Vice President, Development

Priority application deadline is January 15. 

About Eat. Learn. Play. 

Eat. Learn. Play. was founded in 2019 by Stephen and Ayesha Curry with the belief that every kid deserves more and should be given the opportunity and support to reach their full potential. For the past six years, we’ve been on an indelible mission to uplift an entire generation of youth. Within the Oakland Unified School District, we support children’s wellbeing through access to nutritious meals, quality reading resources, and opportunities to play and be active. We take a whole child, whole school approach by providing the resources and support kids need to thrive at school and reach their full potential, including access to nutritious food, high-dosage tutoring, and sports and by transforming school spaces to ensure kids have equitable access to dignified, joyful places to eat, learn, and play, including transformations to schoolyards, cafeterias, libraries, and gyms. 

About the Vice President, Development 

Working closely with the CEO and leadership team, the Vice President, Development will serve as the strategic leader of all fundraising initiatives and the architect of a comprehensive development program to help drive sustainable revenue growth for a $26+ million annual budget. This role is ideal for a collaborative, entrepreneurial leader who excels in operational system-building and empowering staff to deliver exceptional results and is excited to lead and grow a high-performing department. The role currently oversees three staff members whose responsibilities include leading major gifts and corporate giving as well as supporting all development operations.  

The VP will build authentic, trusted relationships with donors and partners and ensure an excellent donor experience and will work cross-functionally across the organization to ensure development is aligned with all program delivery, marketing, events, and community engagement efforts. As a core member of the leadership team, the VP will influence organizational strategy and ensure the resources are in place to deepen impact for Oakland students.   

The position is based in Oakland in a flexible, hybrid work environment where employees are required to be in the office as needed, typically 1-3 times a week. 

Key Responsibilities 
Include but are not limited to: 

Strategic Leadership & Vision 

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, multi-year philanthropy strategy to grow annual and long-term revenue. 
• Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, shaping organizational direction and resourcing priorities. 

Management & Team Leadership 

• Oversee, develop, and support a growing development team, including a Managing Director who is responsible for corporate support and a major giftsportfolio. 
• Provide coaching, mentorship, and professional development to ensure staff achieve growth and excellence. 
• Lead with transparency and empowerment, establishing clear goals, accountability systems, and collaborative team culture. 

Development Infrastructure & Systems Building 

• Formalize and optimize processes for donor tracking and stewardship as well as revenue forecasting within the CRM. 
• Develop efficient workflows and reporting tools that elevate data integrity and donor experience. 
• Build strong operational foundations for gift processing, donor research, acknowledgments, and prospect management. 

Major Gifts & Donor Relations 

• Support the CEO and Managing Director to maintain and grow a portfolio of individual and corporate donors capable of giving at the six- and seven-figure levels. 
• Develop and steward a specific portfolio of Major Gift donors.
• Partner closely with the CEO, Board members, and Managing Director to cultivate, solicit, and steward transformational contributions. 
• Design and execute creative funder engagement strategies, including site visits, events, and tailored experiences. 

Community & Institutional Giving 

• Design and develop a grassroots giving program aimed at expanding community support and engagement. 
• Drive digital, peer-to-peer, and event-based campaigns that broaden donor participation. 
• Develop and execute institutional giving strategy. 

Cross-Department Collaboration 

• Partner closely with the Impact Team to align with grant processes, funding needs, and impact goals to effectively steward donor investments.  
• Work with the Marketing & Communications Team to ensure aligned messaging, compelling storytelling, and consistent donor-facing communications that reflect programmatic successes. 
• Collaborate with the Events Team to design and execute fundraising and flagship events that meaningfully advance development objectives, support stewardship, and expand donor pipelines. Furthermore, work together to ensure a quality experience for donors attending community events. 
• Facilitate cross-functional planning to ensure fundraising goals and programmatic impact remain aligned and mutually reinforcing. 

Required Skills & Experience:  

• 10+ years of successful fundraising experience and a proven track record of building philanthropic partnerships, including experience securing six- and seven-figure gifts. The ideal candidate will have a deep respect for Oakland’s communities and awareness of the Bay Area’s social, economic, and philanthropic landscapes.  
• Ability to effectively engage with senior leadership, the Board of Directors, school leaders, and external partners to build strong relationships and advance organizational goals. 
• Strong background in building philanthropy infrastructure, including CRM-based donor management, systems development, and operational efficiency.Salesforce experience preferred. 
• The ability to inspire and engage diverse audiences to build long-term relationships, including experience leveraging board members, executive-level staff, and volunteer leadership to achieve fundraising success.  
• Creative and inspired leadership experience directly supervising and developing staff to drive innovation both within a department and across an organization. Demonstrated success leading senior-level fundraisers. 
• Exceptional relationship-building, communication, and storytelling skills. 
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to interpret data to inform strategic decisions. 
• Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.  
• Demonstrated personal integrity and passion for Eat. Learn. Play.’s mission, the ability to engender trust, credibility, and confidence with a variety of constituencies.  
• Able to maintain a high level of confidentiality where appropriate, and to engender trust, credibility, and confidence with a variety of constituencies. 

Physical Requirements 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: 

• Type / perform data entry  
• Sit, stand, and walk frequently 
• Occasionally bend/stoop, reach overhead or forward, lift 10-15 pounds 

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.