Sr. Director of Development

The Greenlining Institute; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 134,000 - 181,000; Full time

Job summary

The Greenlining Institute seeks a Senior Director of Development to lead revenue strategy, donor engagement, and long-term financial sustainability. You will report to executive leadership and oversee major gifts, partnerships, and program-related funding.

Role involves building a diverse fundraising portfolio, mentoring staff, and aligning development activities with Greenlining’s equity-focused mission and 2027-2029 plan.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of non-profit leadership or equivalent senior leadership experience.
• Fluency with donor databases, preferably Salesforce.
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university; Master’s degree strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of racial justice issues and commitment to advancing equity.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to travel as needed to meetings and conferences within the state.

Responsibilities

• Drives division-wide revenue strategies and long-term sustainability.
• Oversees cultivation and stewardship of institutional philanthropy, corporate partners, funders, and individual donors.
• Develops multi-year fundraising strategies and revenue plans.
• Builds strategic relationships with funders, sponsors, and community leaders to increase support.
• Leads a high-performing development team and ensures effective operations and reporting.

Skills

Strategic implementation & alignment

People & team development

Equity-centered leadership

Relationship management

Communication & influence

Adaptive project management

Fund development & stewardship

Organizational stewardship

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

Salesforce

Google Apps

Microsoft Office

Word

Excel

Job description

Greenlining is anequalopportunityemployercommitted to adiverseworkforce.Greenlining is committed to building and maintaining a diverse staff and an inclusive workplace that values equity. We welcome applications from immigrants, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ applicants, and people with lived experience in poverty.

Job Title: Sr. Director of Development

Classification: Exempt, Non-Union, 35-Hour Work Week

Reports to: VP of Development/Communications/Events

Grade Level: 35

Overview:

The Greenlining Institute works towards a future where communities of color can build wealth, live in healthy places filled with economic opportunity, and are ready to meet the challenges posed by climate change.

We work with communities of color to:

• Understand and analyze the racist barriers to economic opportunity.
• Demand accountability from the public and private sectors to combat injustice.
• Foster consensus-building that produces long-term change and success.
• Bridge research and policy to spearhead innovative strategies at the intersections of racial, economic, and climate equity.

To achieve our vision, we focus on four strategic issue areas:

1. Economic Equity
2. Climate Equity
3. Transformative Communities
4. Leadership Academy

The Greenlining Institute is deeply committed to justice and equity not just in the work we do in communities, but also within our organization. We actively work to create a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace that values lived experience, community wisdom, and racial equity. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with lived experiences in historically marginalized communities.

Please note: you are not required to list your academic institution if you prefer not to disclose that information. To learn more about our work and impact, please visit www.greenlining.org.

Key Area of Responsibilities:

The Greenlining Institute seeks a strategic, Senior Director of Development to build on its legacy of advancing economic opportunity and empowering communities of color. Operating with a high degree of independent authority and reporting directly to executive leadership, the Senior Director drives division-wide revenue strategies and cross-functional financial sustainability. This leader oversees the cultivation and stewardship of institutional philanthropy, corporate partners, financial institutions, public-sector funders, and individual donors including DAFs and high net worth donors, while actively identifying and leveraging diverse funding mechanisms—including Program Related Investments (PRIs) and high-impact event sponsorships to expand the organization’s resource base and secure long-term growth.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Directs and supervises department staff, managers, and professionals, including indirect supervision of external consultants and vendors.
• Contributes to cross-departmental collaboration and training related to policy areas
• Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains staff in the department
• Oversees the daily workflow of the department
• Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations
• In consultation with HR, handles discipline and termination of employees in accordance with company policies & or CBA

Key Area of Responsibilities:

Strategic Direction

• Drives cross-team collaboration and cross-functional strategy for growing and diversifying Greenlining’s revenue portfolio, supporting the VP with division-wide strategy, planning, and high independent agency.
• Leads the development of innovative and diversified revenue strategies, including major and individual giving, program-related investments (PRIs), catalytic capital, and other alternative funding mechanisms.
• Directs the development and execution of multi-year fundraising strategies and revenue plans that support Greenlining’s long-term financial sustainability and organizational goals.
• Cultivates and advances strategic relationships with funders, donors, sponsors, Board members, Leadership Academy alumni, community and coalition partners, civic leaders, and other key stakeholders to strengthen Greenlining’s visibility, deepen engagement, and advance the organization’s fundraising and revenue goals.
• Maintains deep expertise in fund development, individual giving, philanthropy trends, and emerging fundraising models, and translates that knowledge into proactive strategies and opportunities for Greenlining.
• Collaborates across functions to align development strategies with organizational priorities, programmatic goals, and Greenlining’s vision and the forthcoming 2027-2029 Strategic Plan to ensure long-term sustainability.
• Oversees organization-wide sponsorship strategy for an annual events program, including for the Just Future Summit, and partners closely with Events and Communications teams to identify opportunities to deepen engagement with funders, donors and effectively communicate Greenlining’s impact.
• Builds fundraising capacity across the organization by mentoring staff and strengthening skills, practices, and shared accountability for fundraising.

