Senior Director of Development

TITLE: Senior Director of Development

DEPARTMENT: Development 

REPORTS TO: Chief of Staff

COMPENSATION: $120,000 - $125,000

FLSA: Exempt

HOURS: Full Time: 40+ hours a week; available to staff during business hours; some evening or weekend work may be required

START DATE:  8/11/2025

Heart of Los Angeles (Heart of LA) provides underserved youth with exceptional programs in academics, arts and athletics within a nurturing environment, empowering them to develop their potential, pursue their education and strengthen their communities. 

Our core values are: Respect, Responsibility, Positive Communication, Support, and Inclusion.

POSITION SUMMARY: 

Heart of Los Angeles (Heart of LA) seeks a strategic, mission-driven Senior Director of Development to lead a growing fundraising program and team with an emphasis on major donor cultivation, stewardship, and capital campaign leadership. This role is ideal for a collaborative fundraiser with experience fundraising for budgets and capital campaigns of $15 million or more, engaging high-net-worth individuals and philanthropic partners, creating donor experiences that inspire transformational giving, and overseeing institutional giving asks.

The Senior Director of Development will guide and support a small but mighty Development team, helping each member accomplish their goals and increase performance while fostering a culture of trust, confidence, and collective success.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Major Donor & Capital Campaign Strategy

• Lead strategic major gift fundraising, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts of $10,000+ from individuals and foundations, with the total goal of fundraising $10 million or more annually.
• Plan and implement capital campaign strategies, from prospecting and case development to donor cultivation and campaign tracking.
• Manage a personal portfolio of major donors and prospects, focusing on annual giving, donor engagement, and increasing giving; guide the CEO and the Board of Directors in their donor engagement efforts.
• Work with the CEO to design fundraising strategies to support Heart of LA’s long-term overarching strategic direction.
• Build and strengthen relationships across Heart of LA’s donor ecosystem with a long-term, stewardship-focused lens, including through regular and creative communication strategies.
• Activate and advise stakeholders (volunteers, staff, etc.) to serve as ambassadors and fundraising partners.
• Develop long-term strategic plans for building a robust donor pipeline from grassroots donors through major giving.
• Meet or exceed annual major gift revenue and retention goals.
• In collaboration with the Associate Director of Development and Institutional Giving Manager, consistently track donors in our database and provide regular reporting on progress towards fundraising goals.
• Write, speak and communicate with authenticity and passion for Heart of LA’s mission, values, programs and goals.

Events & Donor Engagement