Development Operations Manager/NAT

ABOUT CRADLES TO CRAYONS: 

Cradles to Crayons (C2C), founded in 2002, provides children living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive—at home, at school, and at play. We supply clothing, shoes, diapers, school supplies, and more, free of charge. Our vision is that one day all children will have the essentials they need to thrive. 

Two in 5 kids in the United States are currently facing Clothing Insecurity, going without basic essentials like pants, shoes, diapers, and school supplies during their critical development years. Three of the top 10 reasons kids miss school are rooted in Clothing Insecurity—just one example of the significant short- and long-term social and economic costs when these needs go unmet. Cradles to Crayons keeps Clothing Insecurity at the core of our mission and is the only large-scale nonprofit organization to focus on this resource gap. Since its founding, Cradles to Crayons has distributed more than four million customized packages of essentials to children in Massachusetts, Greater Philadelphia, Chicagoland, and nationally. 

Cradles to Crayons takes a two-pronged approach to mitigating Clothing Insecurity: 

1. In-person Engagement—through tens of thousands of children and adults volunteering at our Giving Factory warehouses to sort and package high volumes of new and like-new donations from our communities for our Service Partners to distribute to the children they serve.   
2. Advocacy and Awareness—Cradles to Crayons is uniquely positioned to raise Clothing Insecurity as a national issue through awareness campaigns, data/evaluation, and legislative outreach.  

Cradles to Crayons’ strong financial health and ongoing effectiveness and reliability have helped it earn a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator every year since 2009. C2C has a budget of $19M for FY27 and a total staff of approximately 100. 

POSITION OVERVIEW

This position is primarily remote but should be located in proximity to Greater Boston and is able to work in person in our Newtonville Giving Factory on an as-needed basis. All Cradles to Crayons team members contribute to a culture of shared mission by participating in one in-person volunteer shift per month. 

The Development Operations Manager is a strategic and detail‑oriented professional responsible for managing and executing the national development operations function for the organization. This role manages gift processing, donor data management, and fundraising reporting, and plays a key role in enabling effective donor cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation strategies for the national development team. The Development Operations Manager also supports moves management, coordinates pipeline meetings, and partners with Marketing & Communications to build a robust donor communication calendar and annual fundraising campaign strategy. 

The ideal candidate thrives at the intersection of systems, data analytics, and relationship management, and is committed to operational excellence that strengthens donor engagement and fundraising success. They are a builder and executor with strong systems-thinking capabilities, exceptional attention to detail, and a passion for optimizing processes that drive fundraising success and impact growth.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Gift Processing & Data Management 

• Oversee all aspects of gift processing for the national team, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with organizational policies and IRS regulations. 

• Manage donor acknowledgment processes and ensure stewardship touches are executed promptly for the national team. 

• Maintain high levels of data accuracy, integrity, and completeness within the CRM. 

• Develop and document gift entry, data hygiene, and reporting procedures. 

• Collaborate with Finance to reconcile gifts, resolve discrepancies, and prepare revenue reports. 

CRM Management & Reporting 

• Serve as the primary development administrative lead for the organization’s CRM platform (Salesforce) 

• Build and maintain national  and organizational dashboards and custom reports to support national and organization-wide fundraising 

• Train development staff on CRM use, best practices, and data entry standards 

• Lead ongoing development of CRM optimization, user support, and system enhancements 

Pipeline Management 

• Coordinate, gather and prepare data, and facilitate regular national pipeline meetings with the CEO, VP of Philanthropy, and Director of Corporate Partnerships 

• Prepare meeting materials as needed, including action steps, metrics, and follow‑up documentation 

• Support VP of Philanthropy in tracking cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship moves to ensure forward progress and accountability 

• Build portfolio segmentation, donor assignment processes, and performance tracking in partnership with the VP of Philanthropy 

Donor Communications & Campaign Support 

• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to develop and maintain a comprehensive donor communication calendar that helps donors and prospects feel more informed, connected and understand the impact of their support in meaningful ways 

• Partner cross‑functionally to implement annual organization-wide fundraising campaigns, including year‑end giving, mid‑year campaigns, and special initiatives 

• Use data insights to segment audiences and personalize donor outreach strategies 

• Ensure donor‑facing materials are informed by accurate data and aligned with development goals 

Operational Excellence & Strategy 

• Analyze trends in donor giving, retention, and acquisition to provide data insights and input on strategic planning 

• Recommend operational improvements, workflows, and tools that strengthen fundraising effectiveness 

• Support the development of policies and procedures for data, gift processing, and general development operations 

Required Experience/Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• 4+ years of experience in development operations, nonprofit fundraising, or related field 

• Strong proficiency with CRM systems (Salesforce experience preferred) 

• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to turn data into actionable insights 

• High attention to detail, accuracy, and confidentiality 

• Strong project management and organizational skills 

• Ability to work collaboratively with cross‑functional teams and communicate effectively 

DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH:

Diversity and Inclusiveness are core values at Cradles to Crayons, and we continuously strive to be a team where everyone feels welcome and supported. It is the policy of Cradles to Crayons to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Individuals from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

Working Conditions:

This is an office / work from home remote virtual environment with occasional visits to C2C Giving Factories. There are no hazardous or significantly unpleasant conditions.

Accommodation:

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made by Cradles to Crayons which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others, or which impose undue hardships on the organization.