Africa House Sacramento
Director of Development Job Description
Job Title: Director of Development (Independent Contractor)
Location: Sacramento, California
Reports To: Board of Directors via Board Chairman or designee
35% Time
Goal: $1.5 million in 1-2 years
Position Overview
The Director of Development will play a key role in advancing Africa House Sacramento's mission by supporting the infrastructure of AHS’s fundraising efforts by leading and implementing strategic and dynamic capital fundraising initiatives aimed at achieving its objective of obtaining a building for its programs and operations. This position is ideal for a seasoned development professional with experience in a small nonprofit environment who is passionate and dynamic about cultivating donor relationships, securing funding, and expanding our financial resources. Reporting directly to the Board via the Board Chair, the Director of Development will work collaboratively across teams and the Building/Development Committee (BCD) to identify strategic fundraising goals that align with the organization’s strategic vision and community impact objectives. The DoD will work directly with the BDC as well as the AHS board for fundraising strategies, prospects, and implementation.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising Strategy & Execution: Implement, and oversee a comprehensive, capital fundraising plan, including annual giving, major gifts, corporate sponsorships, grants, special events, and digital campaigns. Set and achieve fundraising targets and metrics in alignment with the organization’s goals. Regularly assess fundraising activities to maximize impact, cost-efficiency, and donor engagement. Prepare briefing materials and stakeholder profiles for identifying new high-network donors aligned with AHS’s mission.
Donor Cultivation, Donor Journey & Stewardship: Build and maintain relationships with individual donors, foundations, corporations, and other funding sources. Conduct prospect research to identify new donor and sponsorship opportunities and expand the donor base.
Own the end-to-end donor journey by creating and maintaining stewardship calendars, impact emails, handwritten notes, call lists, and milestone touch points (first gift, anniversaries, birthdays when appropriate). Draft donor-centered copy (thank-you's, impact updates, receipts) that reflects AHS’s voice.
Enter gifts, pledges, donor contact reports, event participation, demographic information, and other relevant information into Givebutter database; create and format reports as needed.
Partner with AHS programs to source stories, photos, and quick statistics for donor communications.
Grant Writing & Management: Identify and prioritize grant opportunities, write and submit grant proposals, and manage grant reporting and stewardship. Maintain accurate records of grant submissions, awards, and reporting deadlines.
Event Planning & Coordination: Oversee planning and execution of fundraising events, ensuring that they align with the organization's goals and meet revenue objectives. Collaborate with staff, board members, committees, and volunteers to ensure successful event logistics, marketing, and follow-up.
Marketing & Communications: Develop compelling messages and materials that support fundraising goals, including social media content, talking points, meeting briefs, follow-up communications, newsletters, and an annual report. Oversee development communications to ensure consistent messaging that conveys the impact of donor support.
Board & Leadership Collaboration: Work with the Board Chair or designee and Board of Directors to develop and execute fundraising strategies. Assist in engaging board members in fundraising activities.Develop fundraising strategies, targets, and quarterly deliverables/outputs in alignment with the Capital Campaign timeline to guide the Building/Development Committee activities.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field, such as Nonprofit Management, Communications, or Business, or equivalent experience.
Minimum of 3 years of nonprofit fundraising experience, with demonstrated success in major gifts solicitation, grant writing, and donor stewardship.
Demonstrated mission driven fundraising experience with a track record of personally raising $500k annually.
Proven track record of developing and executing successful fundraising campaigns in a small nonprofit setting.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build and sustain relationships with donors, stakeholders, and community partners.
Excellent project management and organizational skills, with a detail-oriented approach.
Experience in using donor management systems (e.g., Give Butter, Donor Perfect, Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce) and strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
High level of integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to the mission of Africa House Sacramento.
Preferred Qualifications
CFRE (Certified Fund-Raising Executive) or similar professional certification.
Experience in managing a small team of development professionals or volunteers.
Familiarity with online fundraising platforms and digital marketing for nonprofits (i.e Givebutter).
Key Professional Attributes:
Strong strategic vision
Outstanding leadership, interpersonal and presentation skills
Solid general and financial management skills
Outstanding consensus builder
Team oriented; mentor and coach
Proven ability to interact positively with a wide variety of stakeholders
Community oriented, politically astute
Compensation
The position will work as Independent Contractor, approximately 35% time base, temporary, and subject to results. The AHS leadership reserves the right to make any reasonable changes regarding the job description and compensation as needed.
The compensation is between $40,000-$50,000/year, subject to monthly review of results; may be terminated at will by the Africa House Sacramento.
Actual payment amount subject to negotiation.
Submit your CV, 3 references, plus a letter of interest with a brief proposed plan for achieving the stated fundraising goal, cash/in-kind to africahousesacramento@gmail.com. Position open until filled, with priority date of July 1, 2026.