Development Director

POSITION: Development Director (individual and corporate giving)

CLASSIFICATION: Full time – 40 hours, exempt

REPORTS TO: CEO

SALARY: $115,000-$130,000

POSITION START: April, 2025

WORK SCHEDULE: Monday- Friday with some Saturdays. The schedule depends on organization needs and may include weekends and evenings.

ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION

A Sense of Home (ASOH) strives to prevent homelessness and sustainability for community members who have been displaced or who were once in foster care. It began in 2015 by creating first-ever homes and a community for youth aging out of foster care. 50% of those struggling with homelessness are former foster youth.

For ten years ASOH solely served former foster youth. Within a few days of the LA fires A Sense of Home (ASOH) launched a new sustainable relief program, Home Bank LA (HBLA) to meet the overwhelming need to help displaced families who fled the LA fires. Tens of thousands of our community members have been forced to live on the floor in empty spaces. Based on our unique experience, we quickly deployed our systems, during this time of emergency to support those who lost everything in the fires. Home Bank LA was launched to provide fully functioning home environments for our community members devastated by the fires. .

ASOH has been perfecting its technology and operational systems to harness community volunteerism, and donated furniture and home goods to transform empty spaces into homes. The model has been so successful, ASOH will scale in the new regions in the coming months. The homeless crisis can only end through prevention.

POSITION PURPOSE

ASOH is in an expansion phase. ASOH HQ is opening chapters in numerous regions in the coming year. ASOH HQ seeks an innovative Development Director who is industrious, convivial, creative, and passionate. The Development Director is a multi-talented self-starter, well equipped to oversee several projects with minimal staff to support them with fundraising events, grants, donor relations, and campaigns. The DD must be able to work in any environment, evaluate a scene, identify what is needed and execute it. The DD will work closely with the HQ team including the Senior Gifts Officer, Public Engagement Director, COO, President, and CEO and report directly to the CEO.

ASOH seeks a DD who deeply respects the achievements, ethics, values and legacy of ASOH. This role is for an individual with a deep passion to build bridges and a commitment to amplify the ASOH story and mission at this unique moment in history to propagate human connection and unity.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

In-kind Partners/ Brand Partners

• Enhance existing In-kind donor relationships and bring in new in-kind partners to ensure a full inventory of product for all programs at all times.
• Developing brand partnerships that include POS donations, % of sales, licensing, and campaign collaborations.
• Working with In-kind donors to do Home Banking activations at HBLA or onsite Home Creations with ASOH LA.
• As additional regions open, likewise engaging brand partners/ In Kind donors to do Home Banking activations and/ or onsite Home Creations.
• Collaborate with Influencers on content creation around digital campaigns with brands.
• Work with team to secure $1.5M in in-kind donations for HBLA and other sites

Corporate Giving

• Create sponsorship programs and packages for both national office (HQ) and local sites
• Raise $500K for national corporate sponsor program in 2025
• Raise $500K for HBLA
• Help raise 500K for local site expansion
• Work with communications director to integrate sponsors into all promotional opportunities

Individual Giving

• Create individual giving programs for both national office (HQ) and local sites
• Work with team to raise $1M from individuals for National Programs (including $600K from national gala)
• Raise $1M for HBLA from individuals and family foundations for HBLA
• Work with the team to raise $500K from individuals and family foundations for local site expansion
• Work with communications director to integrate individuals into all promotional opportunities

Events

• Host Home Banking activations at HBLA or onsite Home Creations with ASOH LA with donors and/ or brand partners. This means leading the volunteer effort and ensuring deep engagement by donors and/ or brand partners
• Work with the team to execute several large-scale and intimate fundraising events each year.
• Secure In-Kind product for all events.
• Manage and execute all aspects of fundraising events, from creating all assets, building and managing ticketing and auction platforms, vendor management, day-of registration, run of show, and press.
• Manage all communications strategies throughout the year to promote events with the goal of increasing awareness, increasing the remarkable brand partnerships ASOH has, increasing fundraising, and scaling strategies.
• Manage staff and volunteers at events
• Manage event budgets, maximizing resources to decrease expenses and ensure revenue goals are met.

