Development Manager (Major Gifts & CEO Engagement)

Salary Range: $100,000-$110,000
Reports To: President & CEO

Position Overview

The Development Manager will play a pivotal role in advancing fundraising efforts led by the President and CEO, recognized as Women's World Banking's most effective fundraising asset. In this role, you will work in direct partnership with the CEO to identify, develop, manage, and advance a strong pipeline and portfolio of prospective supporters, helping create opportunities that contribute to the organization's long-term fundraising goals.

A significant element of this work involves supporting the implementation of the CEO's fundraising strategy, managing an individual fundraising portfolio, and helping develop a major gifts pipeline under her leadership. You will be responsible for building and advancing a robust pipeline of prospective supporters, creating a disciplined cultivation process that generates a steady flow of new and engaged donors. This work supports the CEO's fundraising objectives, which include securing $10 million annually, representing approximately half of the organization's overall fundraising target, with at least half of that funding being unrestricted. While the organization's broader fundraising strategy is developed by senior leadership, the CEO defines the fundraising strategy and priorities needed to achieve her fundraising goals within that framework. This role is responsible for helping to bring that strategy to life through generating opportunities, advancing prospects, managing portfolio activity, and contributing to fundraising objectives.

Success in this role requires a combination of strong fundraising and relationship-development experience, sound judgment, persistence, research and analytical skills, and a sales-minded approach to donor engagement. The ideal candidate is energized by opening doors, connecting the dots across networks, creating momentum, and helping move relationships from prospect to partner.

Collaboration with Board members, senior leadership, Development colleagues, and other members of the CEO's front office team will be essential to identifying, cultivating, and advancing opportunities. The successful candidate will be comfortable engaging with high-level stakeholders, exercising discretion and sound judgment, and representing Women's World Banking with professionalism and credibility in a variety of external settings.

Key Responsibilities

Prospect Development and Pipeline Management

• Develop prospect engagement plans and recommend priorities, outreach approaches, and next steps in support of the CEO's fundraising strategy, funding targets, and relationship network.
• Build, manage, and advance a portfolio and pipeline of prospective individual donors, family offices, philanthropic advisors, foundations, corporate leaders, and other high-potential supporters.
• Conduct prospect research and due diligence, developing profiles that assess alignment, capacity, interests, networks, and potential pathways to engagement.
• Generate new opportunities through relationship mapping, market intelligence, networking, and creative prospecting.
• Maintain accurate portfolio and pipeline activity, engagement plans, and prospect records in Salesforce and other fundraising systems.

Relationship Development and CEO Engagement

• Manage and advance an portfolio of CEO-priority prospects and donors, driving outreach and cultivation efforts through introductions, correspondence, meeting requests, follow-up, and engagement strategies.
• Identify and cultivate pathways to introductions through Board members, donors, advisors, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Generate opportunities for CEO engagement, including larger high-net-worth and major gift opportunities, and help maintain a consistent cadence of qualified prospect and donor meetings.
• Work with the CEO to develop the Leaders Circle into a strategic engagement platform for the organization’s most committed donors, prospects, and friends. Optimize the potential for the Leaders Circle to deepen affiliation, increase giving, expand influence, and create a pipeline for future leadership.
• Partner with the CEO and Executive Assistant to coordinate meetings and cultivation activities while maintaining ownership of prospect progression, engagement plans, and next steps.
• Regularly assess prospect activity and recommend actions that will strengthen relationships and move opportunities forward.

Donor Engagement and Relationship Advancement

• Prepare briefing materials, prospect profiles, talking points, funding opportunity notes, and recommendations for CEO meetings and external engagements.
• Draft and manage donor-facing correspondence, proposals or related materials, and stewardship communications on behalf of the CEO.
• Track relationship activity, commitments, action items, and engagement outcomes, ensuring timely execution and follow-through.
• Capture donor insights and communications in Salesforce and share relevant information with the broader fundraising team.
• Coordinate with Development colleagues to ensure opportunities are appropriately advanced, cultivated, transitioned, or integrated into broader fundraising efforts.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 10 years of direct experience in fundraising, major gifts, individual giving, donor engagement, philanthropic partnerships, business development, private wealth, or a closely related external-facing relationship development role, with demonstrated success identifying prospects, managing portfolios, building pipelines, and advancing high-value relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to operate with a strong sense of ownership and urgency, take initiative, and independently drive opportunities forward in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.
• Strong relationship-building instincts and a demonstrated ability to leverage networks, social platforms, and market intelligence to identify prospects, uncover connection pathways, and generate new engagement opportunities.
• Experience working with senior executives, organizational leaders, Board members, or other high-level stakeholders.
• Strong research and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize information into actionable recommendations and engagement plans.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience using Salesforce or similar CRM platforms.
• Highly organized, proactive, and able to manage multiple priorities, portfolio activity, and follow-through with minimal oversight.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting CEO-, President-, C-suite-, or Board-led fundraising, partnership development, individual giving, or external engagement efforts.
• Experience working within major gifts, principal gifts, individual giving, executive fundraising, business development, philanthropy, or private wealth functions.
• Existing professional networks aligned with Women's World Banking's prospective donor base.
• Knowledge of international development, social impact, financial inclusion, or women's economic empowerment.

Measures of Success

Within the First 75 Days

• Develop a strong understanding of the CEO's fundraising priorities, relationship network, funding targets, and expectations for donor and prospect engagement.
• Develop an understanding of Women's World Banking's mission, strategic priorities, programs, impact, and value proposition.
• Build productive working relationships with the CEO, Executive Assistant, Development leadership, Board members, and other colleagues involved in donor cultivation and stewardship.
• Assess existing CEO-linked donor and prospect activity and establish a prioritized individual giving and major gifts pipeline with clear engagement strategies and introduction pathways.
• Demonstrate early progress in generating and advancing opportunities through prospect research, outreach, relationship development, portfolio management, and CEO engagement support.