Director of Development

Oakland Public Education Fund; Oakland (CA); Hybrid; USD 88,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

13-15 paid holidays

Health insurance (employee only)

401K plan (non-matched)

Generous vacation and sick time

Hybrid work schedule

Job summary

Oakland Public Education Fund is seeking a Director of Development who loves fundraising and building revenue streams. You will own all fundraising and communications strategy, leading a small team and partnering with Ed Fund leadership to grow a multi-million dollar operating budget.

The role offers a hybrid schedule with strong mentorship, opportunities for professional growth, and a direct impact on Oakland public schools and programs serving youth.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of fundraising leadership across multiple donor channels.
• Entrepreneurial track record building new fundraising programs or revenue streams.
• Experience cultivating donor relationships that lead to commitments.
• Experience creating compelling written and oral fundraising communications.
• Knowledge of and relationships with the Bay Area funding community.
• Experience managing, growing, and supporting teams in a hybrid work environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute a multi-channel development strategy including major gifts, donors, corporate partnerships, grants, digital giving, endowment planning, and in-kind resources.
• Lead frontline fundraising, cultivating, soliciting, and closing high-value prospects.
• Collaborate with the CEO and Board to align development plans with strategic priorities for major donor and corporate solicitations.
• Test, launch, and scale new fundraising vehicles to diversify and future-proof revenue.
• Partner with an external communications firm to develop a marketing and communications strategy that amplifies fundraising goals.
• Lead grants management and ensure compliance, reporting, and deadlines with Finance and a contracted grant writer.
• Maintain and optimize Salesforce usage to track revenue streams and donor pipelines.
• Establish departmental policies, manage the development budget, and monitor performance metrics.

Skills

Fundraising experience

Entrepreneurial track record

Donor relationship development

Written and verbal communications

Bay Area funding knowledge

Hybrid work experience

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Compensation

• The salary range for this position is $88k-$92k Annually
• Average of 13-15 Paid Holidays, plus a winter break.
• 100% Employer Paid Health Insurance (employee only) Health/Vision/ Dental/ Life.
• Sponsored 401K Plan (non-matched)
• Generous Vacation and Sick time accrual
• Work/Life Balance

Work Life at the Ed Fund

• Ability to work from home; with a Hybrid schedule
• Great mentorship and opportunities for both personal development and professional growth;
• The opportunity to make a direct, positive impact on Oakland public schools and programs serving our youth.

About The Ed Fund

Oakland Public Education Fund leads the investment of community resources in Oakland public schools so that all students can learn, grow, and thrive. Therefore, our work is to connect public schools with tools, funds, and volunteers.

The Oakland Public Education Fund is a nonprofit that leads the development of community resources in Oakland public schools so that all students can learn, grow, and thrive. We have helped raise over $200M for Oakland kids, placed 10,000 volunteers in local classrooms, and fiscally sponsored more than 150 education-related projects. Learn more about our work and mission at www.oaklandedfund.org .

About The Role

We're looking for a Director of Development who genuinely loves to fundraise: someone who gets energized by building relationships, making the ask, and closing the gift, not just managing a pipeline from a distance. This entrepreneurial, roll-up-your-sleeves leader will own all fundraising and communications strategy for the Oakland Public Education Fund (Ed Fund), reporting to the Managing Director. They will build and lead the Development department and personally drive the multi-faceted revenue strategies that grow our core $2.0M - $2.5M operating budget.

This is a role for a builder: someone who sees opportunity where others see constraints, treats the organization's growth as their own, and is as comfortable launching a brand-new revenue idea from scratch as they are polishing an existing campaign. Positioned at a pivotal moment of growth for Ed Fund, the Director of Development will bridge high-level strategy with detail-oriented, hands‑on execution — partnering closely with Ed Fund leadership, Board of Directors, OUSD leadership, and an external communications firm to build innovative public/private partnerships, open new doors with funders, and advance educational equity across Oakland public schools.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Fund Development & Revenue Growth

