Director of Development

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Founded in 2001, First Graduate’s mission is to help students become the first in their families
to graduate from college ready to pursue careers that are meaningful to them. Through a
combination of academic support and instruction, high school and college counseling,
individualized coaching, and career exploration, First Graduate engages young people from 7th grade all the way through their college graduation. We provide our students with the long-term
support that their more well-off peers receive so that they can become competitive high school
and college candidates.

Diversity Statement
First Graduate is committed to building a culturally diverse staff that reflects our student
population; we strongly encourage applications from people of color and first-generation college
graduates.

Position Overview
We are seeking a talented and dynamic Director of Development to help lead and grow the
organization. The Development Director is responsible for creating, implementing, and
managing the organization’s $1.6 - $3M annual development plan, in partnership with the
Executive Director and Board of Directors.
The Director of Development will be responsible for leading our organization’s development
efforts: identifying and pursuing public and private funding opportunities, initiating development
strategies, engaging prospects, managing pipelines, closing gifts, and executing high-quality
cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship processes, while working cross-functionally (with
finance, marketing, program, and operations) to lead communication and reporting. The Director
of Development will also engage with and manage a contract grant writer to ensure that we are
able to effectively apply for and secure funding from grants and government contracts. The
person in this role will be responsible for maintaining our funder database and reporting to
support those goals and build relationships with philanthropic partners.
The ideal candidate for this position will leverage demonstrated fundraising skills, leadership
abilities, an extensive personal network to effectively build rapport with our team, our
supporters, and the external stakeholders with whom our organization partners. A successful
Director of Development will bring a dynamic leadership style and an outcomes-oriented
approach to Development.

Specific Responsibilities
Donor Relations, Cultivation, and Acquisition
● Help our donors accomplish their philanthropic goals through a relationship with our
organization and understanding the impact of their gifts.
● Develop and execute the annual fundraising plan with the Board Development
Committee with the goal of raising $1.6 - $3 million annually.

● Meet or exceed fundraising targets by cultivating and soliciting large gifts so that First
Graduate will have the resources to serve our students and their families in a meaningful
and substantial way.
● With our Community Engagement Manager, develop/enhance corporate partnerships
that align with our mission.
● Drive fundraising activity, managing clear goals and performance metrics so that the
entire organization can engage in fundraising with purpose and momentum.
● Communicate pipeline progress and status of goals on a consistent basis to other
leaders within our organization, so that the team will be better able to strategize for
future programs and provide our stakeholders with accurate information.
Foundations and Grants
● Project manage the current and new grant and RFP applications. Work with our team
and contract grant writer, to outline, draft, edit and submit grant proposals and reports
about FGs programs and services for private, community, and corporate foundations and
government agencies so that we can have increasing and lasting community impact long
term.
● Provide excellent editing and proofreading for all grant materials to ensure that our
organization is always presented in a polished and professional manner, giving us the
best chance at winning proposals and grants.
● Conduct regular prospect research in order to expand funding sources.
● Manage cross-team collaboration to gather insights and report to funders on progress
toward grant objectives.
● Help manage and strengthen relationships with philanthropic partners, following up on
information requests, moving funding conversations forward, and supporting periodic
one-on-one check-ins.
● Keep grant acknowledgment letters updated and ensure all funder contributions receive
a timely acknowledgment.
● Help keep the grant calendar up to date with all ongoing philanthropy projects, using the
calendar to manage and assign tasks and ensure all deadlines are met.
Fundraising Events
● With the Development Committee, plan and implement the annual Cap & Gown benefit
event.
● Partner with Board members and major donors to implement house party/Giving Circle
engagement opportunities and other donor cultivation events.

Data and Systems
Management Establish and maintain donor development systems, processes, and workflow
● Develop and ensure donor cultivation workflow including process/protocol related to
each stage of the cultivation process, from identification to the first communication to
solicitation to acknowledgment.
● Generate fundraising reports for the Leadership team, staff, and Board to track progress
against benchmarks and Development Plan.
● Work with the Executive Director to manage cash flow projections on a monthly basis.
● Manage systems and software to track and cultivate donors and prospects, including our
donor database and other tools.
● Maintain Salesforce records and work closely with the Operations and accounting team
on regularly scheduled reconciliation.

