San Diego Foundation

Director

• Develop and implement a strategy to grow donor engagement and major gifts fundraising in San Diego North County communities.
• Manage a portfolio of 60+ fund advisors and high-potential donor prospects.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, close, and steward principal gifts ($1,000,000+).
• Launch event and engagement strategies to build connected philanthropy communities in San Diego North County.
• Build and steward long-term relationships with high-net-worth individuals, family foundations, family offices, and aligned donors.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with professional advisors (e.g., attorneys, wealth managers, financial planners) to advance philanthropic partnerships and giving opportunities.
• Maintain a broad understanding of the San Diego community - including regional needs, opportunities, issues and use this knowledge to advance SDF’s donor engagement goals and community impact.
• Represent San Diego Foundation as a trusted philanthropic leader at community, nonprofit, and donor-facing events, with a strong emphasis on relationship-building in San Diego North County.
• Collaborate with division leadership on donor engagement and solicitation strategies, including portfolio planning and principal gift activity.
• Collaborate effectively with divisional and organization-wide teams, including Communications, Finance, Investments, Programs, Donor Services, and Gifts, to elevate SDF objectives and outcomes.
• Provide thoughtful briefings and strategic recommendations to executive leadership regarding major donor relationships and solicitations.
• Work with team members to implement creative donor solicitation and stewardship strategies, with an emphasis on San Diego North County communities.
• Partner with Communications to support donor marketing, storytelling, and retention initiatives.
• Work closely with Finance and Investment teams to enhance donor support, including charitable gift planning.
• Mentor and coach members of the Development & Stewardship team to strengthen fundraising knowledge, skills, and effectiveness.
• Lead by example, modeling best practices in donor engagement, stewardship, and philanthropic relationship management.
• Support a culture of collaboration, learning, accountability, and excellence across the division.
• Actively participate in the solicitation of gifts for SDF’s 50th Anniversary campaign and other San Diego Foundation initiatives.
• Design and execute impactful donor stewardship strategies that deepen engagement and inspire increased giving.
• Maintain awareness of SDF programs, initiatives, and strategic priorities to inform donor conversations and philanthropic planning.
• Document all donor interactions, moves management activity, and solicitations in the CRM system.
• Track proposals, gifts, and pipeline progress to ensure timely follow-up and accurate reporting.
• Collaborate with Donor Services and Gifts teams to monitor gift receipts and acknowledgments for accuracy and timeliness.
• Support organizational systems, workflows, and donor engagement processes that promote operational excellence.
• Align fundraising activities with SDF’s broader strategic plan and organizational goals.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, industry best practices, and donor confidentiality standards.
• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned by the Senior Director, Philanthropic Strategy.

Director of Development

Community Manager

• The Program Specialist will play a key role in managing grantmaking operations, data collection, reporting, and stakeholder communications.
• This position is ideal for someone who is detail-oriented, organized, and passionate about education, early literacy, and community impact.
• Essential Responsibilities:
• Grantmaking Coordination
• Manage all aspects of Ready to Learn grant cycles, including RFP processes, application reviews, and grantee check-ins.
• Oversee grant administration by maintaining trackers, agreements, memos, and related documentation.
• Ensure timely communication with grantees regarding reporting requirements, deadlines, and compliance.
• Prepare grantmaking updates and reports for internal leadership and the program’s founding partner.
• Data Collection & Impact Reporting
• Collect and synthesize grantee data, testimonials, and program stories to highlight outcomes.
• Aggregate and analyze data to produce impact reports and dashboards.
• Serve as a team resource on data systems and contribute to future impact reporting strategies.
• Program Operations
• Develop and maintain process documentation, communication templates, and file organization systems.
• Use Asana and other project management tools to track program milestones and ensure alignment with strategic goals.
• Collaborate across teams to monitor program performance and share progress with leadership and the founding partner.
• Support system training and software updates in coordination with IT and the People Team.
• Additional
• Create written content, data visualizations, and presentations in support of program goals.
• Perform other responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.

Director of Development

Program Specialist, Community Impact