Individual Donor Cultivation & Major Donor Program Direction

• Leads strategy for developing and executing a comprehensive major gifts program, including leading a full cycle cultivation program for the cultivation individual donors, high-net-worth donors, planned giving, and Donor Advised Funds (DAFs)
• Holds a leadership role in external partnerships, engaging directly with the Board, major funders, media, and political or community leaders to drive executive-level donor cultivation and major gift strategies.
• Works with the Events team to design donor engagement opportunities—including briefings, small-group gatherings, site visits, leadership meetings, and events that connect donors to Greenlining’s impact, strategy, and community.
• Establishes systems, processes, and performance measures to support effective prospect management, donor cultivation, stewardship, and growth of the individual giving program.

Development Team Leadership, Operations, and Resource Management

• Supervises directors, managers, and professional staff, leading one or more functional areas, setting team goals, and driving professional growth, team engagement, and broader organizational mentorship.
• Guides the development team and program staff in identifying funding opportunities, developing concepts and proposals, securing renewals, and delivering high-quality reports and stewardship materials.
• Fosters a collaborative, equitable, and inclusive team culture and strengthens coordination across Development and the broader organization while cultivating staff growth across Greenlining’s Core Competencies.
• Manages departmental budgeting, P&L responsibility, financial practices, cost-containment, and fiduciary compliance, ensuring robust financial forecasting and strategic resource alignment.
• Directs the systems and infrastructure that support Development operations, including the effective use and ongoing refinement of Salesforce and other grant and donor management systems to strengthen relationship intelligence, coordination, reporting, and follow-through.
• Partners with Finance to ensure accurate grant and donor recordkeeping, reconciliation, revenue tracking.
• Proposes and reviews policy changes, ensures strict compliance with organizational policies, federal/state regulations, and fiduciary standards.
• Drives high-level division planning and execution with a high degree of independent agency and judgment, using performance analytics and strategic foresight to optimize organizational revenue and impact.

The scope of responsibilities is not limited to those listed above and may change as organizational needs evolve. Specific work plan goals are developed each year to inform performance targets.

Key Skills:

1. Strategic Implementation & Alignment

2. People & Team Development

3. Equity-Centered Leadership

4. Relationship Management

5. Communication & Influence

6. Adaptive Project Management

7. Fund Development & Stewardship

8. Organizational Stewardship

QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

• 5+ years of non-profit leadership (may include experience at the AssociateDirector level) or similar experience in a senior leadership role with a consistent and significant track record of success and demonstrated excellence in managing and supporting a team including direct and indirect reports as well as consultants.
• Fluency with donor databases, preferably Salesforce
• Proficient in Google Apps, Microsoft Office, especially Word and Excel
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university required. Master’s degree in a related field strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of racial justice issues and commitment to championing causes that serve low-income and communities of color
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and strategically, navigate complex and multifaceted challenges and opportunities, and apply creativity, sound judgment, and strong organizational and planning skills to advance goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, facilitation, interpersonal skills and consensus-building skills, with the ability to confidently represent the organization with funders and effectively engage diverse stakeholders.
• Strong emotional intelligence and a collaborative, compassionate, and team-oriented approach, with demonstrated ability to build trust, motivate high-performing teams, foster accountability, and develop and sustain people-centered engagement strategies.
• Ability and willingness to travel, as needed, to meetings and conferences throughout the state and possibly other locations

SALARY:

The salary range for this full-time, exempt Grade 35 role is $133,819 to $181,202, with a median of $157,510. The final offer is dependent on qualifications and experience, and new hires can reasonably expect an initial offer between $133,819 and $157,510.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
The Greenlining Institute does not discriminate based on race, color, gender (including actual or perceived gender, and gender identity), sexual orientation, age, marital status, educational institution, medical condition, religious affiliation, veteran status, national origin, citizenship status, mental or physical disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable state, federal or local law. Greenlining will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair ChanceOrdinance. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job, please let us know. If the reason you need an accommodation is not obvious, we may ask for documentation confirming your functional limitations.