Director, Marketing Communications, Sales

Help build the relationships and resources that power youth creativity.

Outside The Lens (OTL) is a San Diego-based nonprofit that creates opportunities for young people to use photography, filmmaking, and digital media to tell their stories, explore their creativity, and engage with the world around them.

Through mentorship and hands-on learning, we give young people the tools, skills, space, and support to build confidence, develop their creative practice, and make their voices heard.

We’re looking for a Director of Advancement to help us grow what’s possible. This is a senior leadership role for someone who knows how to turn relationships into lasting philanthropic support—and compelling stories into deeper engagement with a mission.

You’ll lead OTL’s contributed-revenue strategy across individual giving, foundations, corporations, government sources, and sponsor ships. You’ll personally cultivate and steward key donors and funders, build a strong pipeline for future growth, and partner closely with our Executive Director, leadership team, and Board to expand OTL’s community of supporters and champions.

You’ll also lead our communications strategy, ensuring that OTL’s storytelling, messaging, brand, and donor communications work together to strengthen relationships, increase visibility, and inspire investment in our mission. This role offers significant ownership and the opportunity to help shape OTL’s next chapter.

• Own OTL’s annual and multi-year contributed-revenue strategy and fundraising goals.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors and major-gift prospects.
• Lead fundraising across foundations, corporations, government sources, and sponsor ships.
• Build and actively manage a strong pipeline of prospective donors and funders.
• Use fundraising data and forecasting to identify opportunities and guide strategy.
• Engage OTL leadership and Board members strategically to open doors and strengthen relationships.

• Lead OTL’s communications, messaging, and brand strategy in support of our mission and advancement goals.
• Strengthen our case for support by translating program impact and young people’s stories into compelling communications.
• Set priorities across digital, email, website, print, media, and donor communications.
• Identify the relationships, networks, events, media opportunities, and community spaces that can strengthen OTL’s visibility and reach.
• Partner with the Executive Director on external engagement, relationship strategy, messaging, and follow-through.

• Serve as OTL’s senior advancement leader and a member of the organizational leadership team.
• Supervise and coach a communications/design team member and part-time grants writer.
• Strengthen the systems behind the work, including CRM practices, fundraising calendars, reporting, workflows, and institutional knowledge.
• Partner with Programs and Finance on impact reporting, grant management, gift reconciliation, and revenue forecasting.
• Set priorities and move work forward independently while knowing when collaboration or executive involvement will create a stronger result.

You’ll know you’re succeeding when OTL has a stronger, more sustainable advancement engine: contributed revenue is growing, relationships are deepening, opportunities are moving through a healthy pipeline, and our communications consistently reinforce why this work matters.

• Progress toward annual contributed-revenue goals and a strong pipeline for future growth.
• Increased donor acquisition, retention, renewal, upgrades, and major-gift cultivation.
• Strong institutional and corporate funding relationships.
• Reliable forecasting and consistent,…