Director Proposal Development Jobs in California

Position Overview:
The Director of Development (DoD) is IYT's frontline, individual-contributor revenue leader embedded within their California region. Reporting directly to the Regional Executive Director, the DoD owns the full fundraising execution cycle for the region from fund development planning and grant writing, to funder cultivation, event revenue, stewardship, and Salesforce data integrity.

This role represents IYT's investment in localized development capacity. The DoD moves community relationships, responds to local funding opportunities, and serves as the primary driver of regional revenue growth. The DoD is the executor and owner of the region's development operation.

The Shared Services Development Department serves as a strategic consultant and trainer to this role, providing guidance on national strategy, tools, templates, and compliance frameworks. All grant writing, proposal development, funder stewardship, event execution, and Salesforce data management for the region are the direct responsibility of the Director of Development.

The DoD owns execution. Shared Services consults, trains, and supports, but does not write, submit, or steward on behalf of the region except in clearly defined circumstances.

Key Responsibilities:
1. Fund Development Planning & Revenue Strategy

• Build and execute an annual regional fundraising plan, in partnership with the Regional ED, with clear targets by source (foundations, corporations, public, individual/major gifts, and events)
• Maintain a 12-month rolling pipeline; independently drive prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities to meet goal
• Prepare briefing memos, move-management steps, and other supports as needed for the ED; coordinate follow-ups (stewardship) and track all outcomes in Salesforce
• Deliver quarterly scenario models and progress-to-goal reports to the Shared Service team; track forecast accuracy and contribution by revenue stream
• Participate in quarterly fundraising performance reviews with the ED and Shared Services Development
• Consult with the Shared Services National Director of Development on national strategy alignment, multi-year planning frameworks, and pipeline best practices

2. Grant Writing & Proposal Development

• The Director of Development owns all grant writing and proposal activity for the region. Shared Services Development provides strategic consultation, training, and access to tools and templates - but does not write or submit on the region's behalf.
• Own end-to-end grant writing for the region: LOIs, proposals, renewals, narratives, budgets, and attachments - tailored to each funder and submitted on time
• Write and submit an average of 3 grants per month, targeting regional funders and opportunities
• Maintain a 12-month rolling grant submission calendar; manage all regional deadlines independently
• Ensure all proposals meet quality standards: complete, tailored narratives; accurate budgets; all required attachments
• Coordinate with Shared Services on all grant reporting deliverables internally to achieve 100% on-time submissions
• Serve as IYT's representative at funder events: webinars, bidder conferences, site visits, and mandatory sessions - including registration, attendance, requirements capture, and post-event follow-through
• Notify Shared Services Development at least 30 days in advance of any grant that is multi-region, statewide, federal, or exceeds $100,000; collaborate on those submissions as directed
• Flag any funder who funds IYT nationally or in regions outside your footprint to Shared Services before any outreach, application, or stewardship activity - this is a firm organizational guardrail with no exceptions
• Leverage Shared Services' Salesforce Fundraising Center to ensure accurately track regional data and required documentation

3. Corporate, Community & Individual Giving

• Maintain a balanced regional portfolio across corporate, individual/major gifts, family foundations, donor-advised funds (DAFs), and mid-level donors; define upgrade and retention paths for each segment
• Support the Executive Director in building and stewarding their Board of Advisors
• Build multi-asset corporate partnerships - sponsorships, grants, employee engagement, and in-kind support - tied to regional events and campaigns; create sponsorship ladders, benefit matrices, and ROI targets; manage fulfillment and post-event impact reporting
• Set and own revenue targets for regional events; lead prospecting, sponsorship asks, pledge capture, and gift logging and follow up in Salesforce
• Partner with the ED to identify, cultivate, and solicit individual and family-foundation prospects; support site visits and donor briefings
• Support the Regional Advisory Board with talking points, one-pagers, and targeted prospect lists; track board-assisted introductions and outcomes
• Consult with Shared Services on corporate partnership frameworks, sponsorship strategy, and event fundraising best practices as needed

4. Funder Stewardship & Relationship Management

• Build and execute tailored stewardship plans for regional funders: touchpoints, recognition, impact updates, and visits - aligned to the national editorial calendar
• Immediately notify Shared Services before stewarding any funder who is active nationally or in other IYT regions - even if they also fund your region locally. Shared Services coordinates stewardship for these relationships to prevent conflicting communications and protect IYT's organizational standing with the funder
• Serve as IYT's primary point of contact for all local funders throughout the grant and relationship cycle
• Partner with MarComms to develop localized visibility assets: success stories, impact content, and regional campaign materials
• Calendar all planned touchpoints with funders; track all stewardship activities accurately in Salesforce
• Track all regional funders for MarComms monthly recognition in newsletters and communications
• Drive a regional renewal rate of 75% or higher on active grants year-over-year

