Development Manager

As part of a collaborative team environment, the Development Manager plays a key role in advancing Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa’s mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed. This position is responsible for cultivating meaningful relationships with corporate, foundation, and individual donors; identifying and securing new funding opportunities; and leading corporate sponsorship and fundraising initiatives to strengthen awareness and support for JA’s programs.

Title: Development Manager

Area: Cedar Rapids

Reports to: Vice-President, Development

Status: Full-Time, Salaried

Impact

This critical position is a relationship builder who provides the community with opportunities to impact local students. As part of a collaborative team environment, the Development Manager plays a key role in advancing Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa’s mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed. This position is responsible for cultivating meaningful relationships with corporate, foundation, and individual donors; identifying and securing new funding opportunities; and leading corporate sponsorship and fundraising initiatives to strengthen awareness and support for JA’s programs. The Development Manager also provides leadership for key fundraising campaigns and collaborates across departments to promote impact stories and community partnerships.

This is a full-time, regional fundraising position with competitive wages, benefits, and bonus potential. Great for candidates looking to enter the non-profit industry.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Cultivate and grow relationships with corporate, foundation, and individual donors to increase philanthropic support for Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa (JAEI) programs.
• Identify and pursue new funding opportunities to diversify and expand revenue streams.
• Represent JAEI as a key ambassador in the community, attending events and networking to strengthen partnerships and visibility.
• Maintain strong relationships with existing partners, ensuring engagement, satisfaction, and continued investment in JA’s mission.
• Lead the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of corporate sponsors.
• Develop and manage customized sponsorship packages that align with partner interests and support JAEI’s programming priorities and annual development goals.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure the successful delivery of sponsorship benefits, recognition, and impact reporting.
• Track outcomes and ensure consistent communication and stewardship with sponsors throughout the partnership cycle.
• Research and build a robust pipeline of prospective donors, partners, and sponsors.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of outreach, meetings, proposals, and follow-up actions using the organization’s CRM system.
• Prepare and deliver compelling proposals, presentations, and reports for current and potential funders that clearly communicate JA’s impact and funding needs.
• Support Experiential Learning Centers (ELC) fundraising efforts tied to major initiatives such as JA Career Inspire®, JA BizTown® Mobile, and JA Finance Park® Mobile.
• Collaborate with ELC members and staff to develop strategies that engage young professionals in supporting JA’s mission.

Qualifications (required)

• Act as a team player by appropriately involving others in decisions and plans that affect them. Regularly invites and builds on the ideas and input of colleagues and work groups.
• Consistently make sound decisions on everyday issues. Demonstrate a drive to work towards resolving routine and unexpected problems with innovative and alternative solutions.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of audiences and demonstrate capacity to actively listen. Connect with others by taking a genuine interest and relate in an open, respectful, and friendly manner.
• Inspire and energize others to action to further Junior Achievement’s mission by clarifying the purpose and impact.
• Identify and anticipate the expectations and needs of various Junior Achievement stakeholders.
• Ability to manage data appropriately and efficiently. Proven proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite products, specifically, Word, Excel, and Outlook.