Development Director

leadership and fundraising experience to join our team. 

About LAE:

For more than 40 years, LAE has provided free legal advice and representation to seniors and adults with disabilities in San Francisco. Our mission is to protect and advance the right of San Francisco’s seniors and adults living with disabilities to be housed, healthy, financially stable, and safe. Our organization has experienced, skilled, and determined legal teams working primarily in Housing Preservation/Eviction Defense, Benefits and Healthcare Advocacy, Physical and Financial Elder Abuse

Prevention, Consumer Rights and Protection, Foreclosure Prevention, End of Life Planning and CARE Court representation. LAE is a friendly and collaborative work environment. 

Over the past seven years, our organization has grown significantly. We currently have a staff of 40 and an annual budget of $5.2 million. We seek a dynamic leader who can grow our development program in partnership with the Executive Director, the Board of Directors, and development support staff. This position offers a wonderful opportunity to design and implement a development program that supports our organization - a lifeline for seniors and adults living with disabilities in San Francisco.

Position Overview

The Development Director will manage all private (or non-governmental) fundraising activities for LAE, with a focus on strengthening existing donor relationships and substantially increasing the number of corporate and individual supporters. The Development Director will design and lead our annual fundraising plan which includes fundraising goals and targets for grant proposals, donation appeals, our annual fundraising event and other campaigns. The Development Director works with our leadership team and reports directly to the Executive Director

Job Responsibilities

•       Direct and Manage LAE’s Fund Development Program

•       Design and implement annual and multi-year fundraising plans with concrete goals and deliverables that increase contributed revenue year to year

•       Provide an annual comprehensive analysis of fundraising efforts to the Leadership Team and Board of Directors

•       In close collaboration with Executive Director, lead organizational efforts to solicit charitable contributions and major gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations, including duties such as: o Supporting ongoing donor relationships, including ensuring consistent and strategic levels of cultivation and stewardship

o   Identify, develop, and implement strategies to cultivate new donors, including law firms and individuals in the legal community

o   Identify new foundation and other institutional support o Meet with donors and potential donors to cultivate and solicit contributions o Train and prepare Executive Director and Board of Directors for donor meetings

•       Coordinate annual grants calendar with the grant writing team and review grant proposals

•       Design and run our year-end giving campaign, and other individual donor campaigns

•       Develop and implement strategies for a planned giving campaign

•       Provide staff support for Board of Directors’ fundraising efforts including:

o   Being primary staff liaison with the Development Committee o Prepare materials for and attend Development Committee meetings o Work with the Executive Director to cultivate a culture of philanthropy with board members

o   Provide annual training for Board members on fundraising.

•       Plan and direct our annual fundraising event and other smaller donor cultivation events to support fundraising campaigns

•       Secure financial support in the form of corporate and individual contributions and sponsorships, and in-kind donations 

•       Develop messages, materials, and explanations of our work used in our development campaigns, including website fundraising pages, and communications with our donors 

Qualifications

•       Commitment to justice and dignity for seniors and adults living with disabilities

•       Two years leadership experience in nonprofit development or similar fundraising experience directly relevant to the responsibilities described above, with a demonstrated track record of successfully meeting fundraising goals through diverse funding streams for organizations with operating budgets of at least $2$5 million operating

•       Five to eight years of fundraising experience relevant to the responsibilities described above

•       Proven track record of cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding various donor constituencies (e.g., individuals, foundations, and special event donors)

•       Ability to design and lead execution of multi-year fundraising campaigns  

•       Must have excellent project management skills including organization, attention to detail, ability to work with others and ability to manage up and sideways

•       Ability to prioritize multiple projects at the same time

•       Demonstrated ability to write clearly and persuasively

•       Excellent verbal communications skills

•       Ability to lead and collaborate within a small development team

•       Computer proficiency in MS Office and donor management databases

(Salesforce), Slack, cloud-based services, research databases, and social media

•       Willing to work the occasional night and weekends for fundraising events

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•       Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including all recommended boosters) unless the applicant has a valid, certifiable medical reason for not being fully vaccinated

Working Conditions

Our office is working on a hybrid schedule that includes both working from home and in the office. In line with our hybrid policy, this position is expected to work a portion of each week in our office located in San Francisco. Some evening and weekend work may be required.

Compensation & Benefits

We offer a family friendly environment, and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries along with a generous benefits package. The estimated annual salary range is $120,000 - $130,000, dependent on experience. LAE’s benefits package includes 100% employer covered medical, dental, and life insurance for employees and dependent children and up 75% for spouses; LAE student debt reimbursement program; employer paid CA Bar license and/or social work license fees; 401k retirement plan with annual LAE contribution; and a Staff Wellness Fund. LAE has a generous paid leave policy which includes: sick leave; parental leave; compensation time, 19 holidays each year; and vacation (starting at 15 days and increasing with additional years of employment).  

TO APPLY 

E-MAIL RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO: hiring@laesf.org 

Attention Hiring Committee 

Subject line: Development Director

If you find that you meet many of the qualifications in the job description, we encourage you to apply and explain in your cover letter why your experience would make you a good fit for the position. We recognize that organizations may miss out on strong applicants who screen themselves out of the process because they do not meet every qualification and that disproportionately impacts people from historically marginalized backgrounds. We know that our greatest strengths come from the people who make up our team and a welcoming, inclusive and culturally diverse staff allows us to best serve our community. We look forward to your application. 

LAE seeks to fill all positions with people who share our values, including our organizational commitment to diversity. We encourage all interested individuals to apply—especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary; or anyone belonging to any other federal or state protected category. We believe that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity, and are committed to not discriminating on any basis prohibited by applicable law. 

APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED UNTIL THE POSITION IS FILLED. THOSE SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW WILL BE NOTIFIED.