Communications

• When raising funds and awareness for ASOH’s mission, communication is essential.
• Ensure all DPCD communications and messaging are on brand at all times.
• Oversee the creation of all assets for events and campaigns
• Oversee donor and brand partner acknowledgements in letters, newsletters, website, digital campaigns, and brand partnerships.
• Ensure brand partners are included in social media strategies, content creation (and in alignment with ASOH Comms P&P).
• Capture content for social media when a filmmaker is not present.
• Oversight of contractors including filmmaker, photographers, and editors, including costs, scheduling, and quality of work.
• Manage and update all charity rating sites
• Oversee Content storage in the cloud that is managed and archived in accordance with the ASOH Content Storage Guidelines.
• Elevate the voice of former foster youth by creating opportunities for ethical and empowering story-telling

Community & Public Speaking

• Represent ASOH in the community at speaking engagements and giving presentations.
• Public and motivational speaking at various events and in the media.

Grants Management

• Grant writing consultant to secure new and existing foundation and corporate grants.
• Manage submissions and write and develop accurate and compelling grant proposals and reports in collaboration with program and development teams in accordance with funder deadlines.

Duties and responsibilities may be added, deleted, modified or changed at any time at ASOH’s discretion, to fulfill the Position Purpose. Changes may be made formally, informally either verbally or in writing.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Background and education in nonprofit management, development and/ or and communications.
• Five years of relevant experience required in development, nonprofit management, communications, fundraising events, and marketing strategies.
• Must have reliable means of transportation as frequent off-site meetings and events are required for the position
• Experience working with diverse populations.

Knowledge of and experience in the following is very helpful:

• CRM: Comfort with E-Tapestry, Constant Contact and platforms such as One Cause
• Filmmaking and production: Comfort and experience in basic video/film production and an understanding of how to provide direction in editing video and stills photography.
• Graphic Design and Web Design – comfortable working in Canva and Power Point in order to create presentations.
• Ability to communicate specific directives to Ad agencies and/ or graphic designer
• Social Media: Knowledge of best practices in social media
• Shared Media and Data Management: Comfort with WeTransfer, Dropbox and Google Drive for data/content management
• Analytical Skills: Ability to process and analyze vague, abstract verbal and written instructions. Ability to visualize and assess abstract ideas and develop structured plans for implementation of marketing plans.
• Communications: Requires public speaking, written and oral presentations with individuals or teams and a high level of written communication.
• English Language - Strong knowledge in reading, writing and speaking of the English language including excellent knowledge of spelling, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing superior customer and personal services.
• Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, leadership technique, and coordination of people and resources.
• Personnel and Human Resources: Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, evaluating, correcting, negotiating, managing, motivating, and leading.
• Mathematical Skills: Ability to create templates and formulas in Excel, add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
• Computers and Electronics: Strong working knowledge of Excel, Google Apps, email, social media networks, computers, smartphones, equipment, graphics software and CRM systems.
• Clerical knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and customer relationship management.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Attending organizational and community events representing ASOH
• Public speaking and presenting
• Establishing in-person relationships with donors and potential donors
• Developing programs/campaigns to raise funds and tell the ASOH story
• Working with computers, cameras, scanners, phones, and printers
• Using various software including client database software, cloud based software such as Google Drive, Zoom, E-tapestry, Constant Contact, Blackbaud DropBox. And the ASOH App.
• Communications over zoom, the phone and in person with persons outside the organization, supervisors, peers, donors etc.
• Organizing, planning, and prioritizing work
• Making decisions and solving problems
• Processing information and verifying accuracy of data
• Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships
• Assessing the qualities of things, services, or people
• Performing administrative activities
• Documenting/recording information and maintaining logs
• Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards/policies
• Estimating the quantifiable characteristics of products, events, or information
• Supervision and management of employees

DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION

ASOH is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and strongly encourages people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with protected class backgrounds to apply. We value the individuals that we hire and look forward to creating a positive work environment for all identities.

