Director of Advancement at 826 Valencia

The Director of Advancement is a visionary leader who inspires stakeholders to invest in 826 Valencia’s mission and programs. As a member of the leadership team and the staff member chiefly responsible for contributed revenue (approximately 99% of our annual income), the Director of Advancement reports to the Executive Director, works closely with the Board, and oversees all aspects of comprehensive and strategic fundraising plans and awareness-building campaigns that meet both short- and long-term revenue goals. This position effectively manages and supports the Advancement Team, and helps build collaboration across the organization. The person in this role also spearheads an organization-wide culture of philanthropy and champions our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled Advancement leader to join an iconic, mission-driven, and fiscally strong organization in the second year of a three-year $25M Campaign, with over $12M raised to date.

POSITION SNAPSHOT

• Supports a team to raise $8M annually toward $25M campaign goal
• Builds effective systems for fundraising and communications
• Manages a diverse team and supports team members to collaborate effectively and develop professionally
• Builds effective, mission-driven, and high-impact relationships both internally (within team, across teams, and with the board) and externally (with donors, partnership organizations, and media)
• This position is Full-time (40 hours per week), flexible work schedule Monday through Friday (e.g. 9 am to 5:30 pm), some evenings and weekends as required. It is based out of our Tenderloin Center at 180 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco.
• Candidates must be located in or willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area, where we have an open-office environment where there may be substantial ambient noise and overheard conversations. The team tends to work two days in-office and three days from home—but team members come in as needed.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

The Director of Advancement reports to the Executive Director of 826 Valencia and manages three staff members (the Director of Institutional Giving, Manager of Individual Philanthropy, and Communications Manager) while indirectly supporting three additional staff members (Grants and Database Manager, Development and Annual Fund Coordinator, and Communications Coordinator).

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundraising and Communications

• Lead fundraising and communications efforts, including individual and corporate giving, foundation, and government grants, raising upwards of $8M annually and $25M by June 2026
• Develop and execute annual and long-term fundraising plans, employing best practices to maximize contributed revenue, scale the organization, and plan for its future sustainability
• Direct special coordinated events, messaging, and fundraising opportunities for 826 Valencia’s $25M Campaign (ending in June 2026) and 826 Valencia’s 25th Anniversary in 2027
• Provide assistance and leadership to the Executive Director and Board members to build and maintain long-term relationships with donors and to cultivate effective, meaningful relationships with prospects that lead to measurable results
• Manage a personal portfolio of major individual donors, with full responsibility for all cultivation, stewardship, and progressive levels of engagement and giving
• Design innovative and high-quality opportunities for donor involvement and stewardship, leveraging best practices for community-centric fundraising and equity
• Evaluate and analyze the existing development program and implement effective changes, responses to changing environment, and policies and procedures to increase overall fundraising performance
• In collaboration with the Communications Manager, guide strategic, on-brand, and timely communications (press relations, partnerships, publications, social media, and internal communications) to build an audience and position the organization as a thought leader in topics including writing, educational equity, and student voice
• With the Director of Institutional Giving, oversee the preparation of high-quality, targeted grant proposals and reports that inspire deeper donor connection and investment
• With the Manager of Individual Philanthropy, oversee the creation and execution of our annual spring gala and smaller fundraising events, as well as the end of year appeal
• With the Grants and Database Manager, oversee the management of the Salesorce donor database and ensure the accuracy of donor records; build systems to use Salesforce effectively for fundraising projections, reporting, and moves management

Supervision and Organizational Leadership

• Supervise and support team members by providing ongoing coaching, formal evaluations, two-way feedback, and professional development plans
• Build a culture of philanthropy: guide the Board, staff, and volunteers in understanding and implementing development best practices and integrating the work into all aspects of the organization
• Serve on the 826 Valencia leadership team to support team members from diverse backgrounds and help build a collaborative, mission-driven, and effective work culture
• Work collaboratively with the Executive Director and Department Heads to establish and support the strategic direction for 826 Valencia, and integrate the team’s work to support the organization's vision and mission
• Collaborate across the 826 Network, supporting, teaching, and learning from the cohort of 826 Development Directors across the country to build the strength of the network

Other Duties

• Actively participate in 826 Valencia meetings (including internal committees on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), performance appraisal systems, and other work events (such as DEI trainings, professional development workshops, and the annual 826 National conference)
• Meet all deadlines
• Support programs as needed in order to gain a broad and deep understanding of our work; all non-programs staff are expected to tutor with at least one program per week (approx. 2 hours)
• All other duties as assigned by the Executive Director

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

• Designs enduring, scalable, and codified systems for sustainable development and fundraising that plan for interdependencies, risks, and contingencies
• Leads others in creative problem solving, applying project management and fundraising best practices
• Develops and implements systems to effectively support managers in developing and demonstrating management skills; develops and implements accountability and coaching structures to support managers as they coach and develop their teams
• Develops and implements systems to take down silos within and across departments, creating formal/informal structures for cross-department collaboration that leverages differences and inspires trust among members
• Demonstrates awareness of cultural values, biases, and differences in self and others, and tailors approach based on this understanding; applies a culturally competent lens to work
• Demonstrates highly developed awareness of how one's leadership and behaviors directly and indirectly impact others; anticipates and understands implications and communicates these across the organization
• Works with the Executive Director to confidently lead the Department through times of change and transition, working with a team to identify opportunities for innovation amidst change
• Identifies and understands stakeholder perspectives; anticipates and embraces stakeholder reactions and works to address concerns in ways that resonate
• Creates a culture of professional development, continuous feedback, and mutual support among staff within the purview and in collaboration with other Directors; provides a compelling career progression within the Department and environment for growth and development; develops and implements systems to celebrate team accomplishments

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience
• At least 10 years of progressive responsibility in fundraising
• At least 5 years experience managing fundraising staff
• Demonstrated ability to solicit and close major gifts, especially individuals in the six- and seven-figure range
• Experience in best-practice protocols and systems, including creating development strategies and research profiles, data gathering and interpretation, and external environmental analysis
• Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM system
• Proficient with computer applications—a thorough understanding of the Microsoft Office and Google suites, and the ability to learn and master other computer technology/software programs as needed
• Public relations, media, and communications experience (preferred)
• Planned giving training or experience (preferred)
• Excellent command of English language and grammar, both verbal and written