Description
Organization Overview
Leadership Brainery is a nonprofit focused on preparing young leaders ages 18–24 for success in graduate school. We equip students with limited access to graduate school with the preparation, guidance, and insight needed to compete for admission to selective master's and doctoral programs—and to thrive once they're there.
By strengthening pathways to advanced degrees, we help develop leaders ready to shape their fields and communities.
Position Summary
Leadership Brainery seeks an entrepreneurial, relationship-driven, and highly strategic Development Manager focused on Individual Giving to help grow and steward the organization's individual donor portfolio during a critical period of expansion. This role will lead efforts to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors, with a strong emphasis on upgrading existing supporters from approximately the $1,000 giving level to sustained annual gifts of $5,000+ and on building a growing pipeline of major gift prospects. This is a tactical, results-oriented role designed to advance the organization's fundraising goals.
This individual will work closely with the Director of Development, senior leadership, board members, and key stakeholders to deepen donor engagement, strengthen fundraising systems, and build a scalable individual giving strategy that supports national growth. This is an ideal opportunity for a fundraising professional who thrives in a mission-driven, entrepreneurial environment and is excited about helping build a national fundraising program with significant long-term impact.
We are looking for a:
Relationship Builder: Skilled at building trust and cultivating authentic, long-term donor relationships. This includes having a high-energy, socially oriented personality with a strong inclination for making excellent first impressions through verbal cues and body language.
Strategic Thinker: Able to connect donor engagement strategies to broader organizational goals and growth priorities.
Entrepreneurial Mindset: Excited by building systems, testing ideas, and helping shape a growing development function.
Mission-Driven Communicator: A compelling storyteller able to connect donors to impact through data and personal narratives.
Collaborative Partner: Works effectively across teams, leadership, and external stakeholders.
Results-Oriented: Motivated by measurable fundraising outcomes, continuous improvement, and the achievement of ambitious goals. This includes maintaining a positive relationship with money and the confidence to ask for large gifts.
Key Responsibilities
Individual Giving Strategy & Portfolio Management:
Manage and grow a portfolio of individual donors and prospects, and maintain an accurate gift table on gift progress.
Upgrade existing donors in the $1,000 range to multi-year supporters and major gift donors, and cultivate new individual donors capable of making gifts at or above the $5,000 level.
Build long-term donor relationships grounded in mission alignment and transformational impact.
Develop and implement donor cultivation and stewardship strategies to increase retention and annual giving through email, text, phone, direct mail, and in-person coffee/lunch/dinners.
Conduct prospect research and develop individualized engagement strategies for donor prospects.
Communication and Documentation:
Create and prepare briefing materials, donor proposals, and other impact updates for supporters.
Contribute to and collaborate with the development team to create quarterly newsletters and impact reports that highlight our students' successes and the organization's impact.
Ensure high-quality post-meeting reports are created within 36 hours of each meeting and added to donor profiles in Bloomerang CRM.
Maintain records in the Bloomerang CRM to track donor engagement activities, pipeline progress, and fundraising metrics.
Donor Engagement & Stewardship:
Build authentic relationships with donors, alumni, partners, and supporters through personalized and collective engagement strategies.
Partner with staff to translate organizational impact into compelling narratives.
Use donor data to develop systems and strategies for donor acknowledgment, stewardship, and reporting.
Create donor experiences that deepen affinity and encourage long-term investment in the mission, including in-person and virtual donor events.
Systems, Operations & Growth:
Strengthen and refine systems for donor tracking, moves management, reporting, and campaign operations within Bloomerang.
Monitor fundraising performance and provide regular updates on donor pipeline activity and campaign progress.
Ensure donor data and post-meeting reports are accurate and updated regularly, and that task deadlines are met
Initial Success Indicators
Total first-year fundraising goal of $150,000.
Success in acquiring new donors: ten contributions of $1,000, eight at $2,500, and nine at $5,000.
Achieving approximately $55,000 in active gifts renewed, and recapturing approximately $25,000 from lapsed donors.
Upgrade at least five donors from $1,000 to $5,000+.
Ensuring 10% of secured gifts are multi-year commitments.
Increase the donor retention rate from 41% to 45%.
Completion of at least 80 donor/prospect meetings and meaningful touchpoints per year, averaging two meetings per week, including both virtual and in-person opportunities.
Attend at least 80 networking events per year, averaging two per week, including both virtual and in-person opportunities.
Consistent execution of one professional development activity per month.
Compensation & Benefits
Leadership Brainery offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, along with a benefits package and opportunities for professional growth and advancement.
Salary Range: $70,000-75,000
Location: This position is primarily based in Boston, Massachusetts, with a hybrid schedule of two days in person and three days remote.
Travel: Frequent local and national travel for donor meetings, events, and organizational gatherings is required.
Generous benefits, including three weeks of paid vacation and medical, dental, and vision insurance
Three weeks of all-staff holiday vacation (paid)
$1,500 professional development stipend
A start-up environment with amazingly talented and fun teammates and a leadership team invested in your professional growth and success
A beautiful and inspiring workplace on Beacon Street in Boston's historic Back Bay neighborhood. Enjoy local restaurants and parks, or stroll down the Charles River Esplanade for lunch.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Leadership Brainery is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law
Requirements
Qualifications
Required:
A commitment to the mission and values of Leadership Brainery is essential.
Experience managing donor portfolios and successfully soliciting gifts in the $1,000-$10,000+ range.
Ability to work in person in Boston, MA, two days per week.
Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent experience
Proven ability or a strong desire to learn the process of individual donor solicitation.
An eagerness to network, make connections, and talk about Leadership Brainery to individuals in the community.
Flexibility to attend events or meetings before and after work hours.
An all-hands-on-deck mentality.
Preferred:
Demonstrated ability to upgrade and retain donors through relationship-centered engagement strategies and strong written and verbal communication skills.
Experience using CRM systems, specifically Bloomerang, to manage donor engagement and fundraising activity is preferred.
Candidates ideally should have 2+ years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, development, or advancement, with demonstrated success in individual giving and donor cultivation.
Experience supporting capital, anniversary, or comprehensive fundraising campaigns is preferred.
Previous work with alumni communities, emerging professionals, or leadership development organizations is a plus.
Familiarity with donor moves management and prospect research tools is preferred, as is experience partnering with executive leaders and boards on fundraising strategy.
Knowledge of fundraising best practices related to major gifts, stewardship, and campaign planning is highly valued.
