Senior Development Manager

Founded in 2012, The Acceleration Project (TAP) is a nonprofit that empowers under-resourced small business owners with high-impact, customized strategic, financial, operational, and marketing support, all provided at no cost to the businesses we serve. TAP has worked with more than 18,000+ small business owners across 48 states, delivering over 70,000 hours of pro bono consulting and generating a validated 10:1 social return on investment.
TAP is a growing organization with a lean, high-performing team and an expanding national funding portfolio. We are building out our development engine to match our programmatic ambitions. This role is central to that investment.
Role Overview
TAP is seeking a strategic, results-driven Senior Development Manager to lead and drive the growth of our national fundraising program. Reporting to the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), you will take ownership of identifying, cultivating, and securing foundation, corporate, institutional, and major donor funding.
This is a hands-on, execution-oriented role with direct accountability for a portfolio of funders and real opportunity to shape TAP's fundraising strategy. TAP is actively building its development function, and the Senior Development Manager role is designed to grow with it. The right candidate is an experienced fundraiser and compelling writer who is genuinely motivated by TAP's mission, and this role provides a direct path to senior leadership as the team and portfolio scale.
This is a full-time, remote-first position. Candidates must be based in the United States. Proximity to the New York City metro area is strongly preferred, as in-person funder meetings and relationship cultivation are a meaningful part of this role. Occasional travel for donor meetings, conferences, and team events is expected.
Key Responsibilities
Funder Relationships & Stewardship
Portfolio Management: Manage and expand an assigned portfolio of active and prospective foundation, corporate, and institutional funders; track relationship health, proposal timelines, and renewal strategies.
Major Individual Giving: Partner with senior leadership to identify, cultivate, and solicit major individual donors, to build a robust pipeline.
Relationship Stewardship: Serve as the primary touchpoint for key accounts, delivering high-touch communications, impact reporting, and proactive outreach.
Executive Briefings: Prepare briefing materials, agendas, and strategic background notes for funder meetings led by the CRO and executive team; lead logistics for site visits and sponsor convenings.
Grant Writing, Research & Reporting
End-to-End Grant Lifecycle: Independently research, write, and submit compelling letters of inquiry (LOIs), grant proposals, and funder reports.
Pipeline Development: Analyze funder priorities, giving histories, and alignment to build and maintain a dynamic national prospect pipeline and grant calendar.
Content & Data Management: Build and maintain a shared library of core narratives, boilerplate content, and impact metrics in collaboration with the Marketing team.
Market Intelligence: Monitor philanthropic trends and funding streams across economic development, small business support, and financial inclusion.
Development Operations & Reporting
CRM Management: Maintain clean, actionable data in Salesforce, tracking prospect status, grant stages, interaction notes, and reporting deadlines.
Revenue Tracking: Monitor and report on revenue progress against annual targets; proactively flag pipeline risks and strategic funding opportunities to executive leadership.
What You'll Gain
Strategic Ownership and Real Influence: You will have direct accountability for a meaningful funder portfolio and serve a prominent role in shaping TAP's fundraising strategy.
Platform for Senior Impact: TAP is actively building its development function, and this role is designed to grow with it. As the team and portfolio scale, there is a clear path to more senior roles and increasing organizational influence.
Executive & Funder Visibility: You will work directly with the CRO and TAP's senior leadership to build relationships across a national network of foundation program officers, corporate philanthropists, and major donors.
Direct Mission Impact: Every grant you help secure funds free, expert-level business advisory services for under-resourced small businesses who have no other access to this kind of support.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; advanced degree a plus but not required.
3-5 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising or institutional giving with a track record of writing winning proposals independently.
Prior grant writing experience with a demonstrated ability to turn complex program data into clear, persuasive, funder-ready narratives and proposals.
Demonstrated success managing funder lifecycles from prospect research to final stewardship.
Proven ability to manage competing deadlines, take initiative, and operate effectively in a fast-paced, remote environment.
Deep commitment to economic opportunity, small business resilience, and empowering under-resourced entrepreneurs.
Proficiency with Salesforce (or similar donor CRM) along with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite.
Background in community development, economic development, or financial inclusion.
Preference for candidates in the New York City metropolitan area to facilitate local funder meetings.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary: $70,000–$80,000, commensurate with experience
Generous PTO + 10 paid holidays + 2 floating holidays + office closure between Christmas and New Year's
Health and dental insurance
403(b) retirement plan
Professional development support and mentorship from experienced nonprofit leaders
How to Apply
Submit your resume and cover letter to careers@theaccelerationproject.org with subject line: Senior Development Manager.
In your cover letter, please respond to:
Why are you interested in development and fundraising as a career, and what draws you to TAP's mission specifically?
Tell us about your interest and experience in research and writing grants or other professional writing.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: OCTOBER 13, 2026
TAP is an equal opportunity employer committed to equity, inclusion, and expanding opportunities for historically under-resourced communities. We strongly encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

Work arrangement
Yes