About this opportunity
Liberty Economic Empowerment lists this Development Director opportunity in lancaster, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Location: Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid, On-site as needed)
Hours: Full-Time, Exempt
Target Start Date: November 2, 2026
Compensation: $95,000 - $110,000 (Salaried)
THE OPPORTUNITY
Most development leaders spend their careers raising money inside organizations where the donor base is established, the relationships are inherited, and the fundraising strategy has already been written. Every so often, a different kind of opportunity appears: an organization with a proven vision, growing visibility, community trust, and work capable of attracting significant investment, ready for a development leader who can take its fundraising to the next level.
This is that opportunity.
The Liberty Ecosystem is entering a new chapter of ambitious, community-rooted work, and we are hiring the person who will bring the capital and relationships alongside that ambition. Not simply a fundraiser. A relationship builder, strategist, and closer who can turn belief in the mission into meaningful investment.
WHAT YOU'LL BUILD TOWARD
At the Liberty Ecosystem, we're not just building projects and providing community programs. We are igniting a movement that reimagines urban investment as a catalyst for justice, equity, and transformation. Our mission is to forge a reparative, restorative, and regenerative economy that uplifts Black Los Angeles and fuels a revolution across the African diaspora.
And this is not abstract. We led the largest raise for a community-owned real estate project in American history. Our ecosystem approach has been highlighted by the Brookings Institution. Our land-justice work has been featured in Yes! Magazine and Next City.
We are a nonprofit and a social enterprise in the truest sense: the discipline and ambition of a growth company, the soul of a movement. The vision is proven. The resources are in place. Now the resources must grow with it.
WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
Vision can inspire investment. Relationships are what turn