Fast Facts

EdTrust is seeking a Development Lead I to drive fundraising strategies and oversee development initiatives in Oakland, CA, playing a crucial role in advancing educational equity.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include managing the fundraising plan, producing grant proposals and reports, collaborating with departments, diversifying funding sources, and contributing to a culture of philanthropy.

Skills: Ideal candidates should possess strong project management, relationship-building, and communication skills, along with a commitment to educational equity and experience in nonprofit fundraising.

Qualifications: Candidates should have at least a bachelor's degree and a minimum of 5 years relevant fundraising experience, including grant writing and CRM management.

Location: This job is based in Oakland, CA with eligibility for remote work for up to three days a week.

Compensation: $90900 - $113620 / Annually

Lead I, Development

California – Level D – Exempt

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION AND THE OPPORTUNITY

EdTrust seeks a Development Lead I in our California office (EdTrust-West). The Development Lead will join a staff who are committed to fulfilling our mission of closing opportunity gaps that disproportionately affect students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.

The Development Lead will play a key role informing fundraising strategy and executing on the organization’s development plan in support of EdTrust-West’s sustainability efforts and mission. This role functions with a high degree of autonomy and brings subject-matter expertise in fundraising. Core responsibilities include: informing and managing the implementation of our fundraising plan to support ETW’s revenue goals, promoting an internal culture of philanthropy, and liaising across departments to ensure funder deadlines are met with high quality products. This is a particularly exciting time at ETW for our fundraising work, as we are approaching our 25th anniversary and will be looking for the Development Lead to bring creative energy and operational acumen to help us celebrate this organizational milestone.

EdTrust is committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the U.S. education system. Through our research and advocacy, EdTrust improves equity in education from preschool through college, engages diverse communities dedicated to equity and justice, and increases political and public will to build an education system where all students will thrive.

This role, available immediately, is based in Oakland and is eligible for telework for up to three days a week per our current policy. The Development Lead I reports to the Deputy Director, Strategic Growth and may supervise 1-2 team members.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The responsibilities and objectives for this role include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Support the Deputy Director in developing EdTrust-West’s development plan and annual goals
• Manage ETW’s development plan and execute on all aspects of the grant application and reporting process, including prospecting, proposal and report writing, budget development, quality assurance, and timely submissions
• Produce high quality funder-facing materials such as concept papers, proposals, and reports in coordination with program staff and subject matter experts
• Serve as the primary grants-focused point of contact across multiple grant portfolios to both funders and internal collaborators, including finance and program staff
• Identify and implement strategies for securing new development opportunities and continue to diversify our funding base, including grant opportunities, individual giving campaigns, sponsorships, and Donor Advised Funds (DAFs)
• Recruit, hire, and manage 1-2 employees, interns, and consultants as appropriate, including effectively delegating tasks in line with the departmental objectives and work plan, providing coaching and development, supporting prioritization and assessing performance
• Contribute to and leverage donor database (Salesforce) and grants management software (Sage Intacct) to effectively track and improve funder engagement
• Develop and implement strategies to support an internal “culture of philanthropy” at ETW, which could include building staff capacity to develop relationships with funders
• Collaborate across EdTrust-West’s teams to advance our fundraising efforts, such as by developing communications strategies that make EdTrust-West’s work accessible to donors and funders
• Maintain and update the Development team’s fundraising manual on an ongoing basis
• Stay current and knowledgeable on organizational research and reports as it relates to funder and donor priorities, as well as the changing funding landscape in California

IDEAL SKILLS AND CHARACTERISTICS

• Shared belief in EdTrust’s mission and a commitment to improving educational equity with a focus on racial equity
• Dedication in contributing to and maintaining an equitable working environment
• Willingness to provide constructive feedback to others; as well as to receive and act upon feedback from others
• Strong, proactive project management skills, including demonstrated ability to deliver high quality work on time and in coordination with multiple stakeholders
• Strong relationship building and collaboration skills with a wide range of stakeholders, including the ability to balance the needs of various internal and external stakeholders to achieve fundraising goals
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to convey organizational initiatives in digestible and compelling formats for funder audiences
• A general understanding of the educational equity sector in California
• Sound judgement, strong follow-through and high attention to detail
• People management skills

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and experience:

• At least a bachelor’s degree
• Significant (at least 5+ years) relevant work experience in nonprofit fundraising (including grant writing and reporting) with private and public foundations; experience in individual giving, corporate giving, donor advised funds, and/or sponsorships is a plus
• Significant experience with CRM management (i.e. Salesforce).
• Strong understanding of the philanthropic sector and giving trends related to racial and/or education equity

COMPENSATION

This position falls in Level D of our salary structure for our California office, which has a range of $90,900 – $113,620. Offers will be commensurate with candidate experience, skills, and internal equity and are rarely offered at the top of this range.

EdTrust prioritizes the health and well-being of its employees and, to that end, offers a highly competitive benefits package. Medical, dental and vision insurance are covered at 100% for the employee, with significant coverage also offered for spouses, domestic partners, and dependents. We provide sick leave, vacation leave, and personal leave, and we follow the federal government for most holiday closures. To ensure staff have synchronous opportunities for rest and renewal, the office is closed for a week-long summer break and a week-long winter break. Among other offerings, we provide an Employee Assistance Program at no cost to the employee, and a generous 7% contribution opportunity on a 403(b)-retirement plan.

VACCINATION FOR COVID-19

At EdTrust, the health and safety of our employees is of the utmost importance. As such, all Education Trust employees are required to be fully vaccinated and remain up to date on their vaccinations for COVID-19. New hires should be fully vaccinated and up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations prior to their first day of work. Requests for accommodations due to medical or religious reasons will be reviewed by Human Resources.

QUALIFIED CANDIDATES, PLEASE APPLY 

EdTrust is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.

To Apply: Please complete the application in ADP by the deadline of Monday, October 20th including uploading a resume and answering the short answer questions in lieu of a cover letter.