About Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

For three decades, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts has served as a dynamic hub for contemporary art in San Francisco's downtown community, showcasing innovative and thought-provoking contemporary art across various disciplines, including visual arts, performing arts, film and more.

YBCA brings together artists, audiences, and perspectives under one roof. We believe it’s this synergy that makes the city what it is today and will be for years to come–a hotbed for new and emerging creativity – a place where the diversity of the Bay Area comes to life and its artists, people, and ideas thrive.

YBCA aims to be a catalyst for conversations around critical social and cultural questions, using art as a medium to engage audiences in meaningful dialogues. To do this, YBCA is committed to supporting artists who push boundaries and challenge conventions, encouraging experimentation and innovation in the arts.

YBCA’s Mission Vision, and Values

Mission: To be a gathering space for creative expression that fosters meaningful connection for all.

Vision: To be a catalyst of creative exploration, expression and innovation that empowers artists, inspires community and drives lasting social change.

Values:

• Belonging: We believe the arts are for everyone.
• Inclusive Collaboration: We are stronger together.
• Optimism: Art has the power to inspire change.
• Curiosity: We believe that learning is at the center of all artistic expression.

About the Role

As the Development Manager at YBCA, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of our fundraising initiatives. Your responsibilities will span project management for grants, coordination of cultivation events, management of our Salesforce database, and more. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the cultural vibrancy of the San Francisco Bay Area while leveraging your skills to drive impactful development efforts.

Top Priorities, Year 1

• YBCA is actively and effectively managing grant applications, reporting, and compliance to maintain positive relationships with funders, leadership team and board.
• We responsibly maintain donor databases to ensure accurate and up-to-date records.
• We leverage internal and external data analytics to inform fundraising strategies and identify trends in donor behavior, significantly growing the donor base.
• We plan and coordinate 10-20 cultivation events per year (large and small) to engage donors and stakeholders.
• We delight our donor base with high impact, thoughtful, timely (and fun!) opportunities, correspondence and gifting.

Primary Responsibilities 

• Grant Management:
  • Oversee the entire lifecycle of grants, ensuring compliance, and maximizing YBCA’s funding opportunities.
  • Maintain a comprehensive calendar of grant deadlines and requirements.
  • Collaborate with program managers and other stakeholders to develop compelling grant proposals.
  • Coordinate meetings to gather details for grant reporting.
  • Work collaboratively with finance to generate grant finance reports.
  • Ensure the timely submission of high-quality grant applications, deliverables and funding requests, adhering to all deadlines and requirements. 
  • Research, identify and evaluate potential grant opportunities aligned with YBCA’s mission and goals.
• Project Management:
  • Serve as the primary internal point of contact for grant-related projects, coordinating efforts across departments.
  • Develop and maintain a comprehensive project plan outlining tasks, timelines and responsibilities related to each grant.
  • Monitor and track the process of grant-funded projects to ensure they meet objectives and deliverables.
  • Coordinate with finance to generate accurate grant finance reports and manage funding requests.
• Documentation and Record Keeping:
  • Maintain organized and comprehensive records of all grant-related documents, communications and activities.
  • Ensure that all necessary documentation is readily available for internal and external reporting purposes.
  • Utilize Salesforce at a high level for efficient data management, maintaining donor information, ensuring data accuracy and completeness.
  • Ensure accurate and up-to-date information within the development database.
  • Generate reports and queries as needed to support development activities.
• Communication and Collaboration:
  • Serve as the point of contact for donor inquiries and maintain a high level of donor satisfaction.
  • Support the writing and distribution of development emails, newsletters and other development communications to engage with donors.
  • Collaborate with program managers, development teams and other departments to gather information for grant proposals and reporting.
  • Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders, providing updates on grant activities and outcomes.
  • Collaborate with marketing to distribute fundraising emails.
  • Keep the development content on YBCA’s website up-to-date and collaborate with the marketing team to implement updates and improvements to development web pages as needed.
• Cultivation and Events:
  • Manage the cultivation calendar, planning and coordinating events to engage donors and stakeholders.
  • Coordinate logistics for cultivation events, ensuring seamless execution and positive participant experiences.
  • Coordinate invitations, RSVPs, and post-event follow-up activities.
• Grant Compliance and Reporting:
  • Stay informed about grant regulations, guidelines and reporting requirements.
  • Ensure that funded projects adhere to grant terms, conditions and compliance standards.
  • Prepare and submit accurate and timely grant reports, detailing project outcomes and financial expenditures.
• Membership:
  • Manage correspondence with YBCA members, addressing inquiries and providing necessary information.
  • Oversee the distribution of membership cards and maintain accurate membership records.
  • Respond to inquiries through the giving email inbox, providing timely and accurate responses.

