Development Manager

Bonton Farms•Dallas, TX

About The Position

The Development Manager is a strategic fundraising leader responsible for driving philanthropic growth through donor acquisition, cultivation, stewardship, and long-term relationship management across individual, corporate, foundation, and faith-based giving channels. This role requires a highly relational and results-oriented fundraiser who can build and execute development strategies that strengthen donor engagement, increase annual and recurring revenue, and expand mission-aligned partnerships that directly support the work of Bonton Farms. The Development Manager will own a qualified donor portfolio, develop and advance funding opportunities, lead donor engagement strategy, support campaign execution, and partner across departments to align fundraising efforts with organizational priorities. This position plays a critical role in helping Bonton Farms grow sustainable contributed revenue and deepen external engagement with supporters who believe in transformational community impact. The Development Manager will also provide direct leadership to development support staff, including oversight of donor coordination, volunteer engagement support, and stewardship execution.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; nonprofit management, communications, business, public administration, or related field preferred.
Minimum 4–6 years of progressive fundraising or nonprofit development experience.
Demonstrated success in donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Experience managing donor portfolios and advancing fundraising pipelines.
Strong presentation and proposal-writing skills.
Experience engaging corporate and community partners.
Knowledge of CRM systems and donor tracking tools.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Strong organizational discipline and ability to manage multiple priorities.
Ability to work independently while collaborating across teams.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated knowledge of the Dallas philanthropic community, including donor behavior, foundation priorities, corporate giving trends, and key relationship networks.
Existing professional connections within Dallas philanthropic, nonprofit, faith-based, or corporate giving communities strongly preferred.
Ability to strategically navigate donor environments and translate mission impact into compelling investment opportunities.
Strong understanding of how to build credibility and influence within philanthropic spaces to advance fundraising goals.
Major gifts fundraising
Faith-based donor engagement
Corporate sponsorship development
Campaign planning
Volunteer-to-donor conversion strategy
Event-related fundraising support

Responsibilities

Develop and execute annual and multi-year fundraising strategies aligned to organizational revenue goals.
Build, manage, and grow a qualified donor pipeline across individual giving, corporate partnerships, faith-based partnerships, mid-level and major donors, and institutional opportunities.
Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospective and existing donors to increase philanthropic investment.
Leverage knowledge of the Dallas philanthropic community to identify high-potential donor prospects, partnership opportunities, and strategic relationship pathways.
Maintain awareness of philanthropic trends, funding priorities, community influencers, and giving patterns across the Dallas nonprofit sector.
Develop targeted engagement strategies that position Bonton Farms within key donor circles, corporate philanthropy networks, faith communities, and mission-aligned funding conversations.
Represent Bonton Farms externally in professional settings where relationship-building can lead to strategic philanthropic opportunities.
Lead revenue-generating donor strategies designed to strengthen recurring support and long-term giving relationships.
Create measurable fundraising plans with clear benchmarks for pipeline movement, solicitations, renewals, and donor retention.
Support annual campaign planning, sponsorship development, and targeted giving initiatives.
Build authentic, trust-based relationships with donors, funders, business leaders, pastors, executives, and philanthropic stakeholders.
Develop strategic donor engagement plans that move supporters from awareness to investment.
Lead donor visits, presentations, tours, cultivation meetings, and follow-up engagement.
Ensure excellent donor stewardship through timely communication, impact reporting, gratitude strategies, and meaningful connection points.
Partner internally to create strong donor experiences through volunteerism, events, tours, and mission exposure.
Support customized donor strategies tied to organizational priorities and giving capacity.
Coordinate donor campaigns from planning through completion, including annual giving efforts, seasonal campaigns, targeted appeals, and strategic fundraising initiatives.
Build campaign calendars, timelines, donor segmentation strategies, outreach plans, and follow-up schedules.
Draft campaign messaging in partnership with marketing to ensure consistency and strong calls to action.
Monitor campaign performance, donor response, and revenue progress.
Recommend campaign adjustments based on engagement and results.
Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of fundraising events from start to finish.
Oversee event development including concept planning, sponsorship strategy, donor invitations, vendor coordination, internal planning meetings, run-of-show development, guest engagement strategy, and post-event stewardship.
Ensure events are financially aligned and strategically tied to donor cultivation goals.
Coordinate with internal departments to align events with mission storytelling and operational readiness.
Manage donor-facing experiences connected to farm visits, volunteer events, dinners, tours, and special engagements.
Expand and strengthen relationships with corporations, churches, and community partners that align with Bonton Farms’ mission.
Develop partnership opportunities that include sponsorships, volunteer engagement, employee giving, faith-based campaigns, in-kind support, and mission experiences.
Create compelling partnership proposals and presentations that clearly articulate impact and opportunity.
Maintain accurate donor records, engagement activity, projections, and fundraising metrics within CRM systems.
Track pipeline movement, solicitation outcomes, stewardship actions, and revenue forecasting.
Prepare regular reports for development leadership outlining progress toward goals.
Ensure strong follow-through on donor communications, commitments, and internal coordination.
Provide day-to-day guidance and accountability to development support staff, including Development Coordinator responsibilities tied to volunteer and donor support.
Support training, prioritization, and performance accountability within the development function.
Strengthen departmental systems that improve responsiveness, donor experience, and internal coordination.
Collaborate cross-functionally with leadership, marketing, programs, and operations to align fundraising strategy with mission delivery.