Director of Philanthropy-Los Angeles

LIFT • Los Angeles, CA

3d • $95,000 - $130,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Development Director owns and builds LIFT-LA’s revenue strategy to ensure the region’s long-term sustainability and growth. Reporting to the regional Executive Director and co-leading regional development strategy with that leader, the Director is accountable for revenue projections, identifying gaps, making trade-offs across revenue streams, and adjusting strategy to meet the organization’s strategic plan.

This strategic, future-oriented role develops revenue plans with a three-year horizon and builds fundraising capacity across staff, the board, and systems. The Director independently manages a pipeline of more than 100 prospects, activates the board for fundraising accountability, supervises development staff, and partners with Program, Finance, and Communications to create scalable fundraising infrastructure. The role is based in LIFT’s hybrid work environment and is expected to work in the Los Angeles office approximately two days per week. It includes local in-person external meetings (15%), and some evenings and occasional weekends for events. Non-local travel is generally 0%, except for approximately three to four days once a year for LIFT’s annual All Staff Retreat if it is held outside the employee’s home city.

Requirements

• 6–10 years of nonprofit fundraising experience, including ownership of revenue goals and management of a diversified major-gift prospect pipeline.
• Experience managing a fundraising pipeline of more than $1 million.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• Knowledge of Los Angeles’s fundraising landscape.
• Strong strategic and analytical skills, including using data and pipeline math to set strategy and make decisions.
• Experience supervising fundraising staff and engaging boards in fundraising.
• Ability to communicate a clear and compelling vision verbally and in writing and inspire others to act on it.
• Commitment to LIFT’s mission and demonstration of its values: letting brilliance shine, rooting change in learning, building deep relationships, striving for social justice, and creating thriving environments.

Nice To Haves

• Salesforce experience, or experience with another fundraising database.

Responsibilities

• Co-lead regional development strategy with the Executive Director, aligning fundraising with LIFT-LA’s growth plan and organizational strategic plan.
• Set strategy across revenue streams, develop annual and multi-year projections, identify gaps, and adjust plans to close shortfalls.
• Advise the Executive Director on revenue risks and growth opportunities, including trade-offs across revenue streams.
• Ground fundraising in race, equity, and social justice and advance a community-centric model.
• Own the health of the full fundraising pipeline and independently manage individual, corporate, and institutional prospects.
• Set giving levels, retention strategy, and donor upgrade pathways.
• Lead funder meetings, site visits, and events, and advise the Executive Director on prospect strategy.
• Expand LIFT-LA’s external fundraising network, including through AFP and philanthropy networks.
• Activate the board for fundraising accountability and manage the board pipeline with the Executive Director.
• Set the vision for fundraising tools and systems and design scalable processes with Program, Finance, and Communications.
• Ensure Salesforce supports decision-making and establish stewardship standards by giving level.
• Supervise and develop development staff and build fundraising capacity across staff, the board, and systems.

Benefits

• Employer-paid health care coverage: 100% for employees and 75% for dependents.
• 403(b) retirement savings plan with an employer match contribution of up to 5% after one year.
• Paid time off starting at four weeks in the first year, increasing to five weeks in years 2–4 and six weeks at five or more years.
• Federal holidays, the day after Thanksgiving, Cesar Chavez Day, and wellness days.
• One-week organization-wide paid closure over the winter holidays.
• One-week organization-wide paid closure during the summer fiscal-year transition.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Partial cell phone coverage.
• Pre-tax accounts for transit, health, and childcare benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director