Development Director La Peña Cultural Center - 5.0 Berkeley, CA Job Details Full-time $85,000 - $95,000 a year 19 hours ago Benefits Health insurance Dental insurance Paid time off Parental leave Vision insurance Professional development assistance Flexible schedule Qualifications Teamwork Bachelor's degree Attention to detail Fundraising Organizational skills Managing projects Non-profit experience Project leadership Foundation giving

Full Job Description Development Director Full-time :

40 hours per week, partly remote and on-site. Exempt position.

Schedule :

General working hours are Monday through Friday. Occasional evening and weekend hours will be required for events and other work-related activities.

Compensation :

$85,000-$95,000 pre-tax annual salary, based on experience.

Benefits :

Full medical, dental, and vision coverage.

Vacation :

14 annual holidays and accrued vacation starting at 19 days per year.

Sick Days :

10 hours accrued per month, up to 120 hours per year. Reports to : Executive Director. About La Peña Cultural Center La Peña Cultural Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Huichin, the unceded land of the Ohlone people, in Berkeley, California. Founded in 1975 and rooted in the Latin American and Caribbean diaspora, La Peña has supported social justice, resilience-building, cultural expression, and creative production across U.S.-based diasporas and solidarity movements worldwide. Its programming includes concerts, roots arts classes, film screenings, panel discussions, community fundraisers, political strategy meetings, and other forms of cultural and civic engagement. Please visit for more information. Position Overview The Development Director leads La Peña's fundraising strategy and development program, with primary responsibility for institutional giving and oversight of individual giving. Working closely with the Executive Director, Programming Director, Individual Giving Manager, and other staff, the Development Director will develop and implement strategies to sustain and grow La Peña's contributed revenue, strengthen relationships with institutional funders and donors, and build a healthy and diversified fundraising pipeline. The Development Director will serve as a strategic thought partner to organizational leadership, connecting fundraising priorities to La Peña's annual budget, programs, long-term strategy, and evolving case for support. The position requires a strong combination of fundraising strategy, relationship building, grant writing, project management, financial fluency, communications, and organizational leadership. The ideal candidate is an experienced development professional who can move comfortably between high-level strategy and implementation: cultivating funders, identifying new opportunities, managing a complex institutional portfolio, developing compelling proposals and communications, supervising development staff, and building systems that support long-term fundraising success. Areas of Responsibility 1.

Development Strategy and Portfolio Management:

25% Develop and implement La Peña's annual and multi-year fundraising strategy in collaboration with the Executive Director. Establish annual institutional giving goals informed by La Peña's organizational budget, existing funding commitments, renewal opportunities, prospect pipeline, and long-term priorities. Maintain and regularly assess La Peña's institutional funding portfolio, including secured, renewal, pending, and prospective revenue, and develop strategies to address projected funding gaps. Work with organizational leadership to strengthen La Peña's case for support and articulate the organization's role within the fields of performing arts, cultural advancement, civic engagement, social justice, professional development, and the humanities. Develop compelling fundraising language, presentations, organizational materials, and other tools that communicate La Peña's programs, impact, history, and vision. Identify emerging philanthropic trends and opportunities relevant to La Peña's mission, programs, and long-term sustainability. Participate in relevant conferences, philanthropic gatherings, community events, webinars, and cohorts that strengthen La Peña's relationships and visibility within the Bay Area and broader cultural and philanthropic landscape. 2.

Institutional Giving and Funder Relationships:

45% Build and manage a strong institutional funding pipeline aligned with La Peña's organizational priorities and financial needs. Cultivate, steward, and solicit institutional funders through meetings, site visits, briefings, organizational updates, events, and other relationship-building strategies in partnership with the Executive Director and relevant staff. Strengthen relationships with existing foundation and government partners while identifying and cultivating new prospective funders. Lead the development and submission of institutional grant proposals, renewal requests, reports, letters of inquiry, and other fundraising materials. Coordinate proposal and reporting processes across departments, gathering relevant program information, impact data, financial information, and supporting materials. Develop grant budgets and monitor grant commitments, deliverables, expenditures, and reporting requirements in collaboration with the Executive Director, Programming Team, bookkeeper, and accounting team. Maintain accurate and accessible institutional giving records in Salesforce and other organizational systems. Ensure effective internal systems for tracking grant deadlines, submissions, reports, funder communications, and next steps. Maintain clear communication with La Peña's bookkeeping and accounting team regarding grant awards, contracts, payment schedules, restrictions, and expenditures. 3.

