Development Director - Northern California

About the role

The Development Director is part of a team of fundraisers and relationship builders working together to support Playworks’ strategic growth plan. The Director’s main roles are to create and implement the overarching regional fundraising strategy, lead cultivation and stewardship of many high-level external relationships, and lead, develop, and mobilize the region to achieve ambitious fundraising goals. Reporting directly to the Executive Director in Northern California, the Director creatively develops, leads and drives ambitious fundraising strategy, board management in close partnership with the Executive Director, and new fundraising generation. As a trusted advisor and strategic thought partner to the ED, the Director is a senior leader in the region who catalyzes regional growth as a resource mobilizer, elevates the Playworks brand, as a fundraising and external relations expert, and as a savvy people leader and relationship builder.

Responsibilities

• Create, lead, and drive overarching fundraising strategy, operational plans, and all revenue activities to meet or exceed fundraising goals for the region.
• Maintain high renewal rates
• Maintain donor relationships and build new ones
• Maximize upgrade opportunities for individual and institutional gifts
• Increase revenue in all streams by 10% in FY26
• Identify strategies to generate prospects to support impact goals through 2027
• Own, develop, and implement innovative strategies to increase individual and institutional funding streams and identify prospective government funding opportunities.
• Deliver on a comprehensive development plan for FY26 with a private revenue goal of $1 million and support current local government fundraising sources $1.3M
• Personally manage a high-level portfolio of major individual donors, corporate partners, and foundations (existing and prospective), driving cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship to secure six- and seven-figure gifts and achieve personal fundraising targets.
• Drive Regional External Relations And Local Brand
• Build a comprehensive communications and public relations plan to help elevate the Playworks brand
• Build external relationships is essential for donor cultivation, prospect identification, and partnership opportunities in the education and literacy sectors.
• Oversee all external communications, ensuring persuasive and compelling messaging, campaigns, and alignment
• Oversee the strategy and support in cultivating and stewarding individual donors
• Manage relationships with institutional donors, including corporate and entertainment alignments
• Staff and provide strategic support to the board through management of Fundraising and Engagement, and Corporate committees
• Ensure systems and operations of the development department, optimizing efficiencies and skills
• Provide strategic advice and direction to the Executive Director to ensure the region’s success against goals and benchmarks

Qualifications

• 5+ years of increasing responsibility in a development or related role, including 3 years of team management or leadership
• Demonstrate a strong track record in driving development efforts in rapidly growing mission-oriented organizations, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Have experience reading, interpreting, and providing financial reports for donors
• Be an exceptional and persuasive communicator in writing and verbally
• Show a strong hunger and drive to not only drive strategy internally but also to heavily participate in external relationship building and fundraising
• Lead the strategy, development, and execution of innovative fundraising events that generate new revenue, deepen community engagement, expand Playworks' network of supporters, and achieve annual fundraising goals
• Collaborate with the Northern California leadership team, and lead an internal team to meet and exceed aggressive fundraising goals
• Consistently coach, grow, and create stretch assignments to grow future fundraising leaders from within
• Have experience working in launch or growth phases of organizations
• Have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business, public administration, or a comparable field
• Have a high degree of comfort with Salesforce or other fundraising database
• Have experience working in education or literacy