Development Operations Manager

Job Title: Development Operations Manager

Organization: Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund (DMSF)

Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid work environment)

Reports to: Chief Development Officer

Organizational Overview

The mission of the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund (DMSF) is to unlock educational opportunities for talented Chicago-area students facing financial need. DMSF partners with Scholars, families and schools through high school and beyond by providing scholarships, academic programs, and personal support. Founded in 1989, DMSF now offers around 150 scholarships to 8th graders each year, supporting a total of 500 Scholars in high school. Those Scholars are attending roughly 40 different parochial and independent day schools in the Chicago area, as well as 40 boarding schools from coast to coast. For more information, please visit https://www.dmsf.org/

Position Summary

The Development Operations Manager is an integral member of the Development team and plays a critical role in maintaining the organization’s donor database, processing and acknowledging gifts, supporting events, and stewarding relationships with donors and volunteers. This role ensures the integrity and utility of donor data, enabling effective fundraising and engagement strategies.

The Development Operations Manager also supports the broader team with administrative tasks, event execution, prospect research, and communications. This position offers the opportunity to work across several key areas of nonprofit development while supporting a mission-driven organization serving Chicago youth.

Key Responsibilities

Donor Database & Gift Management (50%)

• Execute the gift acknowledgement process, including recording, depositing, tracking and reconciling all charitable contributions in Raiser’s Edge, including checks, credit cards, stock, wire transfers, and recurring gifts.
• Maintain accurate and current donor, prospect, and event registrant records.
• Create reports and dashboards for internal use, including weekly revenue updates and month-end reconciliation.
• Track donor and volunteer activity and maintain updated records of board members, mentors, committee members, and other constituent groups.
• Coordinate communication lists and support donor cultivation and stewardship initiatives.

Fundraising & Stewardship Support (25%)

• Support the execution of the annual alumni giving program with a focus on growing participation, including list segmentation, outreach, appeals, and stewardship strategies in collaboration with the communications team.
• Assist frontline fundraisers with portfolio tracking, moves management activity and meeting prep.
• Utilize prospect research tools to support donor cultivation and engagement strategies.

Event & Campaign Support (25%)

• Provide logistical and administrative support for DMSF’s event-based fundraising, including pre-event planning, registration processing, sponsorship tracking, and post-event follow-up.
• Manage online registrations, track pledged donations, and reconcile gifts processed via third-party platforms (e.g., OneCause, Trust Event Solutions).
• Support onsite event execution and help ensure a seamless experience for guests and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Passion for educational equity and the mission of DMSF.
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 3–4 years of nonprofit development experience preferred, with a strong background in database and donor management.
• Proficiency in Raiser’s Edge required.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data integrity.
• Excellent communication, writing, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines with accuracy.
• Self-motivated, adaptable, and able to work collaboratively and effectively within a team.

Compensation

Salary Range: $65,000 - 75,000, salary is commensurate with experience. DMSF offers a competitive benefits package and a collaborative, mission-driven work environment.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to

Kylia Kummer, Chief Development Officer, at kylia@dmsf.org