Development Operations Manager

Join Shelburne Museum during an exciting time of growth and transformation! As the largest art and history museum in northern New England, we are dedicated to enhancing our vibrant cultural landscape. We invite you to become a key member of our expanding and dynamic Development team as our Development Operations Manager.

Role Overview:

The Development Operations Manager serves as an essential member of the Development team who instills best practices in the science of fundraising. In this new role, you will be responsible for managing the overall operational efficiencies of the Development department including overseeing and optimizing the use of the Museum’s donor database (Raiser’s Edge/NXT), managing gift entry and acknowledgement processes, generating complex reports, overseeing the department budget, and managing Development events.

The Development Operations Manager must be highly analytical, detail-oriented, proactive, and possess a solid understanding of fundraising fundamentals.

The position reports to the Director of Development and participates as a team member of a highly effective fundraising department to manage operations and administrative functions for all Development activities.

• Manage the donor database (Raiser’s Edge/NXT), serving as the primary system administrator for the Development team, ensuring data integrity, accuracy, and consistency through audits, cleanup, and adherence to departmental standards.
• Develop and deliver reports, dashboards, and analysis to support fundraising strategy, campaign tracking, donor segmentation, portfolio management, and revenue growth. Provide data-driven insights and recommendations to leadership.
• Oversee gift entry and acknowledgement processes across all revenue streams, ensuring timely and accurate donor communications.
• Collaborate with the Director of Development on operational planning, prioritization, and implementation of departmental initiatives. Develop and maintain operational policies and procedures to improve efficiency and support data-driven decision-making. Identify and implement process improvements across systems and workflows.
• Manage department budget, including revenue and expenses. Partner with Finance on reconciliation, reporting, wire transfers, and audit preparation. Work with Director of Development to regularly monitor income and expense forecasts against goals.
• Manage the planning and execution of Development events, including cultivation, stewardship, and fundraising events. Manage logistics such as invitations, RSVP tracking, guest lists, and coordination with internal and external stakeholders. Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to support event promotion and donor engagement.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy by supporting strong communication and engagement across departments and collaborating with colleagues to advance fundraising initiatives. Build and maintain effective working relationships with donors, volunteers, and community partners in support of Development activities.
• Provide onboarding, training, and ongoing support to Development staff on CRM systems, reporting tools, fundraising processes, and operational best practices.
• Manage vendor relationships for development platforms and tools including Blackbaud/Raiser’s Edge NXT, TAM, Omatic, MyEmma.
• Maintain departmental administrative operations including calendar coordination, meeting support, mail processing, invoice and check requests, and related administrative needs.
• Provide regular reporting on fundraising performance, campaign progress, and departmental activity.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of Museum strategic priorities.

Supervisory Responsibility: Directly supervises the Development Coordinator.

Education and Experience:

• Minimum of 3–5 years of operations or development management experience, with at least 2–3 years working within a Development team; experience in museums, cultural institutions, or the non-profit sector preferred.

General Requirements:

• Proficiency with databases or donor management systems/CRMs (Raiser’s Edge/NXT preferred) and other integrated information systems to support fundraising, reporting, and data-driven…