OUR COMMITMENT

We are committed to not only provide a diverse and inclusive workplace, but we value the health and wellbeing of our team members. ASOH offers 100% paid health and medical benefits to employees, along with generous paid sick and sick vacation time. We also believe in providing a workplace that fosters advancement and professional development for all employees, conducting our day-to-day business practices accordingly.

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

ASOH began as a random act of kindness, when the founders Georgie Smith and Melissa Goddard saw an injustice and acted upon it. They noticed that young people exiting foster care had overcome the odds against them, achieved securing a roof over their heads, only to be forced to sleep on cold bare floors, and struggle without fridges, stoves, lighting, a table to eat from nor study off of. The lack of means to make a space a home is a significant inequity that has proven to hold back those working and studying hard to overcome the challenges of the world and create a better future for them. Since then, ASOH has grown into a caring community of skilled staff and dedicated volunteers, providing much needed resources to over 375 former foster youth and their children annually.

A UNIQUE SPACE AND OPPORTUNITY FOR LEARNING AND HEALING FOR ALL

We are committed to action for impact and won’t stop learning, listening, growing and serving. We are committed to evolving our work and model to ensuring we always:

• Evolve how we achieve our goals and deepen the impact
• Listen to those we serve
• Partner with organizations that uplift marginalized communities
• Find and implement new tools in our programs that overcome unique barriers to healing
• Amplify more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) voices
• Ensure a safe, inclusive, diverse workplace for employees, volunteers, donors, and those we serve
• Integrate social justice and public health scholars in the development of our organization

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Lifting and moving - Requires ability to lift, move, transport, and stage furniture and other home goods sometimes in excess of 25 pounds.

• Body positioning requires using hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls and prolonged periods of standing and/or sitting
• Competition requires competition or awareness of competitive pressures
• Conflict requires dealing with potentially unpleasant, angry, or discourteous people; including conflict situations

Impact of decisions - requires making decisions that impact the results of co-workers, vendors, sponsors, donors, volunteers or the company

Opportunity to make decisions without supervision - Requires making decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image of the org.

Level of challenge - requires being exact or highly accurate. Also requires repeating the same physical activities or mental activities over and over - often with freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals

Pace and scheduling - requires meeting deadlines and adhering to timelines.

Personal Interaction - requires work with external individuals, organizations, businesses or the public. Also, requires coordinating or leading others in accomplishing work activities and work with others in a group or team

Responsibility for Others Includes responsibility for work outcomes, results and safety of others

WORK SETTING - Requires working in office space as well as warehouse space in cold or hot conditions as well as outdoors in hot, cold, wet, humid and/or dry conditions. Work is often offsite in the community.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Your employment relationship is and is intended to be at will. This job description contains the entire agreement between you and A Sense of Home as to the duration of your employment and the circumstances under which your employment may be terminated. Nothing contained in this or any other materials generated by A Sense of Home or its employees, or any statement made by any employee of the organization, shall require the company to have “just” or “good cause” to terminate the employment relationship or to change the terms and conditions of your employment. Notwithstanding any disciplinary procedures or A Sense of Home rules or regulations, either you or A Sense of Home may terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without cause or prior notice. Further, A Sense of Home can demote, transfer, suspend or otherwise discipline an employee in its sole and absolute discretion. Nothing in this job description, or any other personnel documents creates or is intended to create a promise or representation of continued or indefinite employment or employment for a specific term, in a specific position, or at a specific rate of pay, or to prohibit A Sense of Home from terminating you for any reason even if previously agreed that such a reason would not result in termination. I also understand that A Sense of Home has the right to change the compensation, assignments, duties, responsibilities or geographical location of my job at any time, with or without cause.