● Ensure that tax receipts and donor acknowledgments are sent out.
● Maintain our profiles on and manage reports across donor platforms (GiveLively,
Benevity, YourCause/Blackbaud, Bright Network, Network for Good, Project World
Impact, etc.) so our profiles are up to date, consistent, and drive donor campaigns.
Leadership and Strategy
● Work closely with Executive leadership to build a strategy that will engage private donors
and philanthropic partners so that our organization will be able to successfully raise the
funds required to run our organization.
● Help create a strategy around identifying and applying for funds so that we can pilot and
operate new programs.
● Work closely with Executive leadership to ensure alignment to strategy, process, and
cross-team collaboration at all times so that our organization can function efficiently and
effectively, leaving as much time as possible to serve our stakeholders.
● As our team grows, manage direct reports in a collaborative, team-based environment,
thinking through staff development, roles, and team growth as needed in order to
optimize the philanthropic potential for FG
● Fulfill organizational duties as they arise including participating in staff meetings, special
committees, event planning, and implementation.
● Work with the Board of Directors to grow board engagement in fundraising, volunteering
opportunities, corporate targeting, etc.
● Produce development updates for the Board of Directors to be presented at every Board
meeting.
● Serve as lead for Development Team, managing one full-time staff and contract staff to
facilitate marketing, communications, fundraising, and grant management for the agency
as a whole.

Marketing Communications
● Lead First Graduate’s social media strategy: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
others, as appropriate in collaboration with the Community Engagement Manager and
others, and direct and implement online and offline campaigns to raise funds for specific
projects and general operating support.
● Ensure that all donor acknowledgments are relevant, current, and issued within 48
business hours of gift receipt.
● Help create fundraising campaigns that rally individual donors, corporate partners, and
foundation partners to support FGs work.
● Collaborate with the marketing team to draft emails, social media, and webpage content
for our community of existing and prospective donors.
● Work with the leadership team to design and implement a communications strategy that
engages funders.
● Contribute to FGs annual report—a digital-based reflection on the work FG
accomplished and our vision going forward.

Minimum Qualifications
● Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience in business, fundraising, or
nonprofit management.

● 3 - 5 years of experience and success with major donors, corporate, and foundation
fundraising.
● Minimum of two years of management experience.
● Exceptional interpersonal, communication (oral and written), public speaking, and
presentation skills.
● Commitment to working with under-served communities.
● Confidence, flexibility, and the ability to lead, plan and manage change are essential.
● Ability to generate respect and trust from staff and external constituencies.
● Excellent judgment, strategic thinker, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial.
● Ability to work well within a multicultural team environment with high standards, integrity,
and a sense of humor.
● Bilingual Spanish/English or Cantonese/English or Tagalog/English preferred.
● Demonstrated management and leadership abilities, including strong planning and
organizational skills.
Additional Requirements
● Employment is contingent upon clearance of a criminal background check through the
FBI and CA Department of Justice as well as clearance through the National Sex
Offender Public Website.
● All potential employees are required to obtain and submit the results of a current TB test.
Compensation and Benefits
● The salary range is $90,000 - $115,000 commensurate with demonstrated skills and
experience.
● Comprehensive benefits package, including generous vacation (three weeks in the first
year, increasing to 5 weeks after 5 years), paid holiday (usually 15-18 days), two
personal days each calendar year, the office is usually closed the week between
Christmas and New Year’s Day, 10 days of paid sick leave each calendar year, fully paid
medical/dental plans, and a 403(b) Plan.

To Apply
Please send a cover letter and resume (PDF format) via email with “Director of Development” in
the subject line to Terri Forman, Executive Director: tforman@firstgraduate.org. Please include
three references and their contact information; we will only call after the interview.
*Note: Resumes not accompanied by a cover letter and list of references will not be considered.

Non-Discrimination Policy
First Graduate is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and
connectedness. We grow and learn better together with a diverse team of employees. The
collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation,
self-expression, and talent that our employees bring is an important part of our culture. In
recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your
education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin,
age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and
beliefs.

For more information about First Graduate please visit firstgraduate.org