Director of Development

Since 1984, Larkin Street Youth Services has helped more than 75,000 young adults in San Francisco with outreach, shelter, housing, education, employment, healthcare, and other services.

Today, Larkin Street Youth Services is the largest provider of housing and services to homeless youth in the Bay Area. We serve 1,500 youth annually, operating or partnering to provide more than 500 emergency shelter, transitional, supportive, and subsidy-based housing beds at several unique sites across San Francisco.

Working at Larkin Street, no matter what department, means making a real difference in the lives of young people experiencing homelessness. Our team is skilled, diverse, and passionate. Our culture encourages achievement and professional development, as well as teamwork and self-care. Our focus is always on the young people at the heart of our mission and to nurture potential, promote dignity and support bold steps by all.

For more information about us, visit www.larkinstreetyouth.org.

WHO WE ARE

Tonight, more than 1,100 young people will sleep in shelters or on the streets of San Francisco. Tomorrow must be different, and Larkin Street Youth Services is building the momentum to end youth homelessness through coordinated prevention efforts, direct services, and research and advocacy. Since 1984, Larkin Street has empowered more than 75,000 youth, ages 12-24, to build a better future. We provide comprehensive engagement, housing, education, employment, and health services to help these young people achieve a permanent pathway out of poverty. Our work is changing lives: three out of four youth who complete our programs exit homelessness. We celebrate diversity, stand for equity, and create pathways for individual and community growth. For more information, visit our website and our Culture Guide. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

The Director of Philanthropy is responsible for developing and implementing institutional fundraising and cultivating relationships with donors to secure financial support for Larkin Street Youth Services mission. In partnership with the Chief Development Officer, the Director of Philanthropy will develop and implement the annual fundraising strategy. The Director will supervise a diverse team of employees, cultivate strong relationships with existing and prospective major donors, foundations and corporations, and work effectively with others to achieve the group’s annual fundraising and communications goals.  

This is a full-time position, eligible for full benefits.

Your responsibilities:

Strategy, Management and Supervision (20%) 

• Collaborate with the Chief Development Officer to develop the department’s annual fundraising goals and strategy, as well as strategies and plans for specific fundraising campaigns.  

• Manage the development team as they implement the strategy to achieve the annual goals. 

• Monitor and communicate the group’s progress toward its goals throughout the year and make adjustments as needed. 

• Support individual members in developing their work plans. 

• Supervise, mentor and motivate team members to help them excel in their roles and grow as fundraising professionals.  

• Represent Larkin Street at external events and speaking engagements, including networking events, panels, and other community events. 

Fundraising (50%)

• Manage the annual activities of the fundraising team, as they aim to secure over $10 million annually from individuals, foundations and corporations. 

• Manage the institutional giving program, which includes identifying, cultivating, applying, acknowledging and reporting to private foundations and corporations.  

• Oversee the pipeline of active and prospective grants, continuously working to identify, understand and attract new funders, while ensuring existing funders are properly managed and meaningfully engaged.  

• Ensure all grants are allocated according to funder restrictions, appropriate data is collected, and all reporting requirements are met.  

• Review LOIs, grant proposals, reports, and other funder deliverables.  

• Manage the contract grant writer.  

• As needed, serve as the lead proposal writer for new prospects and top funders in the institutional portfolio.  

• Represent Institutional Giving Team at high-level internal meetings to understand program operations and priorities changes, proactively address challenges, and foster strong working relationships with other Larkin Street staff. 

• Manage the individual giving program, including developing a comprehensive approach to attracting, engaging, recognizing and retaining individual donors.  

• Oversee the pipeline of individual donors, including managing the segmentation of donors and the development of specific donor engagement goals and strategies for major donors, monthly donors, legacy donors, campaign donors, and donors with specific interests.   

• Supervise the Major Gifts Officer and support the CDO, CEO, board, and staff in their efforts to attract and engage additional individual donors.  

• Develop a portfolio of major donors and prospects, cultivating relationships with them through meetings, site visits/tours, phone calls, video conferencing, events and personalized communications.  

• Play a leadership role in securing major gifts. 

• Play a leadership role in timebound fundraising campaigns, including The Fearless Campaign, which seeks to raise an additional $10 million over three years to safeguard against financial uncertainty and to support the implementation of Larkin Street’s strategic plan.  

Donor Engagement and Communications (20%)

• Partner with the Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications to develop materials for donors and prospective funders throughout the year, including the annual report, fundraising appeals, campaign materials, social media and other collateral.  

• Collaborate with the Senior Manager of Events to produce engaging events for Larkin Street’s community of active and prospective supporters.   

• Work with members of the Development Team to effectively leverage expertise, opportunities, and outreach to ensure funders maintain strong connections to Larkin Street’s work and mission. 

• Lead planning and coordination of institutional funder site visits. 

• Ensure the community impact program, which curates engaging opportunities for staff, volunteers and corporate partners to deepen their understanding of the organization’s programs, has a clear strategy that includes goals and metrics.   

Tracking / Other (10%)

• Manage the Development Specialist to ensure the team is using Salesforce consistently, accurately and effectively to record gifts, thank donors, track foundation deadlines, identify lapsed donors, segment supporters, analyze progress and identify trends and opportunities. 

• Regularly provide monthly revenue and cash flow projections for the Finance and Core teams. 

• Document all fundraising efforts in Salesforce. 

• Participate in staff meetings and trainings as required, including joining a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Work Group. 

• Other duties as assigned. 

LOCATION AND SCHEDULE

This full-time hybrid position will require working onsite (711 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco) for a minimum of two days/week, depending on job duties and agency requirements. May also include occasional local travel to and from partner organizations, businesses, and donors. Depending on the events schedule, it may occasionally require working evenings or weekends. 

WHO YOU ARE:

• You are passionate about the Larkin Street Youth Services mission to end youth homelessness.
• You have 6+ years of experience working in non-profit fundraising, with experience in both grant writing and individual donor fundraising.
• You have 3+ years of supervisory experience.
• You demonstrate exceptional writing skills with the ability to convey complex program designs and impact to various audiences.
• You are a superior relationship-builder with strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to listen attentively and speak persuasively.
• You are comfortable with public speaking, including during tours/site visits, external speaking engagements, and internal meetings. 
• You are experienced in fundraising databases, Salesforce is preferred.
• You embody our values and core strategies: "This Is How We Roll":
  • Client-Centered
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Trauma Informed Care
  • Restorative Practices
  • Harm Reduction
  • Non-Violent Crisis Intervention
  • Motivational Interviewing
• You work best in a hybrid working environment with at least two days per week in the office. 
• You are vaccinated against COVID 19.

THE PERKS:

• Annual Salary: $120,000-$130,000
• Choice of Kaiser and Sutter medical plans, plus dental and vision.
• Clipper Bay Pass - Commute for FREE!
• Generous 3 weeks of vacation annually, plus 11 Paid Holidays and 3 Floating Holidays.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching.
• Flexible spending accounts for Healthcare and Dependent Care expenses.
• Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for counseling services.
• Health Advocate Service.
• Commuter Benefits Program.
• Paid Sabbatical following 5 and 10 years of employment.

Larkin Street Youth Services is an equal opportunity employer. Larkin Street Youth Service seeks qualified candidates with an interest in the non-profit sector. We are committed to embracing diversity and consider all applicants for all positions without regard to color, ethnic background, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, HIV/AIDS status, veteran status, or any other legally protected class. We encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply for any open position in which they feel qualified. 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment for qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.  For details on how it is applicable to your employment, please click here.