Development Manager

Latino Education Advancement Foundation; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 84,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

Professional development opportunities

Parking and mileage reimbursement

Job summary

LEAF, the Latino Education Advancement Foundation, is launching its first Development team in San Jose. You will be the founding Development Manager, partnering with our Senior Director of Growth and Communications to write the playbook, build donor relationships, run campaigns, and tell LEAF's story.

This is a hands‑on, owner‑minded role with mentorship from leadership, designed to scale as LEAF grows its fundraising for generations of Latinx students.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• 4+ years of nonprofit fundraising and development experience.
• Bilingual Spanish/English strongly preferred; strong donor communications.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on multi‑channel individual giving campaigns.
• Identify and research prospective donors and develop cultivation.
• Lead the annual Plant the Seed luncheon: logistics, outreach, and follow‑up.
• Draft donor‑centered appeals, stewardship emails, and impact statements.
• Draft and manage donor acknowledgments and maintain records.
• Produce monthly fundraising and communications dashboards for leadership.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Nonprofit fundraising

Donor communications

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Network for Good

Mailchimp

Canva

Job description

Reports to: Senior Director of Growth & Strategic Communications

Organization Overview

The Latino Education Advancement Foundation (LEAF) is committed to promoting equal opportunities for Latinx students to excel in higher education and realize their career aspirations for social and economic advancement. As a 501(c)(3) organization, we offer a range of programs and education initiatives, including comprehensive support services for postsecondary enrollment and persistence, career pathways preparation, and educational equity advocacy.

Since 2019, we have supported over 1,000 LEAF Scholars and their families throughout their college journey. In 2024 alone, we served more than 500 LEAF Scholars and over 90 LEAF Mentors, along with more than 200 families. A remarkable 85% of our students persist in college, considering that fewer than 20% of low-income Latinx students nationally persist in earning a college degree within six years. Our comprehensive support system includes scholarships, workshops, peer mentorship, parent engagement, and college partnerships, which all work together to increase the enrollment and retention rates of Latinx students. With our unwavering commitment, we aspire to empower and uplift our community's next generation of Latinx leaders.

Position Overview

LEAF is launching its first-ever Development team, and this role is the ground floor. As our founding Development Manager, you will not inherit a playbook; you will have the opportunity to write one. You will partner closely with our Senior Director of Growth and Communications, who will shape strategy alongside you, while you own execution and bring your own ideas to how we build donor relationships, run campaigns, and tell LEAF's story.

This is the right role for someone who is energized by building something from scratch, who thinks like an owner, and who wants their fingerprints on the systems and relationships that will fund LEAF's growth for years to come. If you are resourceful, entrepreneurial, and motivated by mission-driven work, this is a rare chance to shape a function from day one and grow with it.

Why This Role

• Build from the ground up: design and implement the donor systems, workflows, and campaign strategies that will become the backbone of LEAF's fundraising for years to come.
• Creative ownership: bring your voice to donor storytelling, campaign concepts, and events, with real latitude to try new approaches.
• Growth trajectory: as LEAF's Development function matures, this role is positioned to grow in scope and seniority alongside it.
• Direct impact: your work translates directly into resources for first-generation Latinx students and families.
• Close mentorship: work side‑by‑side with senior leadership who are invested in your growth.

Key Responsibilities

Individual Giving, Major Donors & Signature Events

• Collaborate with leadership on multi‑channel individual giving campaigns (annual appeals, EOY, spring/fall, GivingTuesday, monthly recurring donors).
• Identify and research prospective individual and major donors; develop cultivation
• Lead the annual “Plant the Seed” luncheon: event logistics, sponsor outreach, table host strategy, registration, and post‑event follow‑up.
• Support donor cultivation events, site tours, and tabling activities.
• Draft donor‑centered appeals, stewardship emails, case statements, and impact

Strategic Communications & Marketing

• Project manage, write, and oversee layout of LEAF's Annual Impact Report.
• Manage email marketing platform and activities, including newsletter, campaign emails, targeted donor updates, and subscriber segmentation.
• Manage social media and website content.
• Create donor‑centered storytelling and basic collateral/graphics in Canva or other graphic design platforms; coordinate with outside designers on larger projects.

Development Operations & Systems Management

• Serve as primary administrator for our CRM platform, Network for Good: gift processing, data entry, and financial reconciliation with Finance/Operations.
• Draft and send donor acknowledgment letters; maintain donor records and recognition lists.
• Produce monthly fundraising and communications dashboards for leadership and the Board.
• Establish fundraising workflows, pledge tracking, and campaign analytics, building the systems that don't yet exist.
• Perform other related duties as required and assigned by leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related field, or equivalent experience.
• 4+ years of direct nonprofit fundraising and development experience, ideally spanning individual giving, campaign execution, and event coordination.
• to end, including gift processing, reconciliation, and reporting; knowledge of Network for Good is a plus, and proficiency with Mailchimp and Canva is preferred.
• Event & campaign leadership: a track record of co‑creating and project‑managing fundraising campaigns and events from concept through post‑event stewardship.
• Exceptional writing & communication: experience producing donor‑centered appeals, impact reports, and social content that ignite generosity and translate into real gifts.
• A builder’s mindset: comfortable creating structure and process where none exists, and energized rather than daunted by ambiguity.
• Systems & data orientation: organized, detail‑oriented, and comfortable owning clean data and meeting fast response‑time standards without heavy oversight.
• Cultural competency & mission alignment: a deep, genuine commitment to educational equity and postsecondary success for Latinx, immigrant, and first‑generation communities.
• Bilingual Spanish/English strongly preferred.
• Strong ethical values and a passion for LEAF’s mission.

Compensation and Benefits

LEAF offers a generous pay and benefits package which includes:

• $71,500 - $83,500 annual base salary, based on experience and qualifications
• 50% employer paid medical and dental/vision coverage options
• 401(k) retirement plan with a LEAF match: 100% of contributions on the first 3% deferred, then 50% of contributions from 3% to 5%
• Paid Time Off: 14 paid holidays, 120 hours accrued vacation- increases with length of service, 80 hours paid sick leave, Winter break between Christmas and New Year.
• Parking and mileage reimbursement
• Employer‑sponsored professional development opportunities
• Optional disability, life insurance coverage options, as well as Flexible Spending
• LEAF offices are located at 1550 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126. This position is hybrid, requiring onsite work 2-3 days per week.
• Occasional evening and weekend events are required, with the ability to flex working hours accordingly.
• Reliable transportation is required.

LEAF is proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive

consideration for employment without regard to race, color, citizenship status, national origin,

ancestry (including caste), gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,

genetic information, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status,

reproductive health status, family caregiver status, political or religious affiliations, or any other