Director of Development

Introduction

Co-founded in 2005 by Robert Redford and his son James Redford, The Redford Center leverages the power of storytelling to galvanize environmental justice and regeneration.  Our cross-cutting programs support environmental storytellers and invest in impact-driven narrative strategies.  By changing the conversations around environmentalism, we aim to engage a much broader and more diverse population to mobilize a just transition. 

Over the years, The Redford Center has produced three award-winning feature documentaries and over 30 short films, supported 75+ environmental films and dispersed a million dollars in grants funding and more than $8 million to our fiscally sponsored projects.  Our films activate real change – we have engaged millions of viewers across all 50 states and 45 countries, inspiring hope and generating demand for a world where human and planetary health are fundamental values. Our impact campaigns have halted the construction of dirty coal plants, reconnected the Colorado River to the Sea of Cortez, and helped accelerate the clean energy revolution in America. Our growing network of 400+ environmentally engaged storytellers also represent women, youth, communities of color, and LBGTQ+ communities, who are among the groups historically underrepresented in media and who are often among those leading progress on the ground and enacting the solutions needed to safeguard humanity and our planet.

As we move to meet the urgency of the times, we are looking for team members who are nimble, excited to help shape a growing organization, and who are energized about our mission of environmental impact using storytelling.

Director of Development

The Director of Development will focus on efforts to grow The Redford Center as it enters its next phase of work, with an evolved mission to engage a larger audience, and build a more diverse, activated, and invested community.  This position will oversee and strategically expand our development team and fundraising efforts, including leading our $25 million Legacy Campaign over the next few years. This role will support development efforts across all programmatic areas, and strategically engage new partnerships and sponsorships to support our vision and enable our capacity to achieve our goals. This position will also be involved in high-level strategic planning as the organization grows and work with our Director of Communications in developing stronger communications and marketing capacity. This individual should be an exceptional communicator and leader, have frontline fundraising experience with major donors, superior relationship-building skills, and the ability to combine high-level strategic thinking around growth and expansion with hands-on management and creative problem-solving.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement organizational fundraising strategy and annual workplans that include:
• building and strengthening relationships with foundations and institutional donors;
• cultivating and stewarding a robust major donor pipeline and major gifts program;
• building and strengthening corporate partnerships and sponsorships;
• leading annual giving efforts; and
• overseeing fundraising events.
• Manage all organizational fundraising campaigns, which includes managing the current $25M Redford Center Legacy Campaign and collaborating with all program teams to support their development needs.
• Writing and developing successful grant proposals, pitches for funding opportunities, and donor engagement materials.
• Cultivate and manage our development team, which includes closely coordinating and collaborating with our communications team and consultants, as well as helping build up our communications and marketing capacity.
• Develop and oversee internal processes that support the implementation and tracking of grant funding and major gifts. This includes developing a fundraising database (e.g. Salesforce) and grants management systems to assist with prospecting, acknowledgement, and stewardship.
• Oversee grants reporting and administration and help design the qualitative and quantitative tools needed to measure results, impact, and performance.
• Support board engagement and development, in particular those aspects related to organizational growth, fundraising, and the Redford Center Legacy Campaign.
• Pursue strategic partner initiatives to engage new development and programmatic contacts, as well as foster partnerships that drive our overall capacity and reach.
• Engage at a high level with strategic program design and future development; ensure our development strategy is in line with our programmatic design and our communications strategy.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in a senior development position; experience at an environmental, social impact, or film organization is a plus.
• 5+ year experience in growing and managing a development team and in establishing relevant systems to support business development at a non-profit.
• Proven skills in developing and implementing business development strategies and growth initiatives.
• Strong experience in and a record of executing major fundraising campaigns, building relationships with major donors and institutional funders, and closing major gifts.
• Experience using donor databases such as Salesforce or Raiser’s Edge.
• Exceptional writing and communication skills and experience in successfully developing and securing large multi-year grant proposals and major gifts from institutional funders.
• The ability to collaborate, work with, and help build relevant external partnerships and sponsorships that support Redford Center programming and funding needs.
• Clear thinking, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work in cross-cutting areas to foster internal coordination and support all programmatic and communications efforts.
• A deep understanding of the current philanthropic landscape, including being up-to-date on how the donor community is thinking through issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• A strong affinity with our mission of galvanizing environmental justice and regeneration through the use of storytelling and film.

Salary and Benefits

This is a full-time position located at The Redford Center’s headquarters in The Presidio in San Francisco, California (with options to work from home during the pandemic). The salary range is $90,000-120,000 commensurate with demonstrated skills and experience. We offer a flexible schedule and an excellent benefits package, including generous paid time off, 100% coverage of employees’ health, dental and vision insurance, commuting expense reimbursement, and participation in a 403b retirement plan.

The Redford Center strives for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) and prioritizes these values in our organization, programming, and employment practices.  JEDI is at the forefront of our strategy and culture, and we are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, cultures, skills, and experiences, knowing that the more inclusive we are, the more successful we will be. We are an equal opportunity employer and Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and LBGTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

To Apply

Please submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter detailing your interest and experience to jobs@redfordcenter.org with the subject line “Director of Development.”

Hiring decisions will be made on a rolling basis, and applications are encouraged to be submitted before June 30, 2021.