Development Director

ABOUT THE POSITION

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. This role is an in‑person role responsible for conducting in‑person meetings and site visits across the Bay Area, based primarily in our Oakland offices.

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 manages 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.

• Develop a comprehensive communications and public relations plan to help elevate the Playworks brand
• Building 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

• Demonstrate an ability to devise innovative regional strategic fundraising plans, create action steps, and mobilize many stakeholders to achieve fundraising goals (ie event best practices and innovation). Build sustainable plans to maximize market opportunities, meet goals and significantly grow funding. In addition, leverage systems, people, and resources to drive processes and track progress against goals to report on progress to senior leadership and board.
  
  Execute work in a highly organized, analytical, and data‑informed manner.
• Work with the Executive Director to provide best in class cultivation and activation strategies to move all prospects through pipeline moves management from research/ prospecting to close.

• Demonstrate advanced experience in external relations, corporate alignment, board management and communication, and strategic stewardship and cultivation of donors. Deliver convincing messaging and demonstrate a genuine joy in connecting with donors, and…