Development Director

Company Description

The Miles Hall Foundation was established to honor the legacy of Miles Hall and advocate for systemic change in mental health response protocols. Created by the Hall family after Miles' tragic death in 2019 during a police response to a mental health crisis, The Miles Hall Foundation strives to protect families from similar tragedies. The organization is committed to creating initiatives that provide resources, support, and advocacy for individuals and families affected by mental illness. Through strategic projects and community partnerships, we aim to foster a compassionate, effective mental health system. Your contributions and work can help ensure that Miles' memory leads to meaningful, lasting change.

Full-Time Independent Contractor – Bay Area-based

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

The Miles Hall Foundation (TMHF) seeks a high-impact, strategic, and results-driven Director of Development, who will also oversee fundraising communications, to lead and coordinate all fundraising efforts and donor engagement strategies. This mission-critical contractor ensures that TMHF has the financial resources to sustain and expand its advocacy, programs, and impact.

As a key leadership team member, the Director of Development & Communications will oversee fundraising strategy, donor stewardship, grants, sponsorships, and revenue diversification—while also ensuring TMHF’s storytelling and communications efforts amplify our mission and drive donor, volunteer, and community partner engagement. 

This is more than just fundraising—it’s about building long-term financial sustainability to drive lasting change in mental health justice.

We strongly encourage applicants with deep experience in fundraising, donor engagement, and development strategy to apply. If you have a passion for equity and social justice and a proven ability to secure funding, build impactful partnerships, communicate value and purpose, and drive organization growth and impact, we want to hear from you.

This is a full-time independent contractor position. We offer a remote-friendly role with flexibility, but some in-person engagement, during evenings or weekends, will be needed occasionally for fundraising events, program participation, and meetings.

• Work scope, deliverables, and deadlines, schedule of availability and weekly benchmarks will be established between the contractor and the organization. Overall success will be measured by the delivery of agreed-upon deliverables and milestones. Our intention is to evaluate the contractor for a possible transition to a W-2 employee based on performance and mutual fit.

There is no guarantee of employment beyond the contract period.

Reports to: Interim Deputy Director (transitioning to Executive Director)

Initial Contract Term: 6-12 months

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundraising Strategy & Implementation 

• Develop and execute a multi-year Fundraising Development Plan aligned with TMHF’s 2025–2027 Strategic Plan, programming needs, and operational budgets.
• Oversees and is accountable for all revenue-generating activities for the organization, including but not limited to:
• Individual giving (major donors, crowdfunding, grassroots campaigns, merchandise sales)
• Grant research, writing, and management to secure foundation and government funding
• Fundraising through events, sponsorships, online auctions, and other direct donor outreach opportunities
• Corporate partnerships—develop and present sponsorship packages and engagement opportunities
• Lead donor engagement strategies, ensuring supporters feel valued and connected to TMHF’s mission and impact.
• Oversee revenue forecasting, donor database management, and tracking across all development initiatives.
• Engage the Board of Directors and key stakeholders in fundraising efforts, maximizing their networks and influence.
• As an independent contractor, you retain full discretion over how, when, and where you perform these tasks, provided you meet agreed-upon deliverables, deadlines, and objectives.

Donor Stewardship & Community Engagement

• Develop donor acknowledgment processes, impact reports, and meaningful engagement opportunities to cultivate long-term relationships.
• Manage multiple donation platforms (Little Green Light, DonorBox, BetterWorld, PayPal, Meta, etc.) and oversee CRM systems.
• Build and steward relationships with major donors, grantmakers, corporate sponsors, and institutional funders.
• Provide strategic input on fundraising-related programming, impact measurement, and funder reporting.

Communications, Marketing & Brand Strategy

• Oversee TMHF’s external messaging and brand positioning, ensuring consistency across platforms and with diverse audiences.
• Lead content creation and storytelling for:
• Websites, blog, newsletter, and digital communications
• Social media strategy (organic & paid) to drive donor engagement and advocacy
• Email marketing—newsletters, donor updates, and campaign outreach
• Marketing materials, collateral, presentations, signage, and sponsorship decks 
• Earned media opportunities 
• Manage community and donor engagement strategies, including events, sponsorship fulfillment, and stewardship campaigns.
• Supervise Communications and/or Development Coordinators, ensuring alignment with TMHF’s mission, values, and goals.
• Lead media and public relations efforts, proactively positioning TMHF’s work in the public sphere.

Leadership, Operations & Strategic Initiatives

• Supervise and coordinate Development & Communications team members, including part-time associates and selected volunteers.
• As a member of TMHF Leadership Team, ensure fundraising and communications efforts align with TMHF’s programming, operational needs, and organizational strategy through regular 1:1 meetings with ED and by engaging with other fundraising leaders, partners, vendors, community volunteers, and board members.
• Oversee event logistics and planning to maximize fundraising outcomes and supporter engagement.
• Maintain TMHF’s digital and fundraising presence, including profiles on Guidestar, LinkedIn, Candid, and other platforms.
• Lead internal development and communication operations using tools like Slack, Google Workspace, and Monday.com.

WHO YOU ARE

• A mission-driven development professional – You are passionate about securing the resources needed to fuel real change in mental health and racial justice.
• A results-oriented fundraiser – You have a proven track record of securing grants, building donor pipelines, and growing revenue streams. You can provide at least two recent client engagements (within the last 24 months) providing similar fundraising services, with references or case studies available upon request.
• A compelling storyteller and communicator – You can translate TMHF’s mission and impact into compelling narratives that drive donor engagement and investment.
• A strategic leader – You thrive in designing and implementing development plans, managing successful campaigns, developing KPIs, achieving budget goals, and modeling financial forecasting.
• A collaborative team builder – You know how to engage staff, board members, volunteers, and external stakeholders in fundraising efforts.
• A data-driven decision-maker – You use impact metrics and financial analysis to refine and strengthen fundraising strategies.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5 years of combined professional consulting experience in fundraising, revenue development, grant writing, sponsorships, donor relations, and mission-driven revenue generation.
• Proven success in securing major gifts, grants, and sponsorships, and managing high-return fundraising campaigns and events
• Experience managing donor databases (CRM), a variety of donation and payment platforms, and using digital fundraising tools.
• Strong storytelling, marketing, community building communications skills.
• Experience leading teams, managing budgets, and overseeing strategic initiatives.
• Familiarity with nonprofit fundraising regulations, compliance, and best practices.
• Knowledge of mental health, racial justice, and social impact work is a strong plus.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This is a full-time independent contractor role.
• Bay Area–based is strongly preferred. Flexible scheduling that is remote-friendly, with in-person participation needed for meetings, training, and events.
• As an independent contractor, you are solely responsible for all taxes, insurance, benefits, and business expenses. 
• The contractor will be required to regularly invoice TMHF for services rendered; said services will be the agreed-upon scope of deliverables and milestones.

TO APPLY

We want to hear from you if you are a passionate, driven, and strategic fundraising and communications leader who thrives on building sustainable revenue for social impact, amplifying community voices, and building on TMHF’s impact and Miles’ legacy. 

Email your resume and a cover letter to: hello@themileshallfoundation.org

In your cover letter, bring attention to your most relevant skills and successes as a fundraising communications professional for an organization like ours. We’d also love to hear why this opportunity interests you.

The Miles Hall Foundation is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We strongly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental illness, racial injustice, or systemic barriers to apply.

Equal Opportunity Notice:

The Miles Hall Foundation does not discriminate on any protected characteristic (e.g., race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability).