Director of Development

Homeword; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

SAVE is seeking a Director of Development and Communications to lead the fundraising and marketing strategy, building philanthropic partnerships and elevating visibility. The role focuses on optimizing internal workflows and transitioning the department to high-performance, data-driven operations, while guiding a team including a Development Associate and Grants Manager.

The ideal candidate will have extensive nonprofit fundraising experience, strategic leadership, and strong communication

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive development and fundraising experience in the nonprofit sector.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in a related field.
• CFRE certification desired.
• Change Management: experience in process optimization, workflow design, or scaling/rebuilding development operations.
• Relationship Management: ability to build authentic relationships with diverse stakeholders and funders.
• Communication Skills: strong writing, speaking, and presentation abilities to convey complex work.
• Technical Savvy: proficiency with modern nonprofit CRMs/donor databases, digital fundraising platforms, and data analytics tools.
• Experience with agile content tools (e.g., Canva, email marketing platforms) is highly preferred.
• Project Management: strong organizational skills and ability to manage competing deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and modernize fundraising and marketing strategy to support budget.
• Build philanthropic partnerships and elevate organizational visibility.
• Lead a dedicated team and external contractors as needed.
• Assess and optimize internal workflows; establish clear operational boundaries.
• Transition the department toward high-performance, data-driven operations.

Skills

Major gifts fundraising

Stakeholder relationships

Communication/writing

Project management

Team leadership

Data analytics

Agile/content tools

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

CFRE certification

Tools

CRM/donor databases

Digital fundraising platforms

Data analytics tools

Canva

Email marketing platforms

Job description

POSITON SUMMARY

The Director of Development and Communications serves as a strategic leader responsible for designing, executing, and modernizing SAVE’s fundraising and marketing strategy to support our $4M annual operating budget. This role builds philanthropic partnerships, elevates organizational visibility, and leads a dedicated team. A primary mandate for this position is to assess and optimize existing internal workflows, establishing clear operational boundaries and transitioning the department toward high-performance, data-driven operations.

SUPERVISORY:

Development Associate, Grants Manager, and occasional external contractors

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive development and fundraising experience in the nonprofit sector, with a proven track record of securing major gifts and corporate/foundation funding.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in a related field.
• CFRE certification desired.
• Change Management: Demonstrated experience in process optimization, workflow design, or scaling/rebuilding development and communications operations.
• Relationship Management: Exceptional interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to build authentic relationships with diverse stakeholders, funders, and community partners.
• Communication Skills: Superb written, oral, and presentation skills; ability to translate complex programmatic work into compelling fundraising narratives.
• Technical Savvy: Proficiency with modern nonprofit CRMs/donor databases, digital fundraising platforms, and data analytics tools.
• Experience with agile content tools (e.g., Canva, email marketing platforms) is highly preferred.
• Project Management: Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing deadlines, prioritize effectively, and work both independently and collaboratively.