Development Operations Manager (Emily Dickinson)

Amherst • Amherst, MA

9d • $60,000 - $65,000

About The Position

Amherst College and the Emily Dickinson Museum seek a Development Operations Manager to support the Museum’s fundraising operations and donor engagement. This full-time, year-round role joins a collaborative three-person development team and reports to the Senior Director of Development. The manager will oversee the accuracy and improvement of the Museum’s constituent database, develop reporting and analytical tools for fundraising strategy and portfolio management, process gifts and acknowledgments, and support grant administration, prospect research, donor programs, and stewardship events.

The role serves as primary administrator of the Museum’s Veevart CRM, a Salesforce-based platform, and manages relationships with other development-platform vendors. The manager helps optimize data-management and administrative functions to support fundraising growth, donor appreciation, donor-centered communications, and accurate financial reporting. The position also coordinates with colleagues and external partners on operational planning and fundraising initiatives.

The Emily Dickinson Museum consists of two historic houses in Amherst, Massachusetts: the Homestead and The Evergreens. It welcomes approximately 15,000 visitors annually, along with thousands of virtual and in-person program participants and students. The Museum conducts restoration and preservation work, stewards a collection of 10,000 Dickinson family objects, and operates under Amherst College ownership with a separate Board of Governors. Its mission is to spark the imagination by amplifying Emily Dickinson’s revolutionary poetic voice from the place she called home.

The expected salary range is $60,000–$65,000 per year. Amherst College offers a comprehensive benefits package. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• At least 3–5+ years of experience in development operations or nonprofit administration.
• At least 2–3+ years of experience working within a fundraising team.
• Demonstrated proficiency in database administration and reporting.
• Strong proficiency with spreadsheets, including Excel and Google Sheets.
• Keen attention to detail and excellent organizational and time-management skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Knowledge of fundraising best practices, the donor lifecycle, and campaigns.
• Discretion and adherence to confidentiality and data-privacy policies for donor records and personal financial information.
• Ability to work collaboratively and positively on a mission-driven team.
• Commitment to an inclusive, welcoming, and respectful workplace.
• Sincere interest in the arts and humanities, museums, history, and Emily Dickinson’s life and legacy.
• Successful completion of required reference and background checks.
• Acceptable criminal offender records information (CORI) check.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience with Salesforce and/or Workday.
• Interest in current demographic and economic trends affecting charitable giving.
• Experience with event planning and management.
• Facility with presenting data and financial information and with data visualization.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the management and maintenance of the Museum’s Veevart CRM and serve as its primary system administrator.
• Manage vendor relationships with other development platforms, including KindSight (iWave).
• Develop and deliver reports, dashboards, and analyses to support fundraising strategies, prospect segmentation, donor stewardship, portfolio management, and progress tracking.
• Maintain data integrity through quality-control activities, constituent-record updates, gift accounting and crediting monitoring, and workflow audits.
• Build and maintain integrations between the CRM and third-party platforms as needed, such as wealth-screening, email-marketing, and event platforms.
• Monitor new and increased gifts, program and event participation, and responses to appeals and invitations to identify donors for further cultivation and stewardship.
• Process and record individual gifts and government and foundation grants.
• Oversee timely and accurate gift and tax receipts, special acknowledgments, and pledge reminders.
• Monitor the development team’s general email account and respond to donor and prospect inquiries about events, appeals, gifts, and pledges.
• Manage and improve gift-administration and donor-recognition systems to support donor-centered communications and impact reporting.
• Ensure monthly, quarterly, and annual gift reporting and tracking are complete and accurate.
• Manage monthly and annual reconciliation of Museum gifts and fundraising records with Amherst College’s Controller’s Office.
• Collaborate with development colleagues on operational planning, prioritization, and departmental initiatives.
• Prepare, upload, and review data files for wealth screening and prospect research.
• Research and identify grant-funding opportunities with colleagues; organize and maintain the annual grants calendar and track applications and reporting.
• Prepare donor briefings, prospect profiles, and research summaries on individuals and grant-making organizations.
• Support cultivation and solicitation strategies, donor visits, and cultivation and stewardship events and communications.
• Provide planning and logistical support for donor programs, stewardship events, board meetings, and volunteer activities.
• Coordinate event invitations, RSVP tracking, guest lists, and logistics.
• Collaborate with staff, consultants, vendors, and external partners on fundraising operations and organizational initiatives.

Benefits

• Comprehensive, highly competitive benefits package for staff, faculty, and their families.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level