Development Manager, Foundation Relations

Futures Without Violence

$95K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree and at least 5 years of relevant experience, or 10 years combined education/training and work experience in foundation relations or grant writing
  • Proven ability to write and manage complex grant proposals and reports
  • Strong project management skills with the ability to juggle multiple deadlines
  • Experience using CRM systems and grant tracking tools
  • Collaborative team player who builds trust with diverse program staff
  • Exceptional written communication skills to create compelling funder narratives
  • Desire to actively prospect and build rather than just maintain relationships

Responsibilities

  • Manage a portfolio of foundation relationships and drive prospecting efforts
  • Collaborate on drafting grant proposals and ensure alignment with organizational priorities
  • Oversee accurate and complete funder portal submissions in collaboration with the Grants Director
  • Serve as primary relationship manager for assigned foundation funders and track correspondence
  • Maintain detailed records of all funder interactions and manage reporting and acknowledgments
  • Conduct prospect research to identify new potential funding opportunities
  • Assist development leadership in expanding and diversifying the funding pipeline

Benefits

  • Excellent medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
  • Tax-advantaged Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care
  • Generous vacation policy with 3 weeks of vacation and 13 paid holidays per year
  • 12 days of sick and safe leave annually
  • Employer-contributed 401k retirement plan
  • Standardized salary structure with transparency and eligibility for step increases
Full Job Description
Location: San Francisco, CA or Washington, D.C.
Reports to: Senior Advisor to the President
Status: Full-time, Exempt

The Development Manager will manage a defined portfolio of foundation relationships, while also driving prospecting and pipeline development to expand the organization's funder base. This role is central to building a more coordinated, proactive foundation relations function at FUTURES, one that surfaces new funding opportunities, and strengthens partnerships across all programs.

This is a role for an organized individual who enjoys the craft of grant writing, thrives on systems and processes, and knows how to build trust with colleagues across an organization through collaboration, consistency, and follow-through.

Core Responsibilities

Grant Writing and Shepherding
  • Partner on the drafting of grant proposals, reports, and letters of inquiry in close collaboration with program and grants management staff, ensuring all content accurately reflects current organizational priorities and program data
  • With the Director, Grants & Contracts Administration,
  • Ensure all portal submissions are accurate, complete, and aligned with each funder's specific requirements


Funder Relationship Management
  • Serve as the day-to-day relationship manager for a defined set of foundation funders, drafting and tracking all correspondence and ensuring timely, high-quality follow-up
  • Maintain clean, comprehensive records of all foundation funder interactions, awards, and pipeline activity in (Salesforce)
  • Track and manage gift acknowledgments and reporting


Prospect Research and Pipeline Development
  • Conduct and synthesize prospect research to identify and prioritize new foundation funding opportunities aligned with FUTURES' program areas and strategic priorities
  • Support development leadership in mapping the current landscape and building a more robust, diversified pipeline, with particular emphasis on growing our portfolio


Executive and Organizational Support
  • Partner closely with the Senior Advisor and CEO to prepare for key donor meetings, events, and external engagements
  • Coordinate follow-up and relationship management activities stemming from CEO-led donor conversations
  • Support board engagement, donor briefings, and events designed to build visibility and partnerships
  • Manage logistics on quarterly board meetings


What We're Looking For
  • Bachelor's degree and minimum 5 years related work experience, OR a combination of education/training and work experience (10 years combined) in foundation relations, grant writing, or institutional development, ideally within a social justice, public health, or advocacy organization
  • Demonstrated success writing and managing complex grant proposals and reports
  • Strong project management skills with a track record of owning multiple deadlines simultaneously without things falling through the cracks
  • Experience with CRM systems and grant tracking tools; comfort building and maintaining shared systems that colleagues will actually use
  • A collaborative work style and the ability to build trust with program staff who are accustomed to managing their own funder relationships
  • Excellent written communication skills and the ability to translate program complexity into clear, compelling funder-facing narratives
  • Genuine interest in prospecting and in building something, not just maintaining it


A Note on the Opportunity

The Development Manager will inherit a manageable book of relationships and be expected to grow it. Success in this role will depend on building strong working relationships with program staff and introducing systems and processes that teams find genuinely useful.

SALARY/BENEFITS:

This is a full-time exempt position. The pay rate is $95,000/annually. This salary is based on a standardized compensation structure that is transparent across the organization. Please note that the salary is non-negotiable and like all positions at FUTURES, eligible for step increases as part of our commitment to thriving wages for all staff. FUTURES offers excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus tax-advantaged Flexible Spending Arrangements for Health Care and Dependent Care. FUTURES employees can take advantage of generous sick and vacation benefits including 13 paid holidays, 3 weeks of vacation and higher accruals after 3 years, 12 days of sick and safe leave per year, and an employer-contributed 401k retirement plan.

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