Development Manager

Development Manager
Niagara Arts & Cultural Center
Full Time
Tuesday – Saturday 9 – 5:30pm
Salary ($45,000 – $48,000)

The Development Manager advances the mission of the Niagara Arts &  Cultural Center (NACC)to the community by developing relationships with current patrons, prospective patrons, and other stakeholders through written and visual communication strategies. The position builds a community of NACC supporters through effective relationship building using communication strategies for development work including but not limited to membership and individual donor strategies; corporate, foundation, and government grant requests and funding, programs and events that retain revenue, donor participation and visibility.These efforts ensure that annual earned and contributed income targets are met. 

Mission: The NACC preserves our historic campus by providing creative space & arts/cultural experiences for WNY residents and visitors.

Primary Responsibility: This position is a full time salaried position and reports to the Executive Director. The position requires regular in-person office hours including some evenings as needed. The Development Manager position involves conception and implementation abilities to balance independent work related to assigned grant proposal and report writing, database and gift management, grants calendar management, acknowledgement communication, correspondence with foundation managers, corporate sponsors, individual donors and Board members and support for individual and institutional giving and events. The position would work with internal staff, vendors, and independent contractors to ensure goals are met. The role necessitates effective communication strategies, proper delegation, follow through and organization to ensure the priorities expected of this role are successfully completed.  

Core Competency Duties include:
Relationship building 

  • Cultivate and build relationships with partners (aka funding sources), including patrons, vendors, individual donors, corporate sponsors, and granting foundations and agencies.  Specific attention should be paid to current, lapsed, and prospective partners. 
  • Cultivate and build relationships with media, other agencies, the business community of  Niagara County and Western New York, and other influencers. 

Planning 

  • Submit proposals for grants while researching and maintaining a grant schedule/calendar. Prepare selected grant applications and awarded grant reports. Identify opportunities for NACC programming, general operating and capital funds alongside the current needs of the NACC.
  • Conceive and implement an annual development plan for the NACC in conjunction with the Executive Director. The development plan will address strategies for all development work (and necessary calendars) at the member, individual donor, corporate sponsor, and foundation and government grant levels to achieve the financial goals set in the annual budget.  

Development 

  • Maintain relationships with current funding sources (foundations, donors, like minded community organizations).
  • During the grant execution phase, ensure that grant funds are being properly expended in accordance with the original submission, the original budget, and any grant agreements/contracts. 
  • Process and ensure timely and accurate completion of all grant award reporting.  
  • Develop, implement, and promote an annual individual donor campaign. 
  • Develop and implement annual corporate sponsorship packages and collateral. 
  • Solicit sponsorships from corporations and other entities that create mutually beneficial relationships. 
  • Develop and implement NACC fundraising events – including the Night at the NACC fundraiser, the Art of Beer, and other fundraising events conceived by your position, the Board, or the Executive Director – throughout the fiscal year. 
  • Continuously evaluate strategies to increase membership including timely renewal notices, member benefits, and member correspondence with specific attention paid to current, lapsed, and prospective members. 
  • Continuously evaluate strategies to increase individual donations with specific attention to current, lapsed, and prospective donors. 
  • Ensure proper recognition and appreciation is given to all NACC donors across individuals, corporations, foundations, and government granting agencies. Minimum  recognition and appreciation includes – but is not limited to – timely and consistent  thank you and tax letters. 
  • Attend meetings when assigned
  • Other duties as assigned

Position Requirements  

  • While academic credentials and training will be viewed favorably, the desired requirement is a demonstrable history of similar work performed in previous professional/organizational settings. Given the breadth and depth this role requires, the NACC assumes that this position would have 2-5 years of experience in either one of the main competency areas with a working knowledge of the others. While skills are essential to be successful in this role, an awareness of and aptitude for cultivating and  building positive, sustainable relationships with a broad community of stakeholders is at the core of this position. 
  • Ability to effectively manage competing priorities and deadlines. 
  • Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects effectively at the  same time. 
  • This position requires highly effective communication skills in both written and verbal  forms. The position requires a keen sense of audience and context in order to cultivate  relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders across age, race, socioeconomics,  and background. 
  • Strong knowledge of the arts/cultural funding community would be an advantage
  • Ability to work in an organized, efficient manner with a high level of accuracy, attention  to detail, follow through, and decorum. 
  • Ability to exercise judgment and discretion. 
  • Demonstrated effective supervisory skills, including the ability to properly train and then delegate tasks to support staff. 
  • Work is to be performed onsite during NACC business hours unless duties require additional time. During NACC time sensitive situations and critical issues, this position may necessitate working evenings and when the building is closed to the public. 
  • Work is primarily performed indoors using computers and printers with occasional  electrical and mechanical hazards; outside work may occasionally be required which  may take place in any weather condition. Because the NACC is housed in a 180,000  square foot building occupying a city block, this position may require a significant  amount of walking, including stairs and ramps that may need to be traversed. The position works under minimal supervision; the person in this position must have highly developed interpersonal skills and support the Executive Director in leadership in  the NACC development functions.

Personal Characteristics

Our ideal Development Manager will:

  • Be a highly motivated self-starter and quick learner
  • Maintain discretion
  • Be able to stay focused in a busy work environment
  • Be able to manage multiple special projects and deadlines while maintaining daily and weekly duties
  • Be a skillful collaborator and team player.


Terms and Compensation

This is a full time, salaried position, with a salary range of $45,000 – $48,000 a year. The position is in person, Tuesday through Saturday from 9am – 5:30pm.  11 Paid Holidays. 80 hours PTO.

Please submit a cover letter, resume and three references to Jennifer Pauly, Executive Director at jennifer@thenacc.org, subject line: Development Manager. Submissions will be received until the end of business day November 3, 2025.

Niagara Arts & Cultural Center
1201 Pine Avenue
Niagara Falls, NY 14301
(716) 282-7530
www.thenacc.org

10/16/25