Director of Development

Job Description

Sprouts Chef Training is seeking a Development Director to forge and maintain corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and donor contributions. In this role, you will enable Sprouts’ mission and fundraising goals by researching and reaching out to potential corporate sponsors, donors, and partners; maintaining corporate sponsor/donor/partner relationships and data tracking; and working with the Sprouts team to organize fundraising initiatives (i.e. grant applications, corporate sponsorship solicitation, nonprofit events, etc.). The person in this role serves as a representative of Sprouts when interfacing with donors and introducing sponsors to our mission. As Sprouts continues to grow, this role provides an excellent opportunity for those who are eager to hone their skills while gaining new experiences during a time of exciting expansion in the organization.

Chef Training Program Overview

We enable Bay Area youth to rise from hardship through culinary training and job placement. Youth pair with chef mentors and case managers to develop the skills needed to secure and maintain culinary jobs. Since 2012, dozens of youth have used their skills to get off the streets, pay for higher education, become chefs, access new professions, or support family members.

We believe in a Bay Area where all youth have access to fulfilling career pathways.

Primary Responsibilities

Revenue Generating activities fall into 4 main categories:

1. Events
   • Collaborate with the Events Team for sponsorship solicitation process.
   • Represent Sprouts at events, engaging with potential sponsors, donors, and high-profile guests.
   • Coordinate event-specific sponsorship opportunities and ensure sponsor requirements are met.
2. Donor Relationships
   • Maintain relationships with sponsors, donors, and board members, including bi-annual impact report creation.
   • Manage gift-giving and Thank You campaigns for donors.
   • Update Sprouts’ Donor and Sponsor CRM data and all donor tracking systems. Maintaining up to date records of interactions and next steps is critical to success and scale.
   • Act as a Sprouts representative and advocate when interacting with key donors, sponsors, and celebrity guests/chefs, both in-person and online
   • Manage Donor Coordinator team members to execute donor communication and sponsorship projects.
3. Sponsorships
   • Execute sponsorship acquisition from start to finish (outreach, hook calls, proposals, partnership execution).
   • Prepare sponsorship packages and agreement documentation.
   • Work with the marketing team to organize and execute sponsorship “give” requirements on specific timelines, including social media engagement.
   • Engage and coordinate with Sprouts’ board to secure leads for sponsorship, donors, event guests, foundations, and grants.
4. Grants and Foundations
   • Research grant funding opportunities and organize timelines for project management.
   • Draft and submit grant proposals via corporate, institutional, and family funding.

In addition, Sprouts Development Director will work closely with upper management to develop multi-year sponsorship options for more sustainable, long-term partnerships and explore other avenues to diversify revenue streams.

Leadership and Team Management

• Strategy, team oversight, and collaboration across Sprouts' donor and event initiatives.

Relationship Management

• Maintain relationships with sponsors, donors, and board members; create bi-annual reports to share impact and partnership highlights
• Create strategy to reach out to new companies, individuals, foundations, and grants as sponsorship partners or donors.
• Convey stories of Chef Trainees to sponsors and Sprouts’ supporters to deepen community engagement.
• Act as a Sprouts representative and advocate when interacting with key donors, sponsors, and celebrity guests/chefs, both in-person and online.
• Track payments with Sprouts’ accountant to ensure financial and legal compliance for donations received.

Team Management

• Manage Donor Coordinator to ensure effective donor communication and execution of sponsorship projects.
• Engage and coordinate with Sprouts’ board to generate leads for various partnerships.
• Conduct performance review and hold team development conversations to ensure consistent progress and goal alignment.
• Collaborate with upper management to define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of donor engagement strategies and revenue generation. Ensure timely reporting of KPIs for upper management and Board of Director meetings.

Qualifications

• Genuine excitement and personal alignment with Sprouts Chef Training mission and theory of change
• 3-6 years of experience in donor development, corporate sponsorship, marketing, and/or sales, and experience in grant writing.
• A demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders, including corporate partners, foundations, and community leaders, which is essential for expanding sponsorships and donor networks.
• Basic budgeting and financial management knowledge to collaborate effectively with the accounting team and ensure alignment of financial goals with development strategies.
• Ability to interpret data, evaluate fundraising outcomes, and report on key metrics, which is essential for strategic decision-making and demonstrating impact to donors and stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strategic mindset
• Experience managing and leading team members
• Exceptional communication and writing skills
• Demonstrated success with establishing and maintaining professional accounts
• “Self-starter” and goal-driven, with energy to move our team forward during a period of high growth
• Attention to detail and commitment to tracking progress
• Demonstrated savvy with various online platforms, such as Google Suite, HubSpot, MailChimp, and other related online tools
• Ability to thrive in a remote/virtual work environment

Your Professional Growth

We believe that everyone has unique talents, passions, and interests to contribute. We will work with you individually to make sure that your skill set is highlighted and your goals for personal and professional growth are met.

Locations and Hours

• Full-time (40 hours/week)
• Remote, minimum of 4 hours of overlap work time required with East and West Coast team members
• Potential travel to NYC, SF and other states for seasonal events

Commitments and Contract Period

Starting Date Window: Ongoing

Compensation

• $75-90K, depending on experience
• 12 paid vacation days, annually
• 13 paid federal holidays, annually
• $150 monthly remote work stipend
• $300 monthly tax-free insurance/healthcare stipend through QSEHRA account
• Paid sick time (dependent on employee's state regulations)

How to Apply

Please submit the following to our team at sprouts@sproutscheftraining.org:

• LinkedIn profile URL
• Resume
• Cover letter that explains why your skill set, interests/goals, and past experiences are pertinent to the position
• Let us know the recruiting site where you found this job post

Core Beliefs

1. Jobs change lives
   • Financial freedom, purpose, community, self worth
2. Kitchens heal
   • Kitchen teams are family
   • Food is relatable, inviting, and rewarding
   • Progress is tangible
   • Kitchens foster community service
   • Culinary skills lead to countless career pathways
3. It takes a village
   • Partnerships with employers, youth help organizations, and financial coaches are essential to the long term success of youth experiencing hardship

The Vision

A Bay Area where all youth have access to fulfilling career pathways.

The Mission

Enabling youth to rise from hardship through culinary training and job placement.