5. Salesforce Data Ownership & Systems

• Own all Salesforce data entry and maintenance for the region: pipeline entries, opportunity stages, proposal and report dates, revenue designations, contact roles, activity logs, and file uploads
• Ensure audit-ready grant records for all active regional grants: deliverables, attachments, reports, and communications
• Maintain a regional risk report in Salesforce: funding concentration, sunset risk, and pipeline gaps
• Deliver quarterly scenario models and pacing reports from Salesforce data; track forecast accuracy
• Participate in Shared Services Salesforce training and apply governance standards set by the National Director of Development
• Flag data quality issues or system needs to Shared Services promptly

6. Shared Services Partnership

• Shared Services Development is a consulting and training partner to this role - not an executor. The DoD is expected to actively engage Shared Services support and apply it to their regional work.
• Participate in quarterly grant-planning workshops and training sessions offered by Shared Services
• Attend monthly touchpoints with the National Director of Development for strategy alignment and coaching
• Notify Shared Services 30+ days in advance of guardrail grant deadlines (federal, multi-region, statewide, $100K+)
• Flag all funders active outside your regional footprint to Shared Services before any engagement - this protects organizational funder relationships and prevents competing applications
• Partner with Shared Services on post-award reporting and compliance for grants; provide program data, financials, and narrative inputs by agreed deadlines
• Apply tools, templates, and frameworks from the IYT Fundraising Center to ensure proposal quality and organizational consistency
• Contribute regional data, outcomes, and funder intelligence to national systems and organizational reporting

7. Executive Director Support

• Coach and prepare the ED for funder meetings, donor cultivation, and major asks
• Provide regular pipeline updates, revenue forecasts, and fundraising progress reports to the ED
• Ensure the ED has the briefings, materials, and context needed for every funder interaction
• Support development-related board engagement activities as directed by the ED
• Keep the ED informed of all grant deadlines, funder communications, and reporting obligations

8. Additional Duties as Assigned

Benefits:

IYT offers the following Benefits:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life AD&D (with additional voluntary options)
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
• 403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match after one year of employment.
• 2 weeks of accrued paid vacation
• 8 Paid Holidays
• Additional paid time off during selected school breaks (about 3 weeks in total)

Pay Rate:
$100k-$140k/Annually

Work Conditions:

• Full-time, Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM; some evenings, weekends, and organization-wide events required
• Region-based; in-person presence expected in the assigned region; travel to funder meetings, community events, and regional sites
• Occasional travel to IYT national convenings, Shared Services trainings, and organizational events
• Prolonged periods of computer-based work and extended desk sitting

Must Haves

• Believes in the mission, vision, and values of IYT and can authentically communicate them to funders, partners, and stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to self-direct, set priorities, and produce results without day-to-day oversight
• Excellent written communication skills with the ability to craft compelling, tailored grant narratives and funder-facing materials independently
• Strong project management skills; comfortable managing multiple concurrent grant deadlines, funder relationships, and events
• Proficiency with Salesforce or comparable CRM; disciplined approach to data entry and pipeline management
• Ability to operate with transparency and accountability; builds trust with EDs, funders, and the national team
• Flexibility to work mornings, evenings, weekends, and occasional events as needed

Education

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university required
• Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, Education, Business Administration, or a related field preferred
• CFRE accreditation preferred

Experience

• Minimum 5–7 years of professional fundraising and development experience, with a track record of independently securing grants and cultivating donor relationships
• Proven success writing and winning grants in the $25,000–$500,000 range without centralized writing support
• Experience managing an individual donor and corporate portfolio from prospecting through stewardship
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships with foundation officers, corporate partners, and community funders
• Experience planning and executing fundraising events, including sponsorship development and revenue management
• Proficiency in Salesforce for pipeline tracking, data entry, and reporting
• Knowledge of the California philanthropic landscape, particularly in the assigned region, is highly desirable
• Experience fundraising in a multi-site or national nonprofit environment preferred
• Familiarity with federal grant compliance requirements (e.g., AmeriCorps, CNCS) a plus

Computer Skills

• Proficient in Salesforce, G-Suite, and Microsoft Office Suite
• Familiarity with project management tools and grant tracking systems