Development Manager

Development Manager

Reports to: Development Director

Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2025

Organization Overview

Are you interested in joining a committed team that is passionate about changing the world, one meal at a time? If so, you may find yourself at home at Farming Hope!

Farming Hope is a 501(c)3 food justice nonprofit. Our mission is to empower folks experiencing major barriers to employment to cook food to sustain themselves and their communities. Fueling our pursuit of lasting social change are our guiding principles: that food is a human right, that everyone deserves an empowering livelihood, and that neither food nor human potential should go to waste.

In service of this mission, we provide a culinary job training program for community members who are overcoming obstacles such as former incarceration or homelessness. Our paid 12 week program helps adults transition to personal well-being and employment while nourishing food insecure neighbors and preventing cosmetically-imperfect food from going to waste.

We are proud to have provided 70,000 paid training hours, served more than 240,000 meals to the community, distributed more than 460,000 pounds of groceries, and recovered more than 58,000 pounds of food over the last two years. We’re looking forward to making even more of an impact in the years to come. Learn more about our organization at farminghope.org.

Position Overview

The Development Manager will support the Development Director and the Executive Director in fundraising efforts for Farming Hope. The ideal candidate will be a highly organized, self-motivated individual with experience in fundraising, strong written and verbal communications skills, and passion for food justice and social change.

There will be many opportunities for learning and growth, including the possibility of a promotion to a Director-level role for the right person. As a job training nonprofit, Farming Hope advances a culture of continual learning and professional development, emphasized by our participation in national networks and including the Catalyst Kitchens and REDF networks, as well as weekly check-ins and open access to colleagues and external mentors for coaching and support.

Responsibilities listed below represent approximately 90% of the Development Manager’s average work week. The other 10% will be up to the discretion of the individual, the Development Director, and the Executive Director, and intentionally includes flexibility as needs arise to help drive our vision and fulfill our mission.

Grants Management

The Development Manager will manage grants administration from inception to final reporting.

• Work closely with the Development Director to research grant opportunities and design outreach strategies
• Work collaboratively with program leads to align on program strategy for grant proposals, LOIs, applications and reporting
• Support the preparation of public and private grant reports as well as other funder communications
• Systematize and maintain grant reporting deliverable and invoicing schedules
• Serve as liaison between Program staff, Finance team, and Directors, coordinating information flow as needed for grant compliance

Individual Giving

The Development Manager will work closely with the Development Director to steward existing donors and proactively grow our individual donor portfolio.

• Support in designing and implementing a donor engagement plan to grow individual donorship
• Present donor prospects by conducting preliminary donor research
• Maintain a portfolio of individual mid-level donors
• Support the Development Director and Executive Director with major donor cultivation and thoughtful stewardship activities
• Support the planning and execution of all donor communications including newsletters, event invitations, annual reports, and other donor updates

Fundraising Events

Farming Hope’s fundraising events are a critical engagement tool for our community of supporters. We inspire giving through the excitement of supporters seeing our vision in action.

• Alongside Development Director, co-manage and plan fundraising events including our annual fundraiser, Hope Feast, our Pop-Up Guest Chef Dinners, and other donor engagement events as they arise
• Identify and solicit event sponsors, financial and in-kind
• Create event collateral, such as ticketing pages and sponsorship decks
• Ensure thorough post-event follow-up with donors and prospects

Development Operations

The Development Manager will lead operations for all fundraising functions

• Serve as primary Salesforce administrator
• Manage Farming Hope’s gift processing and coordinate with Finance team
• Maintain accurate donor records, ensuring records meet our tax, finance, and audit compliance
• Oversee timely donor acknowledgments and thank you letters

Candidate Qualifications

• Experience: Experience in nonprofit development is a must. We need someone who understands the unique challenges of contemporary fundraising
• Motivated self-starter: We are a small organization with a big impact, and we need staff who can anticipate and be proactive problem solvers. We are all accountable for our goals, and have a willingness to learn and grow together.
• Storyteller: This role is crucial to sharing Farming Hope’s story and impact. We need a candidate with compelling written and verbal communication skills across a broad range of mediums.
• Systems thinker: This role requires someone with clear organizational skills who can manage processes and deadlines. We need a candidate who can get into the weeds and also pull back to see the big picture.

To Apply

Send your resume and cover letter to hiring@farminghope.org by February 28, 2025.

Farming Hope is an equal opportunity employer. We enthusiastically accept our responsibility to make employment decisions without regard to race, religious creed, color, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, marital status, medical condition as defined under State law, disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions or any other classification protected by federal, state, and/or local laws and ordinances.

At Farming Hope we have a clear vision to be a place where a diverse mix of talented people are able to learn, teach, and grow. Diversity is more than a commitment at Farming Hope—it is necessary to advance equity and inclusion for the Apprentices in our training program and our diners in the community.