Development Manager

TitleDevelopment Manager

Reports to:Managing Director

Status:Full time, salaried, exempt

Location:In person at our St. Paul MN office

Compensation:Salary range is $65,000 - $70,000, plus benefits

Deadline:Applications reviewed on a rolling basis

Playwrights’ Center is hiring! Do you love theater, new plays, and artist support? Do you have exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, plus interest in developing broader leadership responsibilities across fundraising and communications? Consider applying to become our new Development Manager.

The Development Manager plays a central role in communicating the value and impact of PWC’s work to individual donors, prospective supporters, foundations, and the broader community. The Development Manager leads the execution of individual donor campaigns, grant writing, develops engaging donor communications, manages development systems and reporting, and coordinates stewardship activities. Working in close partnership with senior leadership, the Manager translates fundraising priorities into clear messages, thoughtful donor experiences, and well-coordinated campaigns that highlight the unique work of the Center.

The ideal candidate is an exceptional writer and communicator who combines creativity with strong project management, analytical skills, and attention to detail. They also have a deep understanding of and appreciation for the theater field or related arts areas.

Reports to: Managing Director; works closely with Producing Artistic Director, Director of Major Gifts and Marketing & Communications Manager.

About Playwrights’ Center

THEATER BEGINS HERE: Founded in 1971 by five writers seeking artistic and professional support, Playwrights’ Center (PWC) today serves more playwrights in more ways than any other organization in the country. One of the nation’s most generous and well-respected theater organizations, Playwrights’ Center focuses on both supporting playwrights and promoting new plays to production across the country. The Playwrights’ Center is at an exciting juncture in its history as we continue to support 2500 playwrights locally, nationally, and internationally through dynamic and unique Membership and Fellowship programs. In Fall of 2025 we opened our beautiful new home in Saint Paul, MN, where we support playwrights virtually and in person. Learn more about our mission, values and programs at www.pwcenter.org.

Key Responsibilities

Individual Giving

• Work with the Producing Artistic Director and Managing Director to ensure that fundraising communications reflect the organization's strategic priorities and artistic identity.

• Write, edit, and coordinate fundraising communications, including donor appeals, email campaigns, giving-page content, impact updates, acknowledgment letters, stewardship communications, and other materials that articulate the organization's artistic vision in order to inspire engagement and giving.

• Coordinate with PWC colleagues to develop content for donor communications and organizational storytelling, offering consistent and authentic messaging about the Center’s mission, programs, accomplishments, and future ambitions.

  • Working with the Managing Director, plan and coordinate annual giving campaigns and events.

  • Support the Director of Major Gifts with prospect research, strategy, solicitation preparation, donor correspondence and follow-up.

Foundation and Institutional Fundraising

• Working with an external grant writer, manage the writing, editing, preparation, and submission of grant proposals, letters of inquiry, interim and final reports, and related materials.

• Manage the foundation grant calendar, including prospect research, application deadlines, reporting requirements, and renewal opportunities.

• Coordinate with the Producing Artistic Director and the artistic team to gather programmatic, financial, and impact information for proposals and reports.

• Work with the Managing Director to align grant strategy, cultivation, and communications with overall contributed-revenue goals.

• Research prospective funders and assess alignment with the organization's artistic work, programs, and strategic priorities.

Development Operations, Data, and Reporting

• Maintain an integrated development calendar covering grants, donor communications, donor campaigns, stewardship, and reporting deadlines.

• Establish and maintain procedures for gift entry, acknowledgment, recordkeeping, prospect tracking, and reporting, while identifying opportunities to improve systems, workflows, and the use of data in fundraising decisions

• Maintain accurate records of donors, solicitations, prospects, gifts, pledges, restrictions, and interactions.

• Develop spreadsheets and dashboards for senior leadership and board to monitor fundraising performance, and donor retention.

• Coordinate with finance staff to reconcile development records with accounting information and maintain reliable revenue and pledge reporting.

Qualifications

• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to communicate complex, mission-driven ideas clearly and persuasively for diverse audiences.

• Strong editorial judgment and the ability to adapt voice, tone, and messaging for different audiences and purposes.

• Demonstrated project-management skills, including the ability to coordinate multiple projects, deadlines, and stakeholders with attention to detail and follow-through.

• Experience managing databases and tracking systems; proficiency with Excel or Google Sheets.

• Experience with donor-management software (ideally Neon).

• Experience in an arts or cultural organization and commitment to the organization's mission.

Preferred qualifications

• Familiarity with digital communications, email marketing platforms, website content management, and basic communications analytics.

• Interest in developing broader leadership responsibilities across fundraising and organizational communications.

Possibility for Role Expansion

Playwrights’ Center recognizes that effective storytelling, public engagement, and philanthropy are closely connected. As its fundraising and communications capacity develops, there may be opportunities for this position to evolve into a broader leadership role.

Such an evolution would be guided by organizational priorities, the individual's demonstrated strengths and interests, and mutual agreement about the appropriate scope of responsibility. Any substantive expansion of the role would be accompanied by a discussion of title, responsibilities, resources, and compensation to reflect the position's new level of leadership and accountability.

Compensation/Schedule

This is an in-person, full time position at 710 Raymond Ave in Saint Paul, MN. Our office generally operates from 9am - 5pm Monday - Friday, with some evenings and weekends around events.

Salary range is $65,000 - $70,000, plus a generous PTO package that includes vacation, sick leave, and holiday pay. Playwrights’ Center also offers full health benefit options and an optional Simple IRA retirement plan.

Application process

Please send a cover letter and résumé in PDF format to hr@pwcenter.org with the subject line Development Manager. Tell us what you love about theater, new plays, and organizational storytelling, as well as how your skills and experience respond to the specific requirements of this position.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will be open until filled. Selected candidates will be invited by email for the interview process. Initial interviews will be conducted by phone and/or Zoom; second round will be in person, with some questions sent in advance. We’ll also request a writing sample at that stage.

Questions? Email hr@pwcenter.org. No phone calls please.

Playwrights' Center is an equal opportunity employer committed to the perspective of all voices in every aspect of our organization and its practice. We celebrate diversity and strive to create a dynamic work environment that values inclusion, respect and integrity, service, and innovation. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.