Vice President of Development and Finance

The Organization:

The Campaign for College Opportunity (Campaign) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) broad-based, bipartisan coalition, including business, education, and civil rights leaders, that is dedicated to ensuring all Californians have an equal opportunity to attend and succeed in college to build a vibrant workforce, economy, and democracy. Our mission is focused on substantially increasing the number of students attending two and four-year colleges in the state and who complete their college education. Every day, the Campaign fights to make public policy changes that will help more California students enter and complete college. The Campaign maintains offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento.

The Position:

The Vice President of Development & Finance is a key member of the Campaign’s Senior Leadership Team, responsible for shaping and executing the organization’s integrated fundraising and financial strategies. This senior leader provides high-level oversight and coordination across all fundraising streams, including foundation relations, individual giving, board engagement in fundraising, and event sponsorships, while ensuring strong alignment with financial forecasting, revenue modeling, and long-term sustainability planning.

This is a unique opportunity for a seasoned development professional eager to build and strengthen a comprehensive development function, grow a high-performing team, and lead strategic fundraising efforts for a mission-driven organization. The Campaign has experienced record-breaking fundraising success in recent years and holds a 20-year track record of impact, financial stewardship, and organizational stability.

The VP of Development & Finance will lead the design and execution of a major gifts program, working closely with staff and board members to increase annual revenue. They will also personally manage a portfolio that raises $1–3 million annually from a diverse mix of individual donors, institutional funders, and sponsorship supporters. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in both strategic leadership and direct relationship-building with major supporters.

The Vice President supervises the Director of Development, the Development Manager, and the Accounting Manager and is responsible for aligning their respective portfolios into a cohesive strategy that advances the Campaign’s mission, enhances its visibility, and ensures long-term financial sustainability.

Responsibilities:

Fundraising Strategy & Execution

• Design and lead a multi-year fundraising strategy across institutional, individual, and event-based giving streams.
• Activate networks and provide strategic guidance to the President and Executive Team on fundraising priorities and overall strategy.
• Build and lead a major gifts program to engage, solicit, and steward donors giving $10k+.
• Personally build a portfolio of major institutional and individual donors, raising $1–3M annually.
• Partner with the Director of Development to grow annual giving among mid-level donors ($1k–$9,999), and design strategies for acquisition, retention, and upgrades.
• Guide sponsorship strategy for organizational events, campaigns, and partnerships with corporate and education system partners.
• Provide strategic oversight and storytelling guidance for proposals, reports, appeals, and campaigns that reflect the Campaign’s impact.
• Collaborate on the development of events that achieve revenue goals and advance donor cultivation.
• Lead quarterly portfolio reviews, establish a development dashboard, and promote a culture of accountability and learning.

Board Strategy & Engagement

• Partner with the President and Board to develop individual fundraising pathways and personalized donor engagement strategies.
• Lead board fundraising strategy, including give/get tracking, cultivation support, and training sessions.
• Coordinate with the Executive Team to align board efforts with organizational fundraising goals and strategic priorities.

Finance, Forecasting & Revenue Modeling

• Collaborate with the development team and finance staff to align forecasts, financial goals, grant deliverables, and donor expectations.
• Build robust multi-year fundraising projections and scenario plans to inform decision-making.
• Craft departmental budgets that support organizational goals, team deliverables, and initiatives, and consolidate these budgets into a cohesive, balanced organizational budget.
• Ensure compliance with grant requirements, funder restrictions, and internal financial controls.
• Prepare and present the organization budget to the Executive Team, Finance Subcommittee, and Board of Directors for final approval.
• Collaborate with the Accounting Manager and the President to reconcile actual expenses and revenues with the approved budget, ensuring course correction if variances are identified.

Collaboration, Data Tracking & Teamwork

• Oversee shared development operations, management systems, and performance dashboards.
• Facilitate key team meetings, including:
• Weekly Development Team Meetings
• Monthly Moves Management Meetings (with President and Directors)
• Monthly Development Report-Outs to Executive Leadership
• Promote a culture of data-driven, decision-making, and shared accountability across the development and finance teams.
• Collaborate with Communications staff to create sponsorship materials and donor-facing collateral that aligns with the organization’s mission and fundraising objectives