• Comprehensive Fundraising Strategy: Design and execute a multi-channel development strategy encompassing major gifts, individual donors, corporate partnerships, grant solicitation, digital giving, endowment planning, and in‑kind resources — always with an eye for creative, entrepreneurial new revenue ideas.
• Frontline Fundraising: Lead from the front as a personal fundraiser, not just a strategist — continuously identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and closing gifts with high‑value individual, corporate, and foundation prospects, and adapting strategies as regional philanthropic trends shift.
• Executive & Board Partnership: Collaborate with the CEO and Board to align development plans with strategic priorities, providing high‑touch guidance and briefing materials for major donor and corporate solicitations.
• Entrepreneurial Revenue Building: Proactively test, launch, and scale new fundraising vehicles (e.g., giving circles, corporate sponsorship packages, peer‑to‑peer campaigns, planned giving) to diversify and future‑proof Ed Fund's revenue base.
• Communications & Marketing Alignment: Partner directly with an external communications firm to develop and implement a marketing and communications strategy that amplifies brand impact and drives organizational fundraising goals.

OUSD Strategic Resource Partnerships

• District Co-Design: Partner with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) leaders to co‑create, manage, and scale a system‑wide resource development strategy for systemic and site‑level school needs.
• Donor & Grant Coordination: Collaborate with the Programs Team and OUSD partners to manage high‑stakes grants (including the OUSD multi‑year Salesforce grant), align donor strategy, and foster high‑impact public/private partnerships.
• Capacity Building: Provide periodic coaching and strategic support to the CEO, staff, Board members, fiscally sponsored initiatives, and OUSD leadership to enhance their fundraising efficacy and instill a shared enthusiasm for fund development.

Departmental Operations, Systems & Finance

• Grants Management: Lead the development team in submitting grant proposals, collaborating with a contracted grant writer and Finance to ensure strict compliance, reporting, and deadline tracking.
• Salesforce & Data Systems: Maintain and optimize Salesforce utilization to track, analyze, and manage all contributed revenue streams and donor pipelines.
• Budget & Compliance: Establish departmental policies, manage the annual development budget, and continuously evaluate performance metrics to guarantee financial targets are met.

Leadership, Culture & Team Management

• Team Supervision: Lead, manage, and mentor a team of 1–3 development staff and external contractors, guiding performance management, professional growth, and day‑to‑day operations.
• Values‑Driven, Entrepreneurial Culture: Foster a departmental culture grounded in equity, collaboration, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement — while modeling a genuine enjoyment of fundraising that inspires the same in others.
• Impact Storytelling: Curate program successes and metrics to build transparent donor relationships, authentic community engagement, and long‑term donor loyalty.

Qualifications

Required 5-7 years of

• A genuine passion for fundraising and demonstrated success leading campaigns across multiple donor channels — this is a role for someone energized by the chase, not just the reporting.
• An entrepreneurial track record of building new fundraising programs or revenue streams from the ground up, with the drive to spot and seize opportunities others might miss.
• Experience cultivating experiences that help develop deep and long‑lasting donor relationships.
• Experience creating powerful, compelling written and oral communications to support fundraising, with an ability to convey complex ideas through brief, simple materials.
• Knowledge of and working relationships with the Bay Area funding community.
• Successful experience managing, growing, and supporting teams in a hybrid work environment.

Other Requirements

• Ability to pass a criminal background check and TB test.
• Possession of or ability to get a valid California driver's license and willingness to travel locally.

Preferred

• Leadership of Resource Development: A true love of resource development, with demonstrated success across individual, corporate, and foundation giving that has resulted in meaningful commitments. Deep knowledge of non‑profit fund development and managing funder relationships, with experience designing and leading annual campaigns. Fundraising certification or higher degree a plus.
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: A self‑starter who thrives on building something new — comfortable creating structure and strategy where none yet exists, iterating quickly, and treating fundraising goals as personal wins to chase down.
• Storytelling: A skilled storyteller with professional experience helping a broader community connect with a cause and take meaningful action. Demonstrated success turning knowledge into engaging, useful messages and disseminating them to the right audience(s) through the best distribution channel(s).
• Management and Supervision: Experience in employee (staff, contractors, or volunteers) supervision, support, hiring, and evaluation, budget management, program planning, design, and implementation, and non‑profit program administration. High degree of personal and professional integrity and honesty. Excellent administrative, organizational, and communication skills.

Equal Employment Opportunity Disclosure

The Oakland Public Education Fund is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

We are dedicated to improving our organization and know that part of it means to better reflect the people we serve.

We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages and we especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.