Senior Director of Development & Communications

Position Title: Senior Director of Development & Communications

Location: San Francisco, CA (hybrid; 3 days per week in-person)

About SMART

SMART (Schools, Mentoring and Resource Team, Inc.) champions education equity by supporting students in overcoming systemic barriers on their journey to a college degree. We envision a community with equitable pathways to college graduation for every student in San Francisco. SMART provides a 12-year continuum of support that starts in 4th grade continues through college, including school support, after school enrichment, summer programming, and college preparation. 100% of SMART Scholars have graduated high school and matriculated to college. While only 21% of very low-income students who enter college will graduate within six years, SMART Scholars are currently persisting at a rate of more than 80%.

SMART’s Values: Community, Equity, Empowerment, Learning, Joy. To read more about SMART's values, please visit the website: https://thesmartprogram.org/who-we-are/mission-vision-values/

Position Description

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Development & Communications is an energetic, curious, creative, and motivated professional who leads the design, implementation, and management of all fundraising and communication efforts in order to maintain and expand diversified funding streams, facilitate financial growth, and engage community supporters to secure SMART’s current annual budget of $3.5M. The ideal candidate exhibits a strong passion for SMART’s mission, excellent written and oral communication skills, strong relationship building skills, and a track record of fundraising success. We are seeking a strategic thinker with an ability to clearly and articulately describe SMART’s work and the confidence to craft a compelling ask. The Director of Development & Communications directly supervises the Grants & Communications Manager and the Events & Donor Engagement Manager, ensuring alignment across fundraising, communications, donor engagement, and events.

Responsibilities

Leadership

• Serve as a key member of SMART’s Leadership Team.
• In collaboration with the Executive Director, lead the activities of the Board’s Development Committee, and support the activities of the Board’s Finance Committee and Audit Committee.
• Attend quarterly Board meetings and annual Board retreat, prepare Board reports, and present to the Board as needed.
• Provide strategic direction and ensure alignment and integration across all fundraising and communications functions.
• Provide coaching, support, and annual reviews of the Development & Communications Team and manage hiring and onboarding as needed.
• Establish clear goals, priorities, and performance metrics for the Development & Communications Team.

Fundraising

• In collaboration with the Executive Director, develop and implement SMART’s annual and multi-year development plans.
• Execute, manage, and track fundraising strategies across individual, corporate, and foundation giving, cultivation and fundraising events, and ongoing donor engagement to meet annual and long term fundraising goals.
• Regularly conduct prospect research, identifying new funding opportunities.
• Maintain and grow a portfolio of existing and new individual and organizational funders.
• Oversee grant strategy, proposals, and reporting in partnership with the Grants & Communications Manager.
• Oversee donor engagement strategies, campaigns, and events in partnership with the Events & Donor Engagement Manager.
• Collaborate with the Program Team to streamline information sharing and deliver prompt and accurate content for funders and other external audiences. 
• Oversee development calendar, including measuring the organization’s progress against our annual development plan and strategic plan, ensuring the timely notification and collection of outstanding pledges.
• Work with the Board and Development Committee to initiate and implement fundraising strategies and support donor cultivation and solicitation.
• Conduct fundraising activities with an asset-based approach to the communities we serve.

Event Planning & Donor Engagement

• Provide strategic oversight and direction over all fundraising events and donor engagement opportunities to ensure strategies align with fundraising goals.
• Support donor cultivation through events, briefings, and engagement opportunities.
• Align event strategies to contribute to donor acquisition, retention, and stewardship.
• Ensure strong moves management strategies and systems to maintain current donor base, sustain and increase giving of individual donors including multi-year gifts, and cultivate new donors.
• Strategically engage, coach, and motivate board members to activate their networks in support of SMART through event participation, donor identification and stewardship, and corporate sponsorships.
• Support ongoing donor research and strategic preparation for donor engagement.

Communications

• In conjunction with SMART staff, develop and implement organization-wide communications strategies to drive interest and awareness of SMART’s mission and impact.
• Provide strategic direction and final review of external communications, including donor updates, newsletters, and digital content.
• Facilitate the creation of professional materials consistent with SMART’s branding, messaging, and voice across all platforms (e.g. website, Annual Report, promotional materials, social media).
• Represent SMART within professional circles and serve as a communications liaison. 
• Ensure ethical and strength-based storytelling practices are upheld across communications. 

Data Tracking & Reporting

• Manage and ensure accuracy of the donor database (Salesforce) and tracking of communications across the Development & Communications Team. 
• Coordinate with the Program Team to understand metrics and the collection of data for funder reporting and other communications.
• Monitor progress toward fundraising goals and adjust strategies as needed.
• Provide regular reports for the Board, Development Committee, and Executive Director.
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting across grants, donor engagement, and communications.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Foster strong collaboration between Executive Director, Development, and Program teams to support storytelling and reporting.
• Ensure clear internal communication and efficient workflows across Development & Communications functions.
• Identify opportunities to improve systems, processes, and team effectiveness.
• Strengthen culture of philanthropy across the organization.

Essential Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 7 years of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience, including developing strategy and leading key aspects of a development function.
• 3 years of experience managing and developing staff, with a track record of building strong, accountable teams.
• Proven success sourcing, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors, including supporting the closure of five- and six-figure gifts.
• Experience designing and executing comprehensive fundraising plans across individual and corporate giving, grants, events, and donor engagement, with the ability to assess performance and adjust strategies.
• Strong experience with development operations, including donor pipelines, prospect research, moves management, CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), and data tracking.
• Advanced proficiency with G-Suite (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, and Sheets).
• Experience partnering with executive leadership and engaging a Board of Directors in fundraising efforts.
• Ability to oversee or guide communications strategy, including donor communications and clear, compelling storytelling aligned with organizational values.
• Data-informed and results-oriented, with strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; strong internal and external relationship builder with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally and support alignment between development and program teams.
• Commitment to education equity and ethical, strength-based storytelling.

Preferred:

• Experience using Salesforce as a fundraising CRM
• Experience in small to mid-sized, youth-serving or education-focused nonprofits.
• Familiarity with San Francisco Bay Area philanthropy.
• Background in communications, public relations, or digital engagement including social media and video storytelling.

Additional Workplace Expectations:

• Full-time exempt position, occasional evening work required.
• SMART employees currently work on a hybrid schedule.

Compensation and Benefits:

• The starting salary range for this position is $115,000-$130,000 annually
• SMART also offers additional competitive benefits, including: 13 paid holidays, generous paid time off policy and parental leave policy, week-long office closures during winter holidays and during summer, three department wellness days, 100% coverage of employee medical, dental, and vision insurance (and 50% coverage of dependent coverage), reimbursement for cell phone and home internet, employer sponsored life insurance and long-term disability insurance, and access to pre-tax benefit programs such as commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts, and a 401K account.

How to Apply:

• Submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume to careers@thesmartprogram.org.
• Write your name and the title for this position in the subject line of your email.
• Applications accepted until position is filled.

SMART is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants from all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, national origins, sexual orientations, and genders. Learn more about SMART’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity at www.thesmartprogram.org/equity.

Job applicants must be fully authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future. Any offer of employment is contingent on clearance of Checkr background check.