Development Manager

POSITION SUMMARY

The Development Manager serves in a revenue-generating capacity within the Marketing Partnerships department of the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA). SDTA has a unique value proposition as the central platform for industry connection, business development and relationship building in San Diego’s visitor economy.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Marketing Partnerships, the Development Manager is responsible for achieving an annual portfolio revenue target in the range of $500k - $1M and expanding philanthropic and grant-supported revenue in support of SDTA’s mission and organizational priorities.

This position manages an assigned portfolio of sponsors, donors, grant funders, and strategic partners, ensuring strong relationships, fulfillment of commitments, and ongoing engagement that supports retention and revenue growth. The position also provides administrative, reporting, and project support to the Senior Director to advance departmental goals and revenue-generating initiatives.

The Development Manager works collaboratively with internal departments and external stakeholders, including members, foundations, corporations, and public agencies, and supports initiatives benefiting both SDTA’s 501(c)(6) organization and its 501(c)(3) foundation.

• Achieve established annual revenue goals through sponsor ships, philanthropic contributions, grants, and partnership investments.
• Actively manage and grow an assigned portfolio of corporate sponsors, philanthropic partners, foundations, individual donors, and build a pipeline of prospective funding partners.
• Develop and implement cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and renewal strategies, including outreach, meetings, presentations, and networking activities that generate revenue and strengthen stakeholder relationships.
• Prepare funding opportunities, sponsorship packages, proposals, and partnership recommendations aligned with organizational priorities.
• Identify, evaluate, and help develop new revenue-generating opportunities, including social enterprise initiatives, fee-based programs, certifications, and other earned-income strategies that support organizational sustainability.

• Research, identify, and evaluate grant opportunities that align with the strategic priorities of SDTA’s 501(c)(6) organization and 501(c)(3) foundation.
• Develop, write, and submit competitive grant proposals, applications, budgets, and supporting documentation.
• Manage grant reporting, compliance requirements, submission deadlines, and funder communications to ensure timely fulfillment of obligations.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to gather programmatic, financial, and impact data required for proposals and reports.

• Manage sponsor, donor, and partner relationships to drive engagement, satisfaction, retention, renewal, and expanded support.
• Coordinate the fulfillment of sponsorship benefits, grant deliverables, and partnership commitments in collaboration with internal departments.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of donor, sponsor, grant, and partnership activity within CRM and related systems.
• Support the Senior Director through proposal development, reporting, prospect strategy, revenue planning, and cross-functional collaboration to advance organizational goals.

Perform other duties and projects as assigned.

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, nonprofit management, fundraising or a related field—or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• 5+ years of relevant professional experience in fundraising, partnership development, grant writing, sponsorship management, business…