Organization: BOFFO
Location: New York City, with seasonal work in Fire Island Pines
Reports to: Interim Director of Development
Schedule: Full-time; occasional evenings and weekends
Salary: 60,000-70,000 annually
Benefits: Health, dental, and vision insurance; two weeks of paid vacation plus federal holidays
About the Role
BOFFO seeks a Development Manager to help grow and sustain support for its work with artists and communities. As a core member of the development team, the Development Manager independently manages an assigned portfolio of individual donors, cultivates and secures corporate sponsors, oversees ticketed event revenue, contributes to foundation fundraising, sales, and events, and maintains the systems that keep development work moving.
The role has direct responsibility for sponsorship and partnership development, sponsor deliverables, grants, ticketed event revenue, merchandise, publications, and other earned-income activities. For artwork and edition sales, the Development Manager stays informed, maintains accurate records of status and results, coordinates information and follow-up across teams, produces materials, and provides reporting that helps leadership make sales decisions. Staff leading those sales activities retain responsibility for their execution.
The Development Manager reports to the Interim Director of Development and owns assigned portfolios, projects, and deadlines. The ideal candidate is a relationship-oriented fundraiser and strong project manager who can work independently, communicate clearly, and bring sound judgment and care to a fast-moving arts organization.
Key Responsibilities
Individual Giving and Donor Development
Manage an assigned portfolio of annual, emerging, and mid-level donors and prospects, including cultivation, solicitation, follow-up, and stewardship.
Research and qualify prospective donors; identify opportunities to deepen engagement and move donors into the major-gift pipeline.
Develop donor communications, proposals, solicitation materials, and personalized updates.
Plan donor meetings and cultivation opportunities with the Interim Director of Development and Executive & Artistic Director, as appropriate.
Set and track next steps, commitments, and progress toward agreed-upon goals for the assigned portfolio.
Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships
Identify, cultivate, and secure sponsorships with brands, corporate partners, hospitality groups, and cultural businesses in alignment with BOFFO's programs and fundraising goals.
Develop sponsorship pitches, proposals, benefits packages, and presentation decks in collaboration with the Communications team and relevant program staff.
Manage sponsor relationships from initial outreach through commitment, activation, stewardship, and renewal; coordinate terms and commitments with development leadership as appropriate.
Own sponsor deliverables, visibility, and on-site activation, working with program, production, and Communications staff to ensure agreed-upon benefits are fulfilled.
Maintain an accurate prospect pipeline and sponsorship records, including outreach, proposals, commitments, benefits, payments, deadlines, and next steps; provide regular revenue and status updates to leadership.
Ticketed Event Revenue
Collaborate with the Interim Director of Development and Programs staff to set pricing strategies and revenue goals for ticketed programs, balancing accessibility and revenue needs.
Oversee ticketing platforms, sales tracking, VIP lists, and the patron experience for ticketed events.
Monitor ticket sales against goals, maintain accurate revenue and attendance records, and share timely updates with development and program leadership.
Support on-site revenue operations at benefits, festival events, and other programs, coordinating with event and finance staff as needed.
Other Earned Revenue and Sales Tracking
Maintain a current view of artwork and edition sales, merchandise, publications, and other earned-income activities through regular coordination with staff and with finance.
Record sales goals, pricing decisions, inventory and fulfillment status, revenue results, and outstanding follow-up based on information supplied by the teams leading these activities.
Track collector and purchaser information, sales histories, and relevant relationships in BOFFO's development systems, with appropriate attention to accuracy and confidentiality.
Monitor sales reports; reconcile development records with available financial information and flag discrepancies or missed deadlines for resolution.
Prepare earned-revenue dashboards, reports, and projections, and identify trends or opportunities for leadership's consideration.
Keep development leadership informed about the status of these sales activities and seasonal revenue opportunities.
Development Operations and Systems
Maintain accurate, timely records in Salesforce or BOFFO's current CRM for donors, prospects, sponsorships, grants, gifts, pledges, and revenue activity.
Coordinate gift processing, acknowledgments, and documentation with the appropriate staff; maintain development calendars and reporting deadlines.
Build and improve practical tracking systems for donor activity, commitments, sponsorships, earned revenue, and stewardship.
Produce regular pipeline, revenue, and activity reports for the Interim Director of Development and organizational leadership.
Foundation and Institutional Giving
Research prospective foundations and institutional funders and recommend promising opportunities.
Draft and coordinate grant materials, letters of inquiry, applications, and reports in collaboration with the Interim Director of Development and program staff.
Track submission deadlines, awards, restrictions, reporting requirements, and follow-up; help steward institutional relationships.
Donor Stewardship and Fundraising Events
Develop and carry out stewardship plans for assigned donors, including timely acknowledgments, updates, recognition, and opportunities to connect with BOFFO's work.
Manage development components of cultivation and fundraising events, including guest lists, invitations, RSVPs, donor communications, and follow-up.
Coordinate with program and production colleagues on donor-facing activities at New York City and Fire Island Pines events.
Track event attendance, donor activity, and fundraising results; attend select evening, weekend, and seasonal events as needed.
Planning and Collaboration
Partner with the Interim Director of Development to implement BOFFO's fundraising plan while taking independent ownership of assigned donor portfolios, sponsorships, ticketed event revenue, and projects.
Prepare research and briefing materials for leadership and Board fundraising conversations; track introductions, decisions, and follow-up.
Share clear updates on donor activity, sponsorship and partnership status, earned revenue, upcoming deadlines, and areas that need leadership decisions.
Recommend improvements to development processes and opportunities to strengthen donor engagement and long-term financial sustainability.
Qualifications
Approximately 3–5 years of experience in nonprofit development, arts administration, fundraising, or a related field.
Experience managing donor relationships, sponsorships or partnerships, ticketed events, fundraising projects, or development operations with meaningful independent responsibility.
Strong writing, research, communication, relationship-building, and project-management skills.
Excellent recordkeeping skills and the ability to turn information from multiple teams into reliable status reports and actionable follow-up.
Experience with a donor database or CRM; Salesforce experience preferred.
Comfort working with donors, collectors, artists, galleries, sponsors, Board members, and colleagues across program and finance functions.
Interest in contemporary art, culture, queer communities, and BOFFO's mission.
Ability to manage competing priorities and work occasional evenings and weekends, including seasonal travel to Fire Island Pines.
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