Development Manager

FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt. At-Will

Location: San Jose, CA, Hybrid

Pay Range: $71,500 - $83,500

Reports to: Senior Director of Growth & Strategic Communications

Organization Overview

The Latino Education Advancement Foundation (LEAF) is committed to promoting equal

opportunities for Latinx students to excel in higher education and realize their career aspirations

for social and economic advancement. As a 501(c)(3) organization, we offer a range of

programs and education initiatives, including comprehensive support services for

postsecondary enrollment and persistence, career pathways preparation, and educational equity

advocacy.

Since 2019, we have supported over 1,000 LEAF Scholars and their families throughout their

college journey. In 2024 alone, we served more than 500 LEAF Scholars and over 90 LEAF

Mentors, along with more than 200 families. A remarkable 85% of our students persist in

college, considering that fewer than 20% of low-income Latinx students nationally persist in

earning a college degree within six years. Our comprehensive support system includes

scholarships, workshops, peer mentorship, parent engagement, and college partnerships, which

all work together to increase the enrollment and retention rates of Latinx students. With our

unwavering commitment, we aspire to empower and uplift our community's next generation of

Latinx leaders.

Position Overview

LEAF is launching its first-ever Development team, and this role is the ground floor. As our

founding Development Manager, you will not inherit a playbook; you will have the opportunity to

write one. You will partner closely with our Senior Director of Growth and Communications, who

will shape strategy alongside you, while you own execution and bring your own ideas to how we

build donor relationships, run campaigns, and tell LEAF's story.

This is the right role for someone who is energized by building something from scratch, who

thinks like an owner, and who wants their fingerprints on the systems and relationships that will

fund LEAF's growth for years to come. If you are resourceful, entrepreneurial, and motivated by

mission-driven work, this is a rare chance to shape a function from day one and grow with it.

Why This Role

• Build from the ground up: design and implement the donor systems, workflows, and

campaign strategies that will become the backbone of LEAF's fundraising for years to

come.

• Creative ownership: bring your voice to donor storytelling, campaign concepts, and events,

with real latitude to try new approaches.

• Growth trajectory: as LEAF's Development function matures, this role is positioned to grow

in scope and seniority alongside it.

• Direct impact: your work translates directly into resources for first-generation Latinx

students and families.

• Close mentorship: work side-by-side with senior leadership who are invested in your growth

as a development professional.

Key Responsibilities:

Individual Giving, Major Donors & Signature Events

● Collaborate with leadership on multi-channel individual giving campaigns (annual

appeals, EOY, spring/fall, GivingTuesday, monthly recurring donors).

● Identify and research prospective individual and major donors; develop cultivation

materials (one-pagers, program briefs, briefing sheets).

● Lead the annual “Plant the Seed” luncheon: event logistics, sponsor outreach, table host

strategy, registration, and post-event follow-up.

● Support donor cultivation events, site tours, and tabling activities.

● Draft donor-centered appeals, stewardship emails, case statements, and impact

collateral.

Strategic Communications & Marketing

● Project manage, write, and oversee layout of LEAF's Annual Impact Report.

● Manage email marketing platform and activities, including newsletter, campaign emails,

targeted donor updates, and subscriber segmentation.

● Manage social media and website content.

● Create donor-centered storytelling and basic collateral/graphics in Canva or other

graphic design platforms; coordinate with outside designers on larger projects.

Development Operations & Systems Management

● Serve as primary administrator for our CRM platform, Network for Good: gift processing,

data entry, and financial reconciliation with Finance/Operations.

● Draft and send donor acknowledgment letters; maintain donor records and recognition

lists.

● Produce monthly fundraising and communications dashboards for leadership and the

Board.

● Establish fundraising workflows, pledge tracking, and campaign analytics, building the

systems that don't yet exist.

Perform other related duties as required and assigned by leadership.

Qualifications

● Bachelor’s degree in related field, or equivalent experience.

● 4+ years of direct nonprofit fundraising and development experience, ideally spanning

individual giving, campaign execution, and event coordination.

● Hands-on CRM & platform expertise: proven experience managing donor databases end

to end, including gift processing, reconciliation, and reporting; knowledge of Network for

Good is a plus, and proficiency with Mailchimp and Canva is preferred.

● Event & campaign leadership: a track record of co-creating and project-managing

fundraising campaigns and events from concept through post-event stewardship.

● Exceptional writing & communication: experience producing donor-centered appeals,

impact reports, and social content that ignite generosity and translate into real gifts.

● A builder's mindset: comfortable creating structure and process where none exists, and

energized rather than daunted by ambiguity.

● Systems & data orientation: organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable owning clean

data and meeting fast response-time standards without heavy oversight.

● Cultural competency & mission alignment: a deep, genuine commitment to educational

equity and postsecondary success for Latinx, immigrant, and first-generation

communities.

● Bilingual Spanish/English strongly preferred.

● Strong ethical values and a passion for LEAF’s mission.

Compensation and Benefits

LEAF offers a generous pay and benefits package which includes:

● $71,500 - $83,500 annual base salary, based on experience and qualifications

● 50% employer paid medical and dental/vision coverage options

● 401(k) retirement plan with a LEAF match: 100% of contributions on the first 3%

deferred, then 50% of contributions from 3% to 5%

● Paid Time Off: 14 paid holidays, 120 hours accrued vacation- increases with length of

service, 80 hours paid sick leave, Winter break between Christmas and New Year.

● Parking and mileage reimbursement

● Cell phone stipend

● Employer-sponsored professional development opportunities

● Optional disability, life insurance coverage options, as well as Flexible Spending

Accounts, employee-paid

Work Environment

● LEAF offices are located at 1550 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126. This position is

hybrid, requiring onsite work 2-3 days per week.

● Occasional evening and weekend events are required, with the ability to flex working

hours accordingly.

● Reliable transportation is required.

How to apply

Interested candidates submit a cover letter and resume at https://www.leafca.org/careers or

[email protected] . Application screening and initial phone interviews will be completed on a

rolling basis. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered.

LEAF is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive

consideration for employment without regard to race, color, citizenship status, national origin,

ancestry (including caste), gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,

genetic information, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status,

reproductive health status, family caregiver status, political or religious affiliations, or any other

characteristic protected by law.