Development Manager

Spirit League; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 84,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental benefits

Commuter benefits

Wellness stipend

Job summary

Farming Hope in San Francisco, CA is seeking a Development Manager to advance fundraising efforts alongside the Co-Executive Directors. The role emphasizes donor engagement, relationship-building, and strategic planning to grow gifts and grants in a mission-driven nonprofit.

The ideal candidate will manage donor portfolios, execute communications, and coordinate with program staff and Finance. This in-person position offers growth toward leadership and a collaborative team environment.

Qualifications

• At least three years of fundraising or development experience in the nonprofit sector.
• Strong relationship-building skills with donors, prospects, and internal stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with ability to develop donor-facing materials.
• Experience managing donor relationships or a fundraising portfolio through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Proficiency with fundraising CRMs; Salesforce experience preferred.
• Familiarity with the San Francisco fundraising landscape.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a donor engagement plan to grow individual giving.
• Maintain a portfolio of donors, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts.
• Support major donor cultivation and thoughtful stewardship activities.
• Plan and execute donor communications including newsletters, invitations, reports.
• Research grant opportunities and design outreach strategies.
• Prepare grant proposals, LOIs, applications, reporting, and funder communications.
• Plan fundraising events with the Co-Executive Director and identify sponsors.
• Serve as Salesforce administrator and manage gift processing with Finance.
• Maintain accurate donor records ensuring tax, finance, and audit compliance.
• Oversee timely donor acknowledgments and thank you letters.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Relationship building

Written communications

Verbal communications

Organizational skills

Solicitation

Portfolio management

Storytelling

Planning & strategy

Tools

Salesforce

Fundraising CRMs

Job description

Development Manager

Full-Time, Exempt, Salary position

Location

San Francisco, CA

This is an in-person position.

Compensation

$83,500 - $87,000 commensurate with experience

100% employer funded health and dental benefits after 90 days

Commuter benefits

Wellness stipend

Reports to

Co-Executive Director

Schedule

Monday - Friday | 9am - 5pm

May include some nights and weekends

Application Deadline

Complete applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a final deadline of October 16, 2026.

Organization Overview

Are you interested in joining a committed team that is passionate about changing the world, one meal at a time? If so, you may find yourself at home at Farming Hope!

Farming Hope is a 501(c)3 food justice nonprofit. Our mission is to empower folks experiencing major barriers to employment to cook food to sustain themselves and their communities. Fueling our pursuit of lasting social change are our guiding principles: that food is a human right, that everyone deserves an empowering livelihood, and that neither food nor human potential should go to waste.

In service of this mission, we provide a culinary job training program for community members who are overcoming obstacles such as former incarceration or homelessness. Our paid 12 week program helps adults transition to personal well-being and employment while nourishing food- insecure neighbors and preventing cosmetically-imperfect food from going to waste.

Celebrating our 10th year in 2026, we've trained over 200 Apprentices who have earned over $1.6M in wages, cooked over 1M meals, and rescued over 175,000 pounds of food. We're looking forward to making even more of an impact in the years to come. Learn more about our organization at farminghope.org.

Farming Hope is an equal opportunity employer. We enthusiastically accept our responsibility to make employment decisions without regard to race, religious creed, color, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, marital status, medical condition as defined under State law, disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions or any other classification protected by federal, state, and/or local laws and ordinances.

At Farming Hope we have a clear vision to be a place where a diverse mix of talented people are able to learn, teach, and grow. Diversity is more than a commitment at Farming Hope—it is necessary to advance equity and inclusion for the Apprentices in our training program and our diners in the community.

Position Overview

The Development Manager will support the Co-Executive Directors in fundraising efforts for Farming Hope. The ideal candidate will be a highly organized, self-motivated individual with experience in fundraising, relationship building, strong written and verbal communications skills, and passion for food justice and social change.

There will be many opportunities for learning and growth, including the possibility of a promotion to a Director-level role for the right person. As a job training nonprofit, Farming Hope advances a culture of continual learning and professional development, emphasized by our participation in national networks and including the Catalyst Kitchens and Redefine Alliance networks, as well as weekly check-ins and open access to colleagues and external mentors for coaching and support.

Responsibilities listed below represent approximately 90% of the Development Manager’s average work week. The other 10% will be up to the discretion of the individual and the Co-Executive Directors, and intentionally includes flexibility as needs arise to help drive our vision and fulfill our mission.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Individual Giving

• Work with the Co-Executive Director to design and implement a donor engagement plan to grow individual donorship
• Maintain a portfolio of individual donors, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts ranging from $500-$50,000
• Support the Co-Executive Director with major donor cultivation and thoughtful stewardship activities
• Work with the Communications and Partnerships Manager to plan and execute donor communications including newsletters, event invitations, annual reports, and other donor updates

Institutional Donors Relationships

• Research grant opportunities and design outreach strategies
• Work collaboratively with Program leads and Communications and Partnerships Manager to prepare grant proposals, LOIs, applications, reporting, and other funder communications
• Build and maintain relationships with institutional funders

Fundraising Events

• Alongside the Co-Executive Director, plan fundraising events including our annual fundraiser, Hope Feast; our Pop-Up Guest Chef Dinners; and other donor engagement events as they arise
• Identify and solicit event sponsors, financial and in-kind
• Ensure thorough and thoughtful post-event follow-up with donors and prospects

Development Operations

• Serve as primary Salesforce administrator
• Manage Farming Hope's gift processing and coordinate with Finance team
• Maintain accurate donor records, ensuring records meet our tax, finance, and audit compliance
• Oversee timely donor acknowledgments and thank you letters

Candidate Qualifications

• At least three years of fundraising or development experience in the nonprofit sector
• Strong relationship-building skills with a variety of donors, prospects, and internal stakeholders; comfort engaging donors and making asks
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional relationships
• Experience managing donor relationships or a fundraising portfolio through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop compelling donor-facing communications; strong storytelling skills across a range of mediums
• Keen organizational skills, a systems thinker who can manage processes, deadlines, and multiple priorities
• Proficiency with fundraising CRMs; Salesforce experience preferred
• Familiarity with the San Francisco community landscape and knowledge of the contemporary fundraising landscape