Director of Development

Do you love good design? Do you believe the world needs more inspiration? Bring your fundraising and relationship cultivation skills to an organization that is growing rapidly because we inspire people every day. 

Reporting to the Deputy Director, you'll lead our small development team, balancing day-to-day operations while driving member, grant, major gift, and corporate sponsorship pipelines. As a key member of our leadership team, you'll cultivate relationships, secure major gifts, and drive our sustainability goals by strategizing and leading our contributed revenue and fundraising efforts.

You will be surrounded by beautiful, meaningful materials from the Archive’s collection, as well as a diverse and dynamic community of those who love design. Your colleagues will be a small group of people who are passionate about the organization and eager to share their enthusiasm through their work.

About Letterform Archive

Letterform Archive is a nonprofit center for inspiration, education, and community. We offer hands-on access to a curated collection of over 100,000 items related to lettering, typography, calligraphy, and graphic design. Every year, we serve thousands from across the world, including students, practitioners, and design enthusiasts.

With a budget in excess of $3 million, and a full time staff of 22, plus 15 part time educators and support staff, our revenue portfolio includes earned income from education, publishing, admissions, and programming, and contributed income from members, donors, sponsorships and grants. We encourage you to learn more about us by browsing through our website: letterformarchive.org.

Responsibilities

• Development
• Create and implement a multiyear organizational plan to meet strategic goals, leveraging data for forecasting, activity tracking, and accountability.
• Establish and meet annual revenue and prospecting targets, driving the development pipeline and guiding a small team.
• Manage development budgeting, including future projections, expense tracking, and regular reconciliations against the general budget, with periodic progress reporting.
• Craft a compelling case for supporting the Archive and its programs, engaging the community for philanthropic support through various channels such as annual gifts, memberships, major gifts, sponsorships, and capital campaigns.
• Foster a philanthropic culture by educating staff, volunteers, and board members on fundraising importance and impact, enhancing engagement strategies for donor cultivation.
• Lead fundraising efforts by maintaining a portfolio of individual, corporate, and foundation prospects, overseeing all stages of the gift cycle, and nurturing donor relationships through meaningful interactions.
• Expand membership, major gift, and corporate giving programs, and lay groundwork for a capital campaign to enhance Archive growth.
• Leadership & Management 
• Lead the development team of currently one other staff member, providing guidance, training, and support as needed. This includes setting goals and expectations for individual team members, monitoring performance, and providing feedback to ensure that fundraising goals are met or exceeded.
• Work closely with the Executive and Deputy Directors, and other members of the Leadership Team, to coordinate, strategize, and achieve Archive-wide goals.
• Cultivate board members and build out a pipeline of board member donors. 

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 7-10 years of fundraising experience with progressively increasing responsibilities. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team, create and execute a strategic development plan, and solicit five- and six-figure gifts successfully.
• Experience with planning and executing a capital campaign, soliciting corporate sponsorships, and fundraising in a museum or arts organization are preferred.
• Experience as a strategic thought partner with the ability to engage in creative, entrepreneurial thinking, and then execute new ideas.
• Proven track record as an impactful negotiator, team player, and relationship builder, demonstrating resourcefulness in setting priorities, proposing efficiencies, and guiding investment in people, systems, and facilities.
• Excellent people-management skills and a proven ability to mentor, motivate, and support through inclusive leadership practices and collaborative problem solving to drive success through team management.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, flexibility and comfort in a rapidly changing environment, and able to work under pressure to meet deadlines, with a high degree of integrity and dependability.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Ideal Qualifications

In addition to the minimum qualifications above, an ideal candidate would have some, but not necessarily all, of the following qualifications as well:

• Experience working with archives, museums, or special collections and a knowledge of or interest in the arts, especially graphic design and related printing arts.
• Familiarity with HubSpot or similar CRM 
• CFRE certification preferred

Physical Demands

The Development Director will regularly be required to perform desk-based computer tasks, including using a computer screen for long periods of time, typing, and making phone calls. They may also occasionally be required to move items weighing up to 10 pounds or push and maneuver a fully-loaded book truck weighing up to 60 pounds.  They may also frequently be required to move items weighing up to 30 pounds and travel for local and non-local donor meetings and special events. The Archive will provide reasonable accommodations to an employee with a disability who requires accommodations to perform the essential functions of their job.

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

To ensure the health and safety of the Archive’s community, all newly hired employees of Letterform Archive are required to be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, absent qualifying exemptions for medical, religious, or other reasons in accordance with all applicable laws.

Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination

Letterform Archive is an equal opportunity workplace, community, and place of learning. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. The Archive does not discriminate in employment or in offering educational services and programs. Learn more. 

Position Type, Schedule, and Location

This is a full-time, exempt position working 40 hours per week during the Archive's normal office hours in addition to occasional nights and weekends as required. It is hybrid and onsite at Letterform Archive’s offices in San Francisco 3–4 days per week. The position is open to all with current US work authorization and California residency. This role will travel about 10–15% of their time for donor visits and events.

Compensation and Benefits

The pay rate for this role is between $120,000 and $130,000 per year depending on candidate experience and qualifications. 

Letterform Archive offers benefits to all full-time employees including:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with subsidized dependent coverage
• Three weeks of Paid Time Off each year with incentive accrual up to four weeks per year
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Sick leave
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Pre-tax commuter benefit
• Annual professional development budget
• Complimentary Archive membership, and waived tuition to Archive workshops