Development Director

Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 109,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

On-site work at BGCO Oakland HQ

Job summary

Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland is seeking a Development Director to lead major gifts, corporate sponsorships, and institutional giving. You will manage a large donor portfolio, solicit high-value gifts, and drive BGCO’s funded programs across Oakland and the East Bay.

The role emphasizes data-driven fundraising, CRM discipline, and strategic collaboration with leadership. The position is on-site at BGCO’s Oakland headquarters, with a focus on building enduring community relationships, crafting

Qualifications

• 6+ years fundraising experience in nonprofit advancement with success closing five- and six-figure gifts.
• Strong knowledge of Bay Area philanthropy and corporate ecosystem.
• Passion for youth development, equity, and urban community resilience.
• Proficiency with donor databases and wealth-screening tools.
• Excellent storytelling and donor communications.

Responsibilities

• Lead a 120–150 donor portfolio, guiding donors through identification to stewardship.
• Directly solicit five- to six-figure gifts in collaboration with senior leaders.
• Expand the donor pipeline to include new individuals and foundations.
• Design personalized stewardship cadences and impact updates.
• Oversee grants writing and corporate sponsorships with the team.

Skills

Portfolio leadership

Direct solicitation

Pipeline development

Stewardship communications

Grants writing

Corporate partnerships

Institutional grants

Data analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field (non-profit management, communications, business, public administration)

Tools

Salesforce

NPSP

Job description

Organization: Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland (BGCO)

Location: Oakland, CA (Headquarters / High Street Clubhouse)

Reports To: Chief Impact Officer

Position Type: Full-Time, Exempt

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland

Since 1938, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland has provided safe spaces, positive mentorship, and life-changing educational, athletic, and leadership programs to thousands of Oakland youth. Operating across neighborhood clubhouses, BGCO empowers young people—especially those who need us most—to realize their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.

Position Overview

The Development Director is a dynamic, frontline revenue-generating leader responsible for planning, orchestrating, and executing BGCO’s comprehensive fundraising strategy. Reporting directly to the Chief Impact Officer, this role drives sustainable contributed income through individual major gifts, corporate sponsorships, institutional foundation grants, and signature community engagement events. Additionally, the right candidate will be excited to manage a grant writer & coordinator by being a person that leads by example, maintains clear communication, and is dedicated to their success, personally and professionally. The most qualified candidate blends high-touch relational fundraising with analytical discipline. You know how to build enduring community relationships across the East Bay, craft compelling, data-backed funding proposals, leverage CRM systems (Salesforce) to optimize donor journeys, and close five- to seven-figure investments that fuel youth opportunity.

Core Responsibilities

Major Gifts & Individual Donor Stewardship (40%)

• Portfolio Leadership: Manage an active portfolio of 120–150 qualified major donors and prospective contributors, moving them strategically through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Direct Solicitation: Solicit five- and six-figure gifts personally and strategically orchestrate solicitation meetings with the Chief Impact Officer, President & CEO, and Board of Directors.
• Pipeline Expansion: Spearhead pipeline development to uncover new individual philanthropists, alumni, family foundations, and donor-advised funds (DAFs) committed to East Bay youth equity.
• Stewardship Touchpoints: Design personalized stewardship cadence and impact updates that demonstrate tangible, measurable programmatic outcomes to supporters.

Corporate Sponsorships & Institutional Giving (25%)

• Manage a grants writer & coordinator to ensure BGCO is maximizing its grant applications, while being strategic, and maintaining a commitment to its mission and strategic plan.
• Corporate Partnerships: Secure major corporate sponsorships, employee engagement programs, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) investments aligned with BGCO club programs and initiatives.
• Institutional Grants: Collaborate with internal program and impact teams to submit competitive, data-informed grant applications and timely compliance reports to family, corporate, and regional foundations.
• Pitch Collateral: Partner with executive leadership to build customized pitch decks, sponsorship decks, and institutional funding briefs.

Signature Events & Community Engagement (20%)

• Event Revenue Strategy: Drive sponsorship acquisition, ticket sales, and fundraising appeal strategy for BGCO signature events (e.g., annual galas, donor showcases, community panels, and youth celebrations).
• Cultivation Gatherings: Design intimate, mission-centric cultivation events that bring prospective donors directly into Clubhouses to experience program impact firsthand.
• Ambassador Engagement: Equip board members and volunteer committee leaders with messaging, toolkits, and prospect lists to meet event revenue benchmarks.

Systems, Data Analytics & Operational Discipline (15%)

• CRM Integrity: Champion the use of Salesforce for donor tracking, interaction logging, pipeline health reviews, and contribution forecasting.
• Revenue Forecasting: Track monthly, quarterly, and annual fundraising KPIs, evaluating donor retention rates, average gift size, and acquisition costs.
• Cross-Functional Synergy: Partner closely with finance, operations, and programmatic evaluation teams to ensure grant compliance, ethical gift acceptance, and clean reconciliation between accounting and development records.

Core Qualifications & Experience

• Fundraising Track Record: 6+ years of progressive professional fundraising experience in non-profit advancement, with demonstrated success personally closing five- and six-figure gifts.
• Deep Knowledge of the Bay Area Landscape: Strong familiarity with the philanthropic and corporate ecosystem in Oakland and the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
• Mission Alignment: Genuine passion for youth development, educational equity, and community resilience in urban communities.
• Technology & CRM Fluency: Hands-on proficiency with donor databases (Salesforce/NPSP strongly preferred), wealth-screening platforms, and executive workflow tools.
• Exceptional Communication: Outstanding interpersonal, verbal, and written storytelling abilities—capable of translating complex evaluation metrics into moving philanthropic appeals.
• Strategic Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to support executive leadership and partner with volunteer boards to close major opportunities.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in non-profit management, communications, business administration, public administration, or equivalent lived and professional experience; CFRE or advanced degree is a plus.

Key Performance Indicators (First Year)

• Successfully grow the active major donor portfolio and increase unrestricted individual giving by targeted benchmarks.
• Secure full sponsorship underwriting for signature annual fundraising events.
• Achieve a 95%+ data integrity and donor interaction logging rate within Salesforce.
• Establish repeatable cultivation pipelines for new corporate and institutional partners in the East Bay.
• Salary (non-negotiable): $95,000 commensurate with experience and proven fundraising results.
• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
• Time Off: 10 days paid vacation, sick leave, and paid organizational holidays.
• Work Environment: On-site structure based at BGCO headquarters in Oakland, with regular local travel for donor meetings, Clubhouse visits, and evening/weekend event commitments.