Fundraising & Community Leadership Role | $500K Revenue Responsibility Across Raleigh, Charlotte & South Carolina
The Development Manager is responsible for fundraising results, volunteer leadership, and key chapter activities across a defined three‑community territory that includes Raleigh, Charlotte, and South Carolina. This role is accountable for achieving approximately $500K in planned annual fundraising revenue across the territory.
This position is the face of the Foundation within the territory and the first point of contact for chapter members, volunteers, donors, and local partners. They build strong, trusted relationships with individuals, businesses, and community organizations, connect people to local resources, and help share scientific advancements in ways that are meaningful and accessible.
This is a hands‑on fundraising and leadership role that blends clear goal accountability with strong collaboration. The Development Manager develops and implements fundraising strategies, partners closely with volunteer committees, and grows event and community‑based revenue—working in close coordination with internal teams and grounded in the Foundation’s collaborative, mission‑driven culture.
Key Responsibilities Grounded in the Foundation’s collaborative, mission‑driven culture, this role blends clear fundraising accountability with relationship‑based, community‑centered work. The following are representative of the duties and responsibilities associated with this position and are not meant to be an all-inclusive list.
Plan and carry out fundraising strategies that grow revenue year over year across assigned communities.
Build and maintain strong relationships with volunteers, donors, local businesses, sponsors, and community partners.
Work closely with volunteer committees to plan and execute successful fundraising events and activities.
Partner with the Regional Director and internal teams to set priorities, milestones, and measures of success for the territory.
Recruit, support, and motivate volunteer leaders, helping them feel connected, effective, and appreciated over time.
Serve as the Foundation’s primary representative in the community—sharing resources, building awareness, and communicating scientific progress in accessible, meaningful ways.
Use the donor database to track engagement, understand giving potential, support outreach, and inform fundraising decisions.
Tailor approaches to the unique strengths and needs of each community, offering guidance that helps chapters grow and succeed.
Manage community materials and resources needed to support events and local engagement.
Build enough scientific understanding to confidently explain the Foundation’s work and describe the impact it has on individuals and families.
Essential Qualifications Include:
Must have 3-5+ years of experience in fundraising, community engagement, development, volunteer management or a related non-profit role
Demonstrated success meeting or growing revenue goals, including individual giving, corporate sponsorships, peer‑to‑peer fundraising, or event‑based fundraising
Strong relationship‑builder with the ability to engage and sustain authentic connections with volunteers, donors, community partners, and local businesses
Experience recruiting, supporting, and working effectively with volunteer leaders, including committees or chapter‑based volunteers
Comfortable serving as a visible, public‑facing representative within local communities
Well organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, and events across a defined territory
Experience using a donor database or CRM (such as Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, or similar) to track engagement, run reports, and support fundraising efforts
Clear and compassionate communicator, able to explain complex information in ways that are accessible and meaningful
Able to work independently while collaborating closely with internal teams in a remote environment
Willingness to learn and communicate scientific or technical information at a high level to support education and engagement
Comfortable with regular regional travel and occasional evening or weekend work for events
Proficient with everyday technology tools, including Microsoft 365, Zoom, databases, and calendars Experience working with chapter‑based or volunteer‑led networks is preferred
Position Specifics:
Internal title: Community Manager- MidSouth Territory
Territory Specifics: Established Chapters; Existing Volunteer Leadership
Location: Remote/ Home-Office (Based on Raleigh, Triangle, or Charlotte area with regional travel)
Compensation: Budgeted starting salary range: $80,000- 90,000/yr, commensurate with experience and aligned with geographic market considerations and internal equity. Additional 5% annual incentive bonus eligibilty.
Tools & support:Company-provided HP or Mac laptop, monitor, printer, and a $120 monthly technology stipend
Schedule: Full‑time, Monday–Friday, with flexibility; occasional evenings and weekends required for events
Reporting relationship: Reports to the Regional Director
People management: No direct reports
Foundation Fighting Blindness is a non-profit organization dedicated to funding research and advancing scientific understanding of inherited retinal diseases that cause blindness. The organization works to communicate medical and scientific advancements to patients, families, and the public in accessible and meaningful ways. They operate through a network of chapters and regional offices that engage volunteers, donors, and community partners to support their mission. The Foundation combines fundraising efforts with community leadership to drive awareness and resources toward fighting blindness.
