Development Manager

The Helix School•San Rafael, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Development Manager's primary responsibility is to execute the school’s planned Annual Fund campaigns, events, and donor communications strategies, grow the general donor base, deepen relations with the Helix family and community donors, and collaborate with members of the leadership team on identifying institutional and major donor prospects. This role involves raising funds for the Annual Fund (approximately $200,000) through various campaigns, events, and direct solicitation. Key duties include launching a new monthly donor program, managing donor communications (impact newsletter and fundraising campaigns), supporting the annual Luminary Gala and Paths to Possibility 5K events, and supervising the Development Operations Associate to ensure exceptional donor experiences.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
4-5 years of relevant fundraising experience preferably in an independent school, NPS, college, or community fundraising environment
Demonstrated experience managing annual fund campaigns and events including peer-to-peer, web, and text-to-give, Galas, 5K races, private house parties, tabling events, online campaigns
Experience stewarding donors and soliciting/closing gifts up to $25,000; track record of raising at least $200,000 from a combination of online, event, direct mail, and in-person appeals
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills required to articulate goals and expectations internally, and to inspire donors to give toward Helix fundraising campaigns
Strong project management, organization, systems-thinking, and problem-solving skills
Collaborative, flexible, and energetic individual who develops and maintains effective working relationships with volunteers, prospects, donors, school families, Board members, and staff
Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and independently
Experience reconciling fundraising records with accounting on a monthly basis
Adept at creating professional presentations and proposals via Canva, PowerPoint, WORD
Direct experience and demonstrable skills writing, formatting, and managing email campaigns, and managing tags and segments in Mailchimp, Bloomerang, Constant Contact, or HubSpot
Experienced at producing or overseeing highly engaging social media content, reels, surveys, posts via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
Proficient in Google Suite, Microsoft Office programs, popular social media platforms, fundraising platforms (Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, Bloomerang), CANVA, PowerPoint, CapCut/video editing tools
Minimum 3 years advanced hands-on experience in Salesforce, Blackbaud, e-Tapestry, Bloomerang, QGiv, or other comparable CRMs and fundraising platforms
Payment processors, portals, and protocols: Benevity, Square, PayPal, QGIV, DAFs, and the like.
Experience processing gifts-in-kind, soft credits, split gifts, pledges, pledge payments.
Core technologies: Proficient in Microsoft Word (editing functions), Excel (filters, Pivot tables, VLookUP), Powerpoint; via CANVA, Google Suite programs, fundraising, and preference for expertise in social media content generation including creating reels with video editing tools
Proficiency leveraging Claude or other LLMs for research and projects, discerning appropriate limits so donor communications and campaigns retain sincerity and authenticity

Nice To Haves

Preferably in an independent school, NPS, college, or community fundraising environment

Responsibilities

Raise funds for the Annual Fund (approx. $200,000) via fundraising campaigns, events, and direct solicitation.
Launch a new monthly donor program.
Manage donor communications, including an impact newsletter and fundraising campaigns.
Support the annual Luminary Gala and Paths to Possibility 5K events.
Supervise the Development Operations Associate to deliver exceptional donor experiences.
Be present across campus getting to know staff and interacting with students and families.
Engage with parents and guardians to inspire giving & volunteering for the Annual Fund.
Build a portfolio of Annual Fund donors below a named threshold, and collaborate with Development Director on qualifying donors for major gifts pursuits.
Manage and cultivate a portfolio of annual donor prospects, soliciting gifts within a giving threshold to meet Annual Fund goal of $200,000.
Manage and oversee donor stewardship, gift acknowledgements, thanks, recognition, and pledge agreements, ensuring a high degree of engagement and satisfaction with all donors.
Co-supervise the Development Operations Associate with the Director of Development to manage donor CRM, gift records, and email lists.
Plan and launch the Helix Monthly Donor Program and grow participation via benefits including launching the Pedroncelli Helix wine club and other perks for members.
Plan and execute Annual Fund events and fundraising appeals (inclusive of directing email, direct mail, social media, and web) including Fall Appeal, Helix Connections events, Grandparents & Special Friends Day, Giving Tuesday (thanks not solicitation), Year-end Appeal, I Love Helix days, and Move-a-thon fundraising.
Design, write, and develop content for email, direct mail, peer-to-peer fundraising, social media, and paid advertising, collaborating with marketing manager and marketing vendor as needed.
Support and collaborate with the Helix Adult Academy team on their annual fund campaign, events, and donor communications.
Play an instrumental role leading the executions of the Luminary Gala with an Events Manager.
Be an active member of the Gala Committee, managing pledges, invitations, and overseeing the Gala marketing projects with the Marketing & Communications Manager.
Form and lead the Paths to Possibility 5K committee and oversee event readiness with a race director and Helix team.
Prepare development fundraising reports on a weekly, monthly, quarterly and as needed basis, running queries and analyzing donor data.
Own the preparation of the Annual Impact Report with the Marketing Manager.
Produce quarterly Impact e-newsletters with the Marketing Manager and Development Director.
Research, recommend, and attend events, conferences, associations, and other community-wide opportunities for Helix to participate in to broaden our exposure.
Collaborate with HPA on Helix Store and Helix merchandise.
Manage relationships with development consultants, vendors, and contractors as needed.