Director of Development

El Tímpano is seeking a Director of Development to join our nationally recognized civic media organization.

El Tímpano's mission is to inform, engage, and amplify the voices of the Bay Area’s Latino and Mayan immigrants. In the past five years our staff grew from one full-time employee to 15, and our impact and reach expanded from Oakland to the entire Bay Area. Having won local and national recognition for our innovative model of journalism and civic engagement that centers Latino immigrants, El Tímpano is poised for significant impact and continued growth in 2026 and beyond.

We are seeking a Director of Development who can dream big, quickly turn ideas into clear and inspiring proposals, develop and manage long-term strategies and plans, and steward relationships with philanthropic partners. As the head of a two-person development team, they must be ready to roll up their sleeves to both lead and execute strategies to make a difference in a non-profit startup that peers have described as “an outstanding innovation model.”

The Director of Development will guide the organization in achieving its financial priorities. They will bring skills and expertise to develop and implement fundraising strategies in support of a $2.5M budget with continued growth expected to support the organization’s strategic goals. They will work closely with stakeholders including our Co-EDs, foundation partners, advisors, and donors, and will supervise the Donor Relations Manager.

You’re an ideal candidate if you are an excellent communicator with a strong track record in grant writing and fundraising, are a project manager with an abundance mindset, believe strongly in our mission of equitable civic media, and are eager to learn, iterate, and grow with the organization.

While El Tímpano is a remote-first workplace, this position will involve in-person activities in the communities El Tímpano covers and serves, and will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The position will report to El Tímpano’s Co-ED, Director of Programs & Strategy.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising plan that supports El Tímpano’s strategic goals and includes foundations, government grants, and major gifts
• Steward and increase El Tímpano’s portfolio of institutional and major donors through research and donor cultivation to increase our operating budget 10-20% year over year
• Manage the organization’s impact tracking and develop or oversee production of an annual impact report, quarterly funder updates, pitch decks, and other fundraising collateral
• Write clear, inspiring, and compelling grant proposals for foundation and government grants based on the organization’s strategies, impact, and growth plans
• Generate and experiment with new strategies to grow El Tímpano’s revenue
• Develop or expand/improve and maintain systems and processes for tracking donor cultivation and stewardship, grant applications and reporting, and donor acknowledgements. (We currently use a combination of Givebutter, Airtable, and Insightly.)
• Expand and engage a council of advisors to strengthen El Tímpano’s ability to raise funds and loyal supporters
• Serve as an effective ambassador of El Tímpano at events, conferences, and conversations with prospective funders
• Expand El Tímpano’s base of local philanthropic support, particularly as the organization expands from the East Bay to the South Bay and Peninsula
• Foster an organization-wide culture of fundraising that engages staff in fundraising campaigns
• Identify and leverage opportunities to garner awareness of and support for El Tímpano
• Work closely with the Director of Programs & Strategy and collaboratively across teams in designing and implementing fundraising and communications strategies
• As a member of El Tímpano’s leadership team, work with colleagues to support the growth and strategy of a growing nonprofit organization
• Supervise and support the Donor Relations Manager to strategize and manage individual giving campaigns and donor events
• Leverage opportunities to build skills and expand El Tímpano’s fundraising capacity through workshops, conferences, and trainings with industry associations and peers

You are a great fit if you…

• Have a minimum of 5+ years of related development experience, including responsibility for grant-writing and funder research and relations for organizations with a $1.5M or larger annual budget
• Have a proven track record in relationship-building, donor cultivation and solicitation, and securing grant support from institutional funders
• Have experience writing successful grant proposals, including securing grants of at least $200,000
• Have strong people and project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines while maintaining rigorous attention to detail
• Are a strategic thinker and problem-solver. For you, a challenge is an opportunity. You are unafraid to try new approaches, and will learn and grow from what others might consider a failure.
• Are a creative and compelling storyteller who can weave research and data with strong narratives to communicate organizational impact and objectives
• Have excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication, including the ability to communicate in diverse environments with colleagues, community members, and external peers through active listening, empathy, and respect
• Demonstrate initiative and a spirit of learning and innovation. As the head of a small development team within a young organization, you will be building some materials and systems from scratch, learning and iterating as you go, collaborating with a team, and adapting as the organization grows and evolves.
• While not required, we prefer candidates who are familiar with the Bay Area’s philanthropic ecosystem.

Some great candidates may not check all the boxes above, and may have valuable skills not included here. If that’s you, please don’t hesitate to apply and tell us why you would thrive in this role. If you have any questions in advance of applying for this position, we encourage you to reach out to Madeleine Bair, mbair[at]eltimpano[dot]org to address your questions via email or a brief call.

As a fiscally sponsored project of Mission Edge San Diego, all El Tímpano staff are employees of Mission Edge. Company benefits include:

• Paid vacation time, holidays (including a one-week paid office closure at the end of the year), and Birthday Day off
• Paid sick leave, jury duty leave, and bereavement leave
• Cell phone and Internet stipend
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer match
• Comprehensive health coverage
• Flexible work hours
• Professional development opportunities