Qualifications, Education, Training, and Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as development, fundraising, nonprofit management, project management or business development, with a focus on nonprofits is desired, or equivalent education/work experience
• Proven experience in project management, preferably in a development or fundraising context.
• Demonstrated success in managing projects from initiation to completion.
• Familiarity with the grant application process, including writing proposals, preparing budgets, and meeting reporting requirements.
• High-level proficiency in using Salesforce or similar CRM systems for efficient data management and reporting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a passion for building relationships.
• Experience drafting development-related emails, reports or other communication materials. 
• Experience coordinating events, especially cultivation events related to fundraising and donor engagement.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills, along with demonstrated success with managing multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills to address challenges and find effective solutions.
• Knowledge or experience managing membership programs.
• Adherence to high ethical standards in handling confidential information and managing donor relationships.
• Proficiency in using software and tools for project management like Asana.
• Collaborate effectively in internal and external relationships with people of diverse cultural backgrounds to meet common goals.
• A “get it done” spirit and creative problem solver at heart.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and new responsibilities within a growing program; willingness to handle projects outside of standard responsibilities, as needed.

Who Should Apply?

Research shows that candidates from groups closest to the harms of institutional racism and inequality often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the listed qualifications; we believe that no one meets 100% of the qualifications. We are less concerned about whether you’ve done everything within a particular job description and are more interested in cultivating a pool of candidates who want to join a connected, mission-driven, hard-working team.

Ultimately, we are seeking applicants who have a blend – in some way – of the following: 

• A candidate with a demonstrated history of successfully leading and implementing strategic development initiatives, including securing grants, managing fundraising campaigns, and achieving measurable results.
• Extensive experience in managing the full lifecycle of grants, from researching opportunities and developing proposals to ensuring compliance and reporting.
• Proficiency in using Salesforce or similar CRM systems, showcasing the ability to leverage technology for efficient data management, reporting, and analysis.

If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this position is $91,000 based on full-time hours, and includes a competitive benefits package.

Benefits include PTO, Holiday Pay, Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, Group Life and AD&D Insurance, Long Term Disability Insurance, Voluntary Life and AD&D, Employee Assistance Program, Travel Assistance, paid time off to volunteer, and ability to participate in the 403(b) Retirement Plan with match.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is committed to diversity in its programming and in creating a work culture and environment that is reflective of San Francisco Bay Area demography. The Center encourages and actively recruits applicants representing dimensions of difference that include — but are not limited to — age, national origin, ethnicity, race, religion, ability, sexual orientation, gender or political affiliation.

YBCA will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).

Accommodations

YBCA is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in all aspects of the employment process. If a reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact accommodations@ybca.org with the subject line “Accommodations Request”.

Health and Safety

At YBCA, we continue to prioritize the health and well-being of our community. Our current COVID-19 health and safety protocols meet or exceed local, state, and federal public health requirements. We require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Exemption from these requirements will be reviewed according to standards set forth by state and local health agencies and reasonable accommodations will be made for those providing valid exemptions.

All initial interviews will be conducted remotely via phone or video conference. Please note that this position may perform some work remotely and on site responsibilities. Application Status

After you apply, you will receive a confirmation email to let you know that your resume has been received. A member of our recruiting team will personally review your application and, if you are a potential match for one of our open positions, we will be in touch. If there is not a match right now, we will keep your resume on file for future opportunities. 

Agencies and Recruiting Firms: Please note that we will only review applications submitted directly by candidates and do not accept resumes or pay fees to third parties. Any unsolicited resumes received will be considered the property of YBCA.