Development Manager at Caldera – Portland, Oregon

At Caldera, we believe in the power of creativity. Our mission is to inspire and support youth from underserved rural and urban communities by awakening the potential of their creative voice. We do this through a unique fusion of art, environment and mentorship. Our Youth Program provides students from Portland and Central Oregon with long-term relationships with caring adults, which nurtures individual creativity, beginning in sixth grade and continuing into young adulthood.

Caldera has a $5M budget, a 18-member board, 21 full-time year-round employees, and a range of seasonally contracted artists and staff. Its administrative office is located in Portland, Oregon, and its Arts Center is located outside of Sisters in Central Oregon.

Position Title: Development Manager

Supervisor: Director of Advancement

Full Time: Exempt (Typical work week approximately 37.5 hours; occasional evenings/weekends required for events)

Work Location: Portland, OR

Compensation: $70,140 - $85,860 annual salary. Benefits include generous paid time off, health, dental, and vision insurance, 403(b) retirement matching, long-term disability, short-term disability, and life insurance.

Position Description: The Development Manager manages Caldera’s individual giving program, donor events, sponsorships, and advancement operations, including donor portfolio tracking and reporting through the donor database. This position works closely with the Director of Advancement and Executive Director, as well as Philanthropy Studios to develop and execute Caldera’s fundraising plan, informed by on-the-ground donor insights.

The Development Manager is responsible for implementation of Caldera’s individual giving initiatives, including donor cultivation events, bi-annual fundraising appeals, corporate sponsorships, and in-kind gifts. Reporting to the Director of Advancement, this position will support Caldera’s individual donor fundraising efforts – including donor stewardship and recognition programs, event committee coordination and facilitation, prospect research and tracking, donor communications, donor database management and reporting, and direct mail initiatives. Other duties include playing a key role in the development of fundraising strategy, developing donor-facing communications materials; preparing funding materials and requests; and completing applications and reports for sponsorships. This role works closely with the board and operates with a high level of independence. This position is ideal for someone who is highly organized, relationship-driven, comfortable with outreach and follow-up, and motivated by visible progress and results.

As a collaborative member of the Advancement team, the Development Manager ensures strong fundraising operations while supporting donor engagement and revenue growth across Caldera’s development programs.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Individual Giving – Solicitation, Communications, and Stewardship (45%)

• Execute donor cultivation strategy and master calendar of individual giving initiatives and fundraising events
• Implement strategies to recruit new donors, retain/engage current donors, cultivate lapsed donors, and increase overall giving to meet and exceed annual fundraising goals
• Manage donor-facing communications including fundraising appeals, event invitations, impact reports, stewardship mailings and campaign materials across print and digital platforms
• Contribute to Caldera’s donor pipeline strategy by identifying and advancing prospects for cultivation and solicitation in partnership with the Director of Advancement and Executive Director
• Attend donor meetings and play an active role in donor stewardship at Caldera events

Special Events Management and Related Sponsorships (35%)

• Organize Caldera’s annual fundraising galas, including liaising with event producers, vendors, and sponsors; organizing and facilitating event committee meetings; managing the creation and design direction of event-specific communication pieces
• Manage corporate sponsorship solicitation and reporting; generate, submit, and track corporate sponsorship applications and reports; update and maintain sponsorship benefits packet; solicit and track in-kind contributions
• Create event-specific direct mail and email lists from the donor database (Raiser’s Edge); coordinate and track event attendance
• Create donor follow-up lists for thank you calls and emails; work with Advancement Director and Executive Director to create implementation plan; conduct outreach/follow-up via phone and email to donors

Donor Database & Advancement Operations (20%)

• Manage donor database integrity, including gift entry, processing systems, reporting, segmentation, and data analysis
• Manage relationships with database and event software vendors (Raiser's Edge, Greater Giving)
• Conduct analysis of database reports describing overall donor trends for the organization
• Manage progress toward fundraising goals with the use of fundraising database

Required Qualifications:

• Three (3+) years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, donor relations, or advancement operations)
• Raiser's Edge experience
• Extremely detail-oriented with excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communications skills; and ability to work with individuals with diverse backgrounds
• Ability to organize time effectively, establish priorities and meet deadlines
• Proficient in Google Workspace Suite preferred
• Proficiency with donor databases (Raiser's Edge preferred) Greater Giving, Classy and social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) or the ability to quickly learn new systems

About you:

• A self-starter that possesses an entrepreneurial mindset and ability to creatively and quickly problem solve
• Disciplined about tracking, follow-through and execution
• Comfortable initiating conversations, following up multiple times, and asking for commitment
• Able to work independently with minimal oversight
• Clear, professional communicator
• Cares deeply about youth and their success

Job Requirements:

This role requires occasional evening and weekend work to support donor events and fundraising activities as well as occasional travel to our Central Oregon location 6 to 8 times a year.

All applications must contain a resume and work sample showcasing skills and abilities that you believe are relevant and important to the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position. All materials are reviewed and considered as part of the hiring process.

Application Deadline: April 10, 2026