Development Team Leadership and Individual Giving:

15% Supervise, support, and evaluate La Peña's Individual Giving Manager. Work with the Individual Giving Manager and Executive Director to develop annual individual giving goals, strategies, and campaigns. Ensure institutional and individual giving strategies are aligned around shared organizational priorities, messaging, and fundraising goals. Support the Individual Giving Manager in donor cultivation, stewardship, communications, and fundraising systems. Strengthen coordination across institutional giving, individual giving, events, and other fundraising activities. Partner with the Executive Director and Individual Giving Manager on capital campaign strategy when significant facility improvements or renovations require dedicated fundraising. Help build a collaborative and learning-oriented development culture with clear goals, systems, accountability, and communication. 4.

Financial Coordination, Systems, and Administration:

10% Work closely with the Executive Director, bookkeeper, and accounting team to reconcile contributed revenue and maintain accurate grant and fundraising records. Review regular financial reports related to contributed revenue and development goals. Participate in periodic financial planning conversations with the Executive Director regarding fundraising projections, cash flow, accounts receivable, and progress toward annual revenue goals. Provide relevant contributed revenue updates and analysis to the Finance Committee as appropriate. Ensure accurate tracking of restricted and multi-year grants in coordination with bookkeeping and accounting staff. Maintain high-quality data and fundraising systems that allow staff and leadership to understand revenue performance, pipeline health, funder relationships, and upcoming deadlines. 5.

Additional Organizational Responsibilities:

5% Serve as a collaborative member of La Peña's organizational leadership and contribute to cross-departmental planning and strategy. Support organizational events and major community gatherings as appropriate. Coordinate with the Executive Director and appropriate staff regarding La Peña's landlord-tenant relationship with its partner restaurant, including relevant agreements, payments, and operational considerations. Skills and Competencies Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. Exceptional grant writing, storytelling, and editing skills. Demonstrated ability to cultivate and steward relationships with institutional funders, donors, community partners, and other stakeholders. Strong strategic thinking and ability to translate organizational goals into actionable fundraising strategies. Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities simultaneously. Experience managing and analyzing a fundraising pipeline and developing revenue projections. Financial fluency, including the ability to read nonprofit budgets, financial reports, grant budgets, and contributed revenue projections. Ability to work effectively across departments and collaborate with program, finance, communications, and executive leadership. Proficiency with Salesforce or a comparable nonprofit CRM, including data management, reporting, and developing effective fundraising workflows. Proficiency with Google Workspace, Excel, Adobe Acrobat, and other commonly used nonprofit technology platforms. Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, responsiveness, and follow-through. Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative organizational culture. Bilingual proficiency in Spanish and English strongly preferred. Additional languages are a plus. Commitment to La Peña's values, including diversity, inclusivity, accessibility, environmental justice, decolonization, and cultural humility. Experience and QualificationsRequired At least four years of professional experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, philanthropy, or a related field. At least three years of demonstrated experience with institutional fundraising, including grant writing, grant management, and foundation or government funder relationships. Demonstrated experience developing and managing a fundraising pipeline. Experience managing complex projects and multiple simultaneous deadlines. Experience collaborating across departments and with senior organizational leadership. Preferred Experience supervising development or fundraising staff. Familiarity with arts and culture philanthropy, particularly within the Bay Area. Existing relationships or demonstrated experience building relationships within Bay Area philanthropic networks. Experience with individual giving strategy, capital campaigns, or major donor fundraising. Experience working within culturally specific, movement-building, social justice, or community arts organizations. Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience. Physical Demands and Work Environment The responsibilities and tasks associated with this position require regular computer use, sitting, standing, walking, speaking, and hearing, as well as occasional light lifting of less than 10 pounds. The majority of work may be conducted remotely, with regular in-person meetings, events, and other activities. The position is expected to work on-site an average of two days per week. Equal Employment Opportunity La Peña Cultural Center is an equal opportunity employer. La Peña does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship, or any other factor protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. La Peña recognizes that no single candidate will possess every desired qualification. Candidates who possess the foundational skills for the role and share La Peña's commitment to advancing arts and culture through a social justice lens are encouraged to apply. To Apply Please send a cover letter and resume to by October 11, 2026. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Please do not call or drop in regarding the position.

Pay:

$85,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Dental insurance Flexible schedule Health insurance Paid time off Parental leave Professional development assistance Vision insurance

Work Location:

Hybrid remote in Berkeley, CA 94705