Development Manager
Employment Type
Job (Full-time)Job Categories
Development & Membership
Job Description
Queens Botanical Garden’s Development Team is responsible for raising funds to support the Garden. As a key member of the Development Team, the Development Manager will engage in grant writing, individual giving, and special events to support the growth of the Garden’s annual operating budget. The ideal candidate will be an experienced fundraiser capable of managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously. They will be an exceptional writer, a strong project manager, and a passionate champion for QBG’s work to offer environmental education programs, cultural experiences, and a healthful green space to Queens residents, all New Yorkers, and visitors. They will be comfortable communicating verbally and in writing with institutional donors, individual donors, Trustees, gala attendees, and QBG Members. The Development Manager reports to the Director of Development and supervises the Membership Coordinator.
About Us
Queens Botanical Garden is an urban oasis where people, plants and cultures are celebrated through inspiring gardens, innovative educational programs, and demonstrations of environmental stewardship.
Queens Botanical Garden (QBG) is a private non-profit cultural institution located on 39 acres of New York City public land in Flushing, New York. In FY24, the Garden served approximately 282,000 visitors, including 22,000 schoolchildren. A recently completed visitor survey reveals that 45% of visitors speak a language other than English at home. This fact underscores the importance of the mission and the challenges and opportunities QBG faces daily in creating programs, exhibits and landscapes that serve the needs of people who live in and visit one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the nation. The Garden has committed itself to addressing the complex and ever-changing needs of its diverse community and to being the place where people, plants, and cultures meet.
Duties & Responsibilities
Institutional Giving and Grant Writing
Grow the Garden’s institutional giving by writing compelling grants and proposals to active and prospective donors in the Development Manager’s pipeline, including foundations, corporations, and government funders
Manage relationships with a pipeline of active and prospective donors, including conducting donor outreach, maintaining registrations in donor application portals, coordinating site visits, and overseeing the delivery of recognition and sponsorship benefits
Work with the Finance Department and other QBG Staff to ensure adherence to the unique specifications of each donor; generate reports for donors
Manage QBG’s Institutional Giving calendar
Work with Director of Development and other QBG Staff Members to identify new projects in need of funding
Collaborate with Institutional Giving Coordinator to identify and review prospects
Individual Giving
Support the Director of Development in the management and execution of existing individual giving vehicles, including the Adopt-A-Tree and Adopt-A-Garden program, and the generation of new individual giving campaigns
Strategize with the Director of Development to meet and exceed Individual Giving revenue goals
Membership
Supervise membership program management
Strategize with Director of Development, Membership Coordinator, and other members of the QBG staff to meet and exceed Membership revenue goals
Special Events
Supervise event planning aspects for the Garden’s annual June fundraising event, the Rose Gala
Strategize with the Director of Development to meet or exceed fundraising event revenue goals, including the potential to develop and implement new special event(s)
General
Engage in Garden-wide initiatives, such as strategic planning
Take minutes at four annual QBG Board Meetings; compile and distribute quarterly Board Meeting packets
Other duties as necessary
Education and Experience
Bachelor’s degree
At least five years of professional experience in non-profit fundraising, preferably at a cultural institution, public garden, parks organization, educational organization, or related field
Proven track record of successful fundraising in institutional and individual giving; experience managing fundraising events, and with government funding/relations, is a plus
Exceptional leadership, writing, and organization skills; strong attention to detail Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite
Knowledge of fundraising databases; familiarity with DonorPerfect is a plus
Interest in, and knowledge of funders who support cultural organizations, sustainable practices, farms, public gardens, and museums highly desired
Experience with supervision and management
Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends
Additional Information
This is a full-time, exempt position with weekly on-site work, and some flexibility to work remotely. Benefits offered include excellent medical, vision, dental and life insurance, generous PTO, paid holidays, employee discounts, access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions, pension and other retirement savings plans. Schedule is generally Monday through Friday, with occasional required evenings and weekends.
Salary Range: $60,000 – 68,000
Application Instructions
To apply, submit your resume, cover letter and any supporting documents to our Career Center- https://queensbotanical.org/employment/#development-manager. If you encounter difficulties with uploading documents to the portal, please send via email to hr@queensbotanical.org.
Application Deadline:May 14, 2025