Development Director

Turning Green is seeking an experienced, strategic, and entrepreneurial Development Director to lead and grow funding across our organization, including Project Green Challenge (PGC) and Conscious Kitchen (CK).

This is a senior, hands-on leadership role for a seasoned fundraiser who can build and execute a comprehensive development strategy—from the ground up—encompassing major gifts, grants, institutional funding, and strategic partnerships. The Development Director will serve as the primary driver of fundraising, responsible for building systems, cultivating relationships, securing significant funding, and establishing long-term financial sustainability.

Reporting to the Executive Director, this role works in close partnership with organizational leadership to translate Turning Green’s vision, programs, and impact into a strong, repeatable funding engine. The Development Director will also collaborate closely with the Program Director of Conscious Kitchen to manage and grow CK’s development efforts.

This position is ideal for someone who thrives with ownership and accountability, enjoys being externally facing, and is motivated by mission-driven work with both local and global reach.

About Turning Green

Turning Green is a California-based nonprofit advancing climate solutions through youth leadership and food systems transformation.

Through Project Green Challenge (PGC), we empower young people around the world to become informed, confident climate leaders—equipping them with the tools, mentorship, and community needed to drive real change.

Through Conscious Kitchen (CK), we partner with public school districts, organic farmers, and food system leaders to bring fresh, local, organic, and scratch-cooked meals to K–12 students across California—strengthening regional supply chains, advancing food equity, and making climate-smart school food the norm.

Together, our programs form an integrated ecosystem centered on youth leadership, regenerative food systems, and community resilience.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Leadership

• Provide strategic, visionary leadership to design and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy for Turning Green.
• Manage an annual development plan with clear timelines, benchmarks, and revenue goals to support and grow Turning Green’s annual budget of $1.3 million.
• Build and steward a diversified funding portfolio with a strong emphasis on major gifts, foundation grants, and institutional partnerships.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors, family foundations, institutional funders, and select corporate partners, including gifts in the $25,000–$250,000+ range.
• Measure and optimize fundraising effectiveness focused on long-term donor engagement.

Major Gifts & Donor Stewardship

• Manage and grow a major donor pipeline, including prospecting, outreach, meetings, solicitations, and follow-up.
• Serve as a passionate ambassador and spokesperson for Turning Green, building authentic, values-aligned relationships with donors and partners.
• Design and implement thoughtful stewardship strategies that deepen engagement, retention, and multi-year giving.
• Prepare and support the Executive Director’s involvement in select donor relationships and solicitations.

Grant Strategy & Management

• Research, qualify the opportunity for funding, and maintain a robust pipeline of grant prospects aligned with Project Green Challenge, leadership development and Conscious Kitchen programs.
• Lead the full grant lifecycle, including proposal development, submission, reporting, and compliance with support from staff.
• Collaborate with program staff and interns to gather outcomes, stories, and metrics for proposals and funder reports.

Development Operations & Systems

• Implement and manage a CRM or donor tracking system to support effective relationship management and reporting.
• Create and maintain templates and processes for proposals, reports, acknowledgments, and donor communications.
• Track progress toward goals and provide regular fundraising reports and insights to leadership.

Cross-Organizational Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with program, communications, and leadership teams to align fundraising strategy with program priorities and storytelling.
• Integrate development priorities into broader organizational planning, partnerships, and communications efforts.
• Support the long-term growth of the development function, with the potential to help build and manage additional development capacity over time.

Qualifications

Required

• 5–7 years of experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, or relationship-based revenue generation.
• Demonstrated success in securing major gifts, foundation grants, or institutional funding.
• Exceptional writing, storytelling, and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to build fundraising systems, strategies, or pipelines from the ground up.
• Highly organized, self-directed, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating closely with executive leadership.
• Ability to work hybrid (2–3 days/week in Sausalito) and travel for donor meetings or events as needed.

Preferred

• Experience with funders focused on climate, food systems, youth leadership, education, or sustainability.
• Familiarity with donor databases or CRM platforms.
• Knowledge of relationship-based fundraising and stewardship best practices.
• Existing connections within the Bay Area or California-based funding communities.

Personal Characteristics

• Warm, collaborative, and relationship-driven professional who is ready to get to work.
• Strategic thinker who is also comfortable executing tactically.
• Natural connector with strong interpersonal skills.
• Results-oriented, resourceful, and adaptable in an evolving environment.
• Deeply motivated by Turning Green’s mission and impact.

Turning Green is a generous employer with benefits that will take care of you. In addition to a competitive salary, we provide:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement program
• Ten (10) days of paid vacation per year to start (accrued monthly)
• Five (5) paid sick days annually and up to two (2) personal days
• Hybrid work flexibility (remote and office, with some travel)