak at public or donor-facing events.
Demonstrated ability to network effectively and represent the organization with professionalism and confidence at public events.
Proven success in cultivating and soliciting support from a diverse donor base, including individuals, corporations, and foundations, through strategic relationship-building and targeted solicitation efforts.
High degree of professionalism, integrity, and discretion in handling confidential information.
Self-starter who can work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Passion for education and community development, in alignment with the mission of Aims Community College and Foundation.

Nice To Haves

Five (5) years of extensive experience in fundraising, with a strong track record of securing annual, mid-level, and major gifts—including individual contributions of $75,000 or more and achieving annual fundraising totals of $750,000 or higher.
Customer Relationship Management system/database experience.
Donor Acquisition Training or Certifications.
Negotiation Training or Certifications.
Customer Service Skills.
CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) designation, or willingness to pursue certification (optional but desirable)

Responsibilities

Develop and implement strategic fundraising initiatives, including systems, annual campaigns, and program plans, to identify, qualify, cultivate, and solicit current and prospective donors. This includes overseeing direct mail campaigns, initiating cold calls, and engaging prospective donors through in-person and virtual communication to secure donations for the Foundation.
Manage a portfolio of over 50 individual and corporate donors.
Build and maintain strong relationships by proactively following up to encourage continued or increased giving, and provide thoughtful and consistent stewardship to ensure donor satisfaction, recognition, and long-term engagement.
Collaborate with the Foundation Executive Director to manage and develop gift opportunities while creating the annual budget.
Work together to assess the effectiveness of the annual fundraising program and offer recommendations for continuous improvement.
Identify, scope, and prioritize donor acquisition prospects throughout the Northern Colorado (NoCo) region, focusing on direct donor engagement through external connections to develop tailored gift opportunities and agreements.
Employ a transformational relationship-building approach aligned with regional strategic economic activities to target key industries and high-potential individuals.
Proactively research and identify additional funding opportunities to support and advance fundraising goals, including grants, sponsorships, and strategic partnerships.
Partner with the Foundation team and college departments to foster collaborative gift opportunities that benefit multiple areas of impact.
Provide regular reports and updates on fundraising activities, pipeline status, and project outcomes.
Identify, establish, and nurture relationships with local corporate partners to support education-to-employment pathways and foster philanthropic investment in the College’s mission, while recognizing opportunities for future donor engagement.
Partner with the Foundation Executive Director to develop and execute a comprehensive outreach and engagement plan targeting corporate partners. This includes researching local corporations—particularly those employing Aims alumni—and leveraging knowledge of economic development trends, regional networking opportunities, campus tours, internal collaboration, and attendance at sector partner meetings and events.
Create tailored engagement proposals.
Provide ongoing stewardship to corporate partners through invitations to Aims and Foundation events, potential sponsorship opportunities, campus tours, calling campaigns, hosting on-campus events to showcase partnerships, and promoting awareness via social media and newsletters.
Engage in extensive internal and external networking, collaborate with college departments, attend Sector Partnership meetings, and stay informed on local economic development initiatives to align efforts with community growth and needs.
Represents the Foundation’s interests and expertise in workforce development and financial student support at community events, conferences, committees, boards and networking functions.
Collaborate with the Executive Director to develop and implement fundraising processes and procedures.
Work closely with Program Manager to ensure accurate data entry in the customer relationship management system and to generate reports.
Partner with the Foundation team on outreach efforts, fundraising plans, strategies, goals, and assessments of all Foundation programs.
Implement these plans to support individual and corporate donor cultivation, ultimately fostering student success.
Act as a backup for the Executive Director when necessary.
Gather fundraising market information, talent demand, and skill requirements, and translate data into meaningful information to create fundraising development strategies.
Prioritize segments of the Northern Colorado economic landscape for development.
Continually promotes community education and awareness related to training, employment issues, and fundraising opportunities.
Stays informed about industry trends and best practices in local economic development, educational, and employment needs to position Aims as the preferred community college for economic, high-quality education.
Work closely with the Foundation team, outreach partners, college colleagues, community liaisons, and the Foundation ED to organize and execute outreach and fundraising strategies.
Other Duties as Assigned

Benefits

100% employer provided medical & dental coverage employees (employee only option)
85% employer provided medical & dental coverage for employee's spouse and/or family
Voluntary vision insurance
Staff Annual Leave (minimum accrual of 15 days) & Sick (minimum accrual of 12 days)
17 paid holidays and 3 personal days each year
Summer schedule: 4-day work week - Fridays Off
Employer paid long-term disability and life insurance premiums
Tuition waiver & reimbursement for employees
Tuition waiver for dependents
PERA employer
Additional supplemental benefits & retirement programs available
Access to the PERC (Aims gym) for employee & one guest
Free parking on all campuses