Development Manager

PeaceJam Foundation is hiring!

Development Manager

Location: Remote (U.S.-based) OR Hybrid (office in Denver, CO)

Start Date: Fall 2026

Compensation: $5000 / month

Role type: 12 month contract, deliverables-based

Reports to: Executive Director

Do you believe young people can change the world?

Do you get excited about building relationships and helping mission-driven organizations grow? Are you passionate about youth leadership and peace education?

If so, this role might be for you.

We're looking for a strategic, people-centered Development Manager to grow our individual donor base - the people who make this work possible, year after year. You'd join us at a pivotal moment: celebrating 30 years in 2026 and building the foundation for the next 30.

About PeaceJam

For 30 years, PeaceJam has brought young people together to be mentored by Nobel Peace Laureates: Desmond Tutu, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Jody Williams, Leymah Gbowee and others. Our Laureates have worked directly with youth in 45+ countries, who go home and take action on what matters in their own communities.

Our mission: To educate and empower youth to take action for peace, inspired by Nobel Peace Laureates.

Our vision: A world where everyone has the skills and confidence to navigate conflict and build peace.

We work a four-day week (Mon-Thurs), and our team is collegial, optimistic, and focused on supporting each other’s growth.

Scope of Role

• Build and manage the annual fund portfolio.

Oversee a portfolio of donors giving between $500 and $100,000+ annually, which may include individuals, family or community foundations, or DAFs. Qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward the full cycle with support of the Executive Director.

• Leverage 30 years of institutional relationships.

Draw on alumni, past partners, former host schools and universities, prior event attendees, lapsed donors, and Laureate-adjacent networks to build a pipeline towards active giving.

• Renew and grow existing donors.

Alongside the Executive Director, secure renewals from current annual donors, with upgrade conversations where the relationship supports it. Follow up on outstanding pledges.

• Prospect and research beyond the existing network.

Identify new individuals with demonstrated interest in youth development, peace, human rights, and global education. Build target lists. Find the rooms and networks where these people already gather, and go to them.

• Design and run a cultivation plan for donors

. Create and own a system to track meaningful touchpoints and engagement with current and potential new donors.

• Design donor and sponsor track at PeaceJam events.

Design and run the philanthropic layer of PeaceJam gatherings - such as our youth conferences, 30th anniversary celebrations, public talks, and welcome receptions. This includes:

• • Building invitation lists and personally driving outreach to donors, prospects, and event sponsors
  • Securing event sponsorship commitments tied to specific gatherings
  • Shaping the donor-facing experience: what guests see, hear, and are asked
  • Travel to host receptions and cultivation moments on site
  • Following up after every event with a defined next step for each attendee

• Own donor recognition.

Execute recognition that makes annual donors feel our genuine appreciation, including acknowledgment practices, impact reporting touchpoints, and named recognition where appropriate.

• Report on progress.

Share monthly updates with the Executive Director on agreed-upon reporting metrics related to your moves management such as prospects identified, meetings held, asks made, dollars committed, renewals secured, sponsors closed.

Other duties as assigned and agreed upon by the Development Manager, based on capacity. The scope of work may include other development duties that are linked to donor cultivation, such as managing the End of Year Giving campaign and Giving Tuesday, presenting progress to PeaceJam’s Board of Directors, sharing best practices with Staff or Fellows, etc.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in frontline fundraising with direct donor solicitation experience
• Demonstrated track record closing individual gifts in the $1,000–$50,000 range
• Genuine belief in youth education and desire for a more peaceful world
• Outgoing and comfortable engaging internationally, across cultures, and in unfamiliar spaces
• Strong prospect research skills, including experience with donor prospecting software
• comfort managing and scaling donor databases
• Valid passport with interest and ability to travel internationally and independently
• Lives in or near a city with a major international airport

Bonus if you have…

• Background in peace education, human rights, global development, or aligned social impact work
• Experience working alongside high-profile principals, such as laureates, heads of state, celebrity ambassadors
• Experience hosting donors in international settings or supporting cross-border delegations
• Existing network among funders of youth, peace, or global education wor

To paint a picture…

One week you might be hosting a donor delegation at our youth event in Ghana. The next, you're at a gala table with Nobel Peace Laureates and prospective donors. We're looking for someone at ease in both rooms … someone who can draw on what they've seen on the ground to make the impact of this work real for the people sitting beside them.

To Apply

Please email your resume and a cover letter to jobs@peacejam.org no later than September 28.

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