Development Project Manager, Research & Major Gifts

WTTW (Chicago PBS) and WFMT (classical music radio station) are looking for a Development Project Manager, Research and Major Gifts. With passion for the mission and purpose of both stations, the Development Project Manager will research and identify prospective donors to raise revenue using external and internal resources, and will use database functions to keep special‑project cultivation and solicitation steps coordinated and moving forward.

This position synthesizes information from multiple sources to create comprehensive briefings; prepares profiles and prospect lists; and analyzes and evaluates information to support the prospect pipeline and fundraising goals.

The Project Manager will plan and lead weekly prospect review and agenda‑planning meetings, support events with guest thumbnails and track attendance in the donor database, and work with the Vice President of Development to solicit, acknowledge, and steward major donors to the annual fund. The role also includes participation on the Development team’s Tessitura committee to educate the team on CRM best practices, maintain and update training documentation, and provide recommendations for process improvement.

Additional duties involve staff support for donor events, cross‑training in gift entry and development materials, and general assistance in Development Operations.

• Research prospective donors, sponsors, and leadership candidates.
• Identify new prospects for restricted support projects.
• Work with project leads to develop and maintain prospect lists, including assigning and maintaining plans and activities in Tessitura.
• Review event participant lists and giving records to identify prospective donors and patterns among existing donors; track donor attendance at events in the database.
• Prepare detailed notes on guests prior to selected events for organizational leadership.
• Plan, lead, and follow up on weekly prospect review meetings for development team members.
• Plan, lead, and follow up on weekly agenda‑planning meetings for prospect review.
• Use Tessitura CRM, Donor Search, and other sources to identify, prioritize, and move prospects into the pipeline for comprehensive fundraising campaigns; distill findings into clear, effectively written briefings for executive leadership and front‑line fundraisers.
• Support the Vice President of Development and other leaders by 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.
• 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.
• Collaborate with team members to maintain data hygiene in the donor database, compose notes to donors, and perform other duties as assigned.