Director of Development

Are you passionate about making an impact on the lives of foster youth in Oakland? And growing your experience with transition-age youth, by collaborating with a team committed to social justice? If so, Beyond Emancipation (B:E) is looking for you!

ABOUT B:E

B:E’s mission is to support young people as they imagine and create their own life beyond foster care. Through B:E’s innovative coaching model, youth discover their own potential, take responsibility for their own decisions, and plan their futures with the support of an adult who follows their lead. B:E provides a transformational environment for transition age youth, offering programs that include access to safe housing, educational supports, and coaching in the areas of life skills, health and wellness, and employment training.

B:E’s core values are at the heart of everything we do, and we look for individuals who share our commitments:

• YOUTH-CENTERED: We put youth first.
• EQUITY: We are committed to leveling the playing field.
• TRANSFORMATION: We are agents of change.
• COMMUNITY: We are in this together.
• CONTINUOUS LEARNING: We strive for excellence.

POSITION OVERVIEW

B:E is seeking a dynamic Director of Development (DoD) to sustain and strengthen diverse revenue streams in support of the resilient young people B:E supports. Under the direction of the Executive Director and working in close collaboration with the Board of Directors and Leadership Team, the Director of Development holds overall responsibility for the organization's fundraising and communications. Working with an enthusiastic team of staff and contract support for grant writing as needed, the DoD plays a leading role in designing, guiding, and supporting the execution of a comprehensive development strategy to facilitate achievement of annual revenue goals (currently ~$3MIL) and long-term sustainability.

This position is both strategic and tactical, as it is responsible for oversight and execution of B:E’s annual development and communication plans. The ideal candidate is an energetic, passionate, and visionary individual with a strong commitment to addressing the needs of transition-age foster youth in the Bay Area. They are a prolific multitasker and strategic thinker who can build relationships, assemble community, and effectively convey complex topics verbally and in writing. The Director of Development will bring to this work strategic judgement; exceptional project management skills; solid experience leading successful grants processes, excellent donor and funder cultivation skills; a creative, optimistic approach; and significant experience in supporting organizational sustainability and growth.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Leadership & Strategy

• In coordination with the Executive Director, develop and implement a comprehensive development program designed to identify, qualify, cultivate and steward existing and prospective foundation, government, individual and corporate donors
• Collaborate with the Leadership team to develop and execute a strategic plan to meet organizational fundraising goals.
• Foster relationships with the Board of Directors, staff, and cross-departmentally to enhance organizational visibility, promote a culture of philanthropy, and capitalize on organizational priorities and assets.
• Support the Board of Directors in contributing to fundraising efforts as individuals and collectively, and serve as the staff liaison to Board’s Fund Development Committee
• Provide leadership that supports and inspires the Development team by thoughtfully and strategically managing direct reports’ resources, priorities, and time.
• Manage and oversee the execution of B:E’s development and communication plans to achieve annual agency strategic goals, including new ideas, industry best practices and ethics, and data-driven analysis
• Provide development and communication updates to B:E’s Executive Director, Board of Directors, and other stakeholders as needed
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of B:E’s work to communicate impact to funders
• Stay abreast of philanthropic, economic, and social trends related to fundraising and foster care policy, research and funding opportunities.

Individual giving & major gifts

• Facilitate and manage individual and major donor cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Work with and mentor Development Manager to ensure development campaigns, appeals, events, and other development strategies are successfully coordinated and well-executed
• Lead efforts to identify, steward and solicit individual donors and major donors, including thanking, recognitions, campaign collateral, events, direct mail and other stewardship and solicitation activities.
• Oversee the Development Associate’s process of maintaining accurate donor and event records, acknowledgements and reporting requirements in B:E’s donor dataset
• Annually update existing development and stewardship plans with fresh ideas to bring in new donors, best practices, and data-driven analysis.

Foundations & Government Giving

• Manage foundation and government grants including: developing a pipeline of prospects, stewarding existing funder relationships, overseeing development and submission of high-quality applications and reporting, maintaining grants calendar of due dates and awards, and handing off awards to appropriate program staff.
• Lead and coordinate a collaborative grant writing process with program directors/departmental directors for all B:E government and foundation grants, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, and overseeing the submission process in collaboration with senior leadership

Communications & Outreach

• Oversee development and implementation of B:E’s external communications and branding strategies and workplan in alignment with a social justice and equity approach, development best practices, and always centering youth voice, including: social media, electronic newsletter, annual reports, email campaigns, website and other external communications in collaboration with the Development Department
• Serve as a B:E spokesperson and ambassador with community outreach and partnerships, including overseeing volunteer program management implemented by the Development Manager.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

To better serve youth, B:E strives to build and strengthen a diverse organization, where every staff member is heard, valued, and supported to advance B:E’s mission. B:E staff is majority people of color and many staff have lived experience in the foster care system. We are committed to living diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our staffing, programming, and values. B:E is an equal opportunity employer, and we strongly encourage diverse candidates to apply.

HYBRID WORK ENVIRONMENT

B:E is committed to the safety, wellness, and health of our staff. We offer a flexible hybrid work environment where staff can decide with their manager the best schedule and location of work, based on their personal needs and their role within the organization. Some B:E staff work in-person almost every day, and most staff work in-person 2-3 days per week.

COVID-19 SAFETY

B:E is committed to keeping staff and youth safe and promoting the health of our community. B:E complies with the county, state, and federal COVID-19 guidelines and policies through our comprehensive COVID Prevention Plan.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 7 years of experience working in nonprofit development, nonprofit grant writing experience including government grants with a track record of leading increases in revenue.
• Experience working from and preferably writing a development and communications plan.
• Excellent multipurpose writing skills, such as grant writing, donor centric writing (appeals and newsletters), and reports, across multiple platforms and audiences
• Strong editing skills.
• Experience interfacing with government and foundation program officers, major donors and donor prospects, elected and appointed officials, service providers, and/or community residents.
• Working knowledge of program design and development, outcomes and evaluation.
• Ability to work independently and on teams to meet deadlines on a consistent basis.
• Organized and detail-oriented.
• Strong project management/time management skills and attention to deadlines
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite, graphic design (Adobe and Canva), and a working knowledge of website applications, email marketing software, and CRM databases
• Commitment to social justice and passion for Beyond Emancipation’s mission