Senior Development Manager

Washington Youth Alliance / Action Fund / Future Fund - Senior Development Manager

Apply by February 20, 2026

Pay: This position has a salary of $70,000 and is classified as non-exempt. This salary is anticipated to increase as our org budget does. We offer unlimited PTO, with a required minimum of three weeks taken per year. We also offer merit based bonuses equivalent to a maximum of 10% of a position's salary. We do not offer any more benefits at this time. We anticipate adding other benefits such as health insurance by mid-2026. Please note the salary is not negotiable. 

Start Date: This is a full time, one year (with the possibility of extension depending on fit and budget). We anticipate a start date of March 2 or sooner.

Location Requirements and Preferences: This role is required to reside in Washington State. Washington Youth Alliance is proud to call ourselves a truly statewide organization, and as such prioritizes hiring individuals who are rooted in community and can bring their experiences to our youth-led organization. We are prioritizing applications from outside King County, with a particular emphasis on the following geographies, although all are welcome to apply: Central Washington, North Central Washington, and the Olympic Peninsula. 

Washington Youth Alliance Overview:

We are Washington’s only truly youth-led 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and State PAC that builds authentic statewide youth power by transforming young people's stories and lived experiences into action, creating youth-led chapters that educate, advocate, and organize for mental health support, gun violence prevention, access to a healthier democracy, and other systemic changes young people need.

We envision a world where Washington is designed to serve the needs of and address problems specific to young people, and where young people are equipped with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to shape systems so it continues to address issues that impact young people. 

What do we define as youth-led?

We define youth-led as having young people ages 13-24, but particularly those not in College, at the center of everything we are doing and hope to do. Our boards are 85% under the age of 24 with 33.3% being under the age of 18 and from local chapters.

Position Overview:

The Senior Development Manager is the primary point of contact for donor acquisition, monthly giving cultivation, and initial donor engagement.

With both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) designations, WYA is positioned for significant growth in individual and institutional giving. This is WYA’s first full-time senior development hire, designed to formalize individual giving systems and establish a sustainable fundraising foundation. The Senior Development Manager will play a key role in strengthening fundraising systems, deepening donor relationships, and supporting long-term financial sustainability. This role requires someone who is comfortable and confident making asks.

Role Structure:

The Development Manager will work closely with the Executive Director and is responsible for executing WYA’s individual giving strategy. This role owns the day-to-day management of donor communications, stewardship systems, and fundraising campaigns, while collaborating with the Executive Director on priorities, messaging direction, and major donor engagement. 

This is a hands-on role best suited for someone who enjoys building strong systems, managing details, and translating strategy into consistent action. We’re a startup-stage nonprofit with a small, dedicated team that punches well above its weight. We move fast, wear multiple hats, and build systems as we go. 

Position Responsibilities:

1. Direct Fundraising & Donor Solicitation

• Directly solicit and close gifts from individual donors through phone calls, emails, virtual meetings, and in-person conversations. 
• Own WYA’s donor retention strategy. Implement stewardship systems including welcome journeys, acknowledgment processes, impact updates, and donor engagement touchpoints.
• Execute donor acquisition campaigns across digital channels, with a focus on converting email subscribers, mailing prospects, and campaign specific donors to first-time donors. 
• Manage and grow WYA’s monthly giving program through targeted conversion campaigns, a branded giving program with exclusive updates, virtual engagement opportunities, and differentiated stewardship.
• Manage digital fundraising campaigns (email and SMS) in collaboration with our communications consultant across WYA’s c3 and c4 entities, including audience segmentation, campaign scheduling, performance tracking, and campaigns focused on acquisition and first-gift conversion.

1. Grant Writing & Institutional Fundraising

• Write and submit grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and funder reports for foundation and institutional funders, working from WYA’s case for support and in coordination with the Executive Director on strategy and funder relationships.
• Manage the grant calendar and pipeline in our donor, tracking deadlines, submissions, reporting requirements, and funder communications. Coordinate with the Development Intern on prospect research and deadline tracking.
• Leverage WYA’s 501(c)(3) status to identify and pursue new foundation relationships, positioning c3 work around education, leadership development, and youth mental health.
• Support the Executive Director in institutional relationship management by preparing funder briefs, tracking touchpoints, and ensuring timely follow-up after meetings and program officer conversations.

1. Major Gift Pipeline Development

• Identify and qualify major gift prospects through discovery conversations, engagement analysis, capacity research, and giving history. 
• Prepare donor briefs, talking points, and transition notes when handing off qualified major gift prospects to the Executive Director for solicitation.
• Coordinate major gift logistics by maintaining moves management tracking in our CRM, scheduling cultivation meetings, and ensuring follow-through on stewardship commitments.
• Plan and execute small cultivation events—virtual coffees, donor briefings, policy conversations—that deepen donor relationships and create solicitation opportunities.

1. CRM, Data & Reporting

• Own CRM infrastructure buildout: data cleanup, donor segmentation, ActBlue integration, grant tracking, moves management, and transition from existing platforms.
• Maintain accurate donor records, track campaign performance and donor trends, and generate regular reports to support decision-making and fundraising strategy.
• Provide monthly fundraising dashboards to the Executive Director showing progress against revenue targets, retention metrics, pipeline health, and campaign performance.

Please note that this is meant to be a sample of position responsibilities and is not fully encompassing. Washington Youth Alliance reserves the right to modify these responsibilities at any time. 

What Success Looks Like

In the first year, success in this role will include:

• A fully functioning CRM with clean data, reliable segmentation, and integrated donation processing by end of Q1
• WYA owning its external communications with a structured content calendar and consistent donor touchpoints
• A clear, sustainable fundraising rhythm between you and the Executive Director—with defined ownership, regular check-ins, and shared accountability
• A Development Intern who is growing, contributing meaningfully, and set up for their own professional success
• Grant proposals that are well-written, submitted on time, and grounded in strong program data

Position Requirements: No specific degree is required. In general, candidates will:

1. Have at least 2 years of nonprofit fundraising experience 
2. Experience directly soliciting and closing gifts from individual donors
3. Experience writing and submitting grant proposals to foundations
4. Experience with donor database management 
5. Understand donor stewardship and retention best practices
6. Have strong written communication skills for donor-facing content
7. Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and hold yourself accountable to deadlines and revenue targets in a startup environment

Preference will be given to candidates who:

• Are passionate about youth-led movements and WYA's mission areas
• Have worked in small nonprofit or startup environments

Note: We encourage people that don't think they meet all the requirements to still apply - we value lived experience, passion for youth organizing, and commitment to our mission as much as formal qualifications.

Application Stages and Process: 

Stage 1: Initial Application Due Date —

Submit your resume, cover letter, and other information.

• 1–2 page resume
• On one document, please share 2–3 short paragraphs via the form of a cover letter:

• Why do you want this role?

• Why are you passionate about fundraising for our movement?

• Optional: Is there anything else that you want to share with readers?

• Demographic information

Stage 2: Interview

Stage 3: Performance Tasks and Reference Submissions

Performance Tasks Due

• Please hold two hours in advance to complete this task in case you make it to stage three.
• We will provide a $150 stipend for time spent on the performance tasks.
• Contact Information Due For Two References on Monday, January 26.

Final Decisions Released.

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