Development Project Manager, Research & Major Gifts

This job was posted by : For moreinformation, please see:(Chicago PBS) and WFMT (classical music radio station) are lookingfor aDevelopment Project Manager, Research and Major Gifts. With passionfor the mission and purpose of WTTW and WFMT, the Development ProjectManager will research and identify prospective donors to raise revenuefor both stations using external and internal resources; utilizedatabase functions to keep special project cultivation and solicitationsteps coordinated and moving forward. This position synthesizesinformation from multiple sources to create comprehensive briefings;prepares profiles and prospect lists; and analyzes and evaluatesinformation in support of the prospect pipeline and fundraising goals.The Project Manager will plan and lead weekly prospect review and agendaplanning meetings and support events with guest thumbnails and bytracking attendance in the donor database. Additional duties includeworking with the Vice President of Development in soliciting,acknowledging, and stewarding major donors to the annual fund,participating as a member of the Development teams Tessitura committeeto establish and educate the team on CRM best practices, maintain andupdate training and how-to documentation, provide recommendations formaintenance and improvement of processes, and collaborate in support ofDevelopment Operations team efforts. The Project Manager will help staffdonor events and participate in departmental cross-training to assistwhen needed in areas such as gift entry and writing developmentmaterials. This position is ideal for the person seeking to build theirdevelopment skills in a number of key areas.KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:- Research prospective donors, sponsors, and leadership candidates. Identify new prospects for restricted support projects.- Work with project leads to develop and maintain prospect lists for restricted support projects, including assigning and maintaining plans and activities in Tessitura, the donor database for the development team.- Review lists of event participants, including review of any giving records to identify prospective donors and patterns among existing donors. Track donor attendance at events in donor database.- Prepare detailed notes on guests prior to selected events for organizational leadership.- Plan, lead, and follow up on weekly prospect review meetings for selected members of the development team.- Plan, lead, and follow up on weekly agenda planning meeting for prospect review.- Use Tessitura CRM, DonorSearch, and other sources to identify, prioritize, and move prospects into and up the pipeline for a comprehensive fundraising campaign. Distill findings into clear and effectively written briefings, including assessments of wealth and philanthropic interests, for executive leadership and front-line fundraisers.- Support the Vice President of Development, and other development leadership, through producing and tailoring annual fund solicitation letters, reply devices, mailing materials, and stewardship mailings (including drafting personal notes and packaging surprise and delight gifts) for major donors in the areas of the major donor annual fund, restricted support projects, annual gala, and planned giving.- Work with the Vice President of Development to track efforts, analyze results, maintain records, and improve processes for major donor annual fund renewals.- Participate in events regularly both on site and off campus, including occasional weekend and evening events.- Work with team members to maintain data hygiene in the donor database, compose notes to donors, and other duties as assigned.

Created: 2026-03-09