Development Communications Manager

About Asphalt Green

Asphalt Green is a nonprofit organization that transforms lives and builds community through sports fitness and play for all.

Each year Asphalt Green serves thousands of New Yorkers through sports aquatics fitness camps and community programs that promote health personal growth and lifelong participation in physical activity. Across three campuses and numerous community partnerships Asphalt Green is committed to providing high-quality programs that are inclusive accessible and rooted in excellence.

Asphalt Green believes that access to movement sport and wellness can change lives. Our work helps young people develop confidence resilience leadership skills and healthy habits that extend far beyond the playing field.

About the Role

The Development Communications Manager serves as the primary writer for Asphalt Greens Development team creating clear compelling donor-facing communications that support fundraising strategy deepen donor engagement and tell the story of Asphalt Greens mission impact programs and funding priorities.

In this role you will write and coordinate fundraising content donor updates stewardship materials campaign messaging impact stories event communications donor briefings and other Development-related materials. You will work closely with Development Marketing Communications Programs Community Programs Finance and other teams to ensure donor communications are accurate mission-aligned and connected to Asphalt Greens broader voice.

This position is a good fit for someone who is a strong writer highly organized collaborative and comfortable turning program information donor strategy and organizational priorities into clear engaging communications for donors funders and supporters in a mission-driven organization.

Why This Role Matters

Strong Development communications help donors funders partners and supporters understand Asphalt Greens impact and the importance of investing in its mission. This role helps connect people to the work behind the programs including sports fitness aquatics camps and community-centered programming that serve New Yorkers of different ages backgrounds and abilities.

The Development Communications Manager helps Asphalt Green strengthen donor engagement support fundraising efforts improve stewardship and tell a consistent story about the organizations mission community impact and future priorities. By creating thoughtful donor-centered communications this role helps frontline fundraisers and Development leadership build stronger relationships and inspire philanthropic support.

What Youll Do

Donor-Facing Writing and Content Development

• Serve as the primary writer for Development communications creating materials that support frontline fundraising donor engagement stewardship and campaign goals.

• Write edit and coordinate donor-facing communications including appeals newsletters stewardship updates impact stories campaign materials donor emails acknowledgement language recognition copy event-related messaging and donor reports.

• Translate program work participant stories funding priorities campaign goals and organizational impact into clear and compelling written materials.

• Support Development leadership and frontline fundraisers with talking points donor briefs presentation content proposal language follow-up materials and other donor-facing communications.

• Help maintain consistent language around Asphalt Greens mission impact community programs funding priorities and case for support.

• Adjust tone and content for different audiences including individual donors institutional funders board members partners and community supporters.

• Proofread and edit materials to ensure accuracy clarity grammar consistency and alignment with Asphalt Greens voice.

Fundraising Campaign Stewardship and Event Support

• Support communications connected to annual giving leadership giving principal giving institutional giving special campaigns events and donor stewardship.

• Help create materials that support donor cultivation solicitation renewal recognition retention and reporting.

• Draft donor updates impact summaries stewardship reports solicitation language acknowledgement letters and other materials that show the value and impact of giving to Asphalt Green.

• Support Development events by drafting invitations program copy talking points signage copy run-of-show language remarks follow-up messages and donor-facing materials.

• Help prepare communications that support donor meetings site visits cultivation events funder visits and stewardship moments.

• Coordinate with Marketing Events and Development colleagues to ensure event messaging is clear polished accurate and mission-aligned.

• Help capture organize or develop event highlights impact stories photos and follow-up content when needed.

Communications Planning Donor Briefings and Project Coordination

• Maintain Development communications calendars project timelines content drafts review cycles approval processes and recurring communications assets.

• Track deadlines for appeals newsletters donor updates campaign materials event communications stewardship reports and donor briefings.

• Support donor briefing preparation and prospect research coordination for cultivation meetings events and donor engagement opportunities.

• Compile and synthesize donor information into clear useful materials that help Development leadership and frontline fundraisers prepare for cultivation solicitation and stewardship conversations.

• Manage multiple writing and communications projects at the same time while keeping materials timelines and review processes organized.

• Help organize files templates language banks story banks donor materials and other Development communications resources.

• Identify opportunities to improve Development communications processes consistency efficiency and coordination across the department.

Cross-Department Collaboration and Impact Storytelling

• Work closely with Development Marketing Communications Community Programs Sports Aquatics Fitness Camps Finance Operations and program leaders.

• Gather program updates participant stories impact data photos outcomes and other information needed for Development communications.

• Partner with Development and program teams to incorporate outcomes participation numbers stories and impact examples into donor-facing materials.

• Partner with Marketing and Communications to ensure Development materials align with Asphalt Greens brand voice messaging and communications standards.

• Coordinate with program teams to ensure donor-facing materials accurately reflect the work goals and impact of programs.

• Help ensure statistics names program details donor information and funding information are accurate before materials are shared externally.

• Maintain confidentiality and care when working with donor information participant stories internal data and sensitive materials.

• Help build strong internal systems for collecting stories data and updates that support fundraising communications.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means Development communications are clear timely accurate donor-centered and connected to Asphalt Greens mission. A successful Development Communications Manager will:

• Produce polished donor-facing materials that support fundraising stewardship donor engagement and campaign goals.

• Communicate Asphalt Greens mission programs funding priorities and impact in a clear and compelling way.

• Keep communications timelines drafts reviews approvals and donor briefing materials organized.

• Build trust with Development Marketing Communications Finance and program teams.

• Gather accurate program information stories data and updates from internal partners.

• Help create consistent messaging across donor communications campaigns events proposals reports and stewardship materials.

• Support stronger donor engagement retention and understanding of Asphalt Greens impact.

• Manage multiple projects and deadlines with strong attention to detail.

Who Youll Work With

• Development leadership

• Annual Giving Individual Giving Institutional Giving and Events colleagues

• Marketing and Communications

• Community Programs and program leaders across Sports Aquatics Fitness and Camps

• Finance and Operations

• Executive leadership as needed

• Donors board members funders consultants and external partners as appropriate

Required Qualifications

Youll need:

• At least 3 to 5 years of experience in communications development communications fundraising communications nonprofit development donor communications marketing communications content writing or a related field.

• Experience writing donor-facing fundraising campaign stewardship nonprofit or mission-driven communications.

• Strong writing editing proofreading and storytelling skills.

• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple communications projects deadlines reviews and stakeholders.

• Experience gathering information from internal teams and turning it into clear written materials.

• Ability to write for different audiences including donors funders partners board members staff and community supporters.

• Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accuracy in names data program details donor information and donor-facing materials.

• Ability to collaborate with Development Marketing Communications program teams consultants and leadership.

• Ability to work with confidential donor prospect participant and organizational information with care and discretion.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Google Workspace CRM databases email platforms content management tools project management tools or similar systems.

Preferred Qualifications

It would be helpful if you also have:

• Bachelors degree in communications nonprofit management philanthropy public relations marketing journalism English public administration social impact or a related field; equivalent professional experience will be considered.

• Experience working in a nonprofit community-based sports fitness youth development education recreation public health or human services organization.

• Experience supporting annual giving major gifts institutional giving donor stewardship fundraising campaigns or Development events.

• Experience with donor databases CRM systems email marketing tools project management tools or content management systems.

• Experience preparing donor briefings prospect research summaries or donor engagement materials.

• Experience using program data impact metrics participant stories or evaluation results in communications materials.

• Experience partnering with Marketing or Communications teams on brand voice messaging design or campaign materials.

• Grant writing fundraising communications nonprofit communications prospect research or project management training or certification.

• Bilingual or multilingual skills.