Organizational Leadership

• Supervise, coach, and support the Development and Finance team, ensuring they meet role-specific goals and collectively contribute to the overall success of the fundraising strategy.
• Actively engage as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team by contributing to high-level decision-making and organizational strategy.
• Contribute to organization-wide strategy, talent development, and the cultivation of a collaborative and innovative organizational culture.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of progressive fundraising experience across major gifts, institutional giving, and team leadership.
• Strong grasp of nonprofit finance, grant budgeting, and CRM/database systems.
• Proven experience leading diverse teams with a coaching-focused, performance-driven leadership style.
• Demonstrated ability to manage revenue pipelines, produce financial forecasts, and meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with a commitment to narrative fundraising and donor stewardship.
• Passion for equity in higher education and deep alignment with the Campaign’s mission.
• Outstanding project management skills suited to a dynamic work environment with multiple ongoing responsibilities, tight deadlines, and expectations for high-quality work.
• Displayed commitment to racial justice and the Campaign’s mission.
• Flexibility for occasional travel.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Compensation:

The annual salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications, ranging from $150,000 to $175,000. For regular, full-time employees, our total compensation package includes competitive, equitable base pay and benefits as outlined below:

• Competitive and equitable salary – Salaries reflect our compensation philosophy of market competitiveness and pay equity. All candidates receive a first and best offer in line with our market for talent and geography, recognizing their education, training, years of experience, and level of expertise.
• Health Insurance – We pay 100% of medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employees and their dependents.
• Paid Time Off – We provide 3 weeks paid vacation, 13 paid holidays (including Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth), and 8 days paid sick leave, as well as extended holiday closures. Vacation increases to 4 weeks upon the employee’s 5th anniversary and 5 weeks upon the 10th.
• Retirement Savings – After 90 days of service, employees are eligible to enroll in our 401(k) plan. For those who do enroll, we provide a generous 401(k) match of up to 5% with 100% immediate vesting.
• Flexible Spending Account – We provide an opportunity for employees to use pre-tax dollars for eligible Medical and Dependent Care expenses.
• Peace of Mind – We cover the cost of basic life insurance, long-term disability insurance, and AD&D insurance.
• Growth and Development – We value each team member’s professional growth and, through our Professional Development program, provide $2,000 per employee to put toward individualized development needs each year, as well as additional professional development opportunities, as approved by their supervisors.
• Sabbatical Program – Long-serving employees with outstanding performance are eligible for up to 12 weeks of sabbatical leave after 7+ years of service.

Selection Process

Interested parties should email a cover letter and resume indicating “Vice President of Development and Finance” in the subject line to recruitment@collegecampaign.org.

We invite you to consider your cover letter as an opportunity to:

• Share how your lived experiences relate to our work to improve college access and success for low-income, first-generation, and historically marginalized students in California.
• Discuss how your background and experience make you the right fit for this position.

Priority interviews will be held the week of June 16th. All candidates selected for an interview will be required to submit a performance exercise, along with three professional references. All applicants should visit our website to learn more about the Campaign at www.collegecampaign.org before submitting a cover letter and resume.

We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We design our recruiting and hiring processes with an understanding of systems of oppression, and no person will be discriminated against in employment because of race/ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic.

No phone calls, please.

• Competitive and equitable salary – Salaries reflect our compensation philosophy of market competitiveness and pay equity. All candidates receive a first and best offer in line with our market for talent and geography, recognizing their education, training, years of experience, and level of expertise.
• Health Insurance – We pay 100% of medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employees and their dependents.
• Paid Time Off – We provide 3 weeks paid vacation, 13 paid holidays (including Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth), and 8 days paid sick leave, as well as extended holiday closures. Vacation increases to 4 weeks upon the employee’s 5th anniversary and 5 weeks upon the 10th.
• Retirement Savings – After 90 days of service, employees are eligible to enroll in our 401(k) plan. For those who do enroll, we provide a generous 401(k) match of up to 5% with 100% immediate vesting.
• Flexible Spending Account – We provide an opportunity for employees to use pre-tax dollars for eligible Medical and Dependent Care expenses.
• Peace of Mind – We cover the cost of basic life insurance, long-term disability insurance, and AD&D insurance.
• Growth and Development – We value each team member’s professional growth and, through our Professional Development program, provide $2,000 per employee to put toward individualized development needs each year, as well as additional professional development opportunities, as approved by their supervisors.
• Sabbatical Program – Long-serving employees with outstanding performance are eligible for up to 12 weeks of sabbatical leave after 7+ years of service.