Development Director-Los Angeles

• Non-local: 0% except once a year for approximately 3-4 days for LIFT’s annual All Staff Retreat in one of its regional cities (no non-local travel if retreat is in home city)
• Local In-Person External Meetings: 15%
• Some evenings and occasional weekend work to attend events

LIFT is on a mission to break the cycle of poverty by investing in parents. Through direct work with families, engaging technical assistance partnerships, and by advocating for policies that drive systemic change, we’re fighting poverty by lifting two generations at once. 

Our team culture is rooted in deep respect for the parents we partner with and for each other. We’re looking for dedicated team members who share our vision that, 25 years from now, LIFT is no longer needed because we have helped build a social service system grounded in Hope, Money, and Love, where all families can thrive. We’re guided by mission- and strategy-aligned leadership grounded in kindness, curiosity, relationships, and a commitment to equity. Explore our benefits and what it’s like to work at LIFT below – or visit our Benefits & Culture Overview to learn more. 

Reporting to the regional Executive Director, the Development Director is responsible for the management, coordination, and execution of the region’s fundraising efforts to meet the year’s revenue goals. The Development Director will serve as a thought partner to the regional Executive Director, will co-lead on regional revenue strategy and plan for execution. This role will oversee institutional fundraising with the Development team, and manage a development portfolio that includes individual, corporate, and institutional donors, as well as major campaigns like events. Success for the Director looks like our members and program having the support and resources they need to succeed. 

• Serve as thought partner to the Executive Director in shaping the region's overall development strategy
• Lead the annual revenue planning process with the ED and National Development Team
• Regularly generate and analyze fundraising data to inform strategy adjustments
• Develop deep understanding of programmatic offerings and use those insights to drive development strategy
• Ground all fundraising in race, equity, and social justice; work toward a community-centric fundraising model

• Identify new grant funding opportunities and lead proposal and report strategy
• Steward existing foundation relationships
• Support the ED in managing LIFT-LA's current foundation relationships, including reviewing grant proposals and reports from the National Grants Consultant

• Manage, renew and upgrade a portfolio of existing and new institutional, corporate, and individual relationships to meet or exceed annual fundraising goals
• Work collaboratively with Board and partners to expand supporter network
• Support Board in partner engagement and stewardship
• Use wealth screening tools to identify current and new stakeholders to build relationships with potential donor
• Develop, cultivate and inspire relationships with corporate donors as sponsors and long-term sustainability partners
• Build and steward a prospect portfolio targeting $3,500+ gifts. Solicit and close individual gifts
• Manage Salesforce to integrate data and research into the donor cultivation process
• Lead planning and execution of the annual Family Supporter Network and/or fundraising campaign
• Plan small donor cultivation events with the ED, Development Manager, and program team

• Support the Development Manager in creating and implementing a communications strategy including newsletters and donor stewardship touchpoints
• Continue to grow and implement ethical storytelling and compensation processes
• Support staff in collecting stories from members, coaches, and donors; ensure families' voices and narratives are centered in communications and donor conversations

• Work with the ED to engage the region's Advisory Board, including recruiting and selecting new members
• Handle Advisory Board communications and preparation for meetings
• Effectively leverage the Executive Director with existing and prospective funders

• Directly supervise the region's Development Manager
• Support the ED in engaging the Operations Manager in events, development, and fundraising activities
• Prepare the ED for funder meetings and donor conversations, including briefing materials, talking points, and background on donor history and interests

All LIFT employees embrace and demonstrate our organization-wide core competencies:

• →Communication: You share information with relevant parties in a clear and timely manner; effectively engage with and present to others; and write and verbally communicate in a manner that conveys understanding of relevant information and issues.
• →Accountability: You take responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work and achieve results with appropriate levels of oversight. You receive feedback in a constructive manner.
• →Inclusiveness: You help create a work environment that appreciates diversity and encourages equity by treating others with respect, listening to, and demonstrating appreciation for others’ perspectives, and using culturally sensitive language.
• →Teamwork: You work effectively with others throughout the organization and promote cooperation and commitment within your team to achieve goals and deliverables.
• →Results-orientation: You focus on results and desired outcomes, keeping team and organizational goals in mind. You use sound planning to achieve goals and get the job done.
• →Problem-solving: You take the initiative to solve problems. You exhibit resourcefulness, innovation, and adaptability to new situations.

All LIFT managers embrace and demonstrate our management core competencies:

• →Management and Coaching: You manage staff in ways that improve their ability to thrive in their role. You empower coworkers to grow and succeed through feedback, instruction, coaching, and encouragement.
• →Decision-making: You analyze issues and use good judgement to make sound decisions in a timely manner, even when under pressure and/or in times of ambiguity. You listen to and consider others’ perspectives in making decisions.

All LIFT directors embrace and demonstrate our leadership core competencies:

• →Strategic vision: You see the big, long-range picture and plan accordingly. You adopt a broad view, consider the organization, and generate ideas for the direction and activities of the organization.
• →Business alignment: You align the direction, services, outputs, and performance of their department with the rest of the organization. You align actions with team and organizational goals.
• →Inspirational leadership: You inspire others, instill confidence both internally and externally, and galvanize others around a central vision. You maintain relevant professional networks outside of LIFT and are an influencer in these spaces.

Don’t think you have everything for this role but are still interested? Please don’t hesitate to apply. We’d love to hear from you! LIFT is an equal opportunity employer and believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. LIFT’s goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, those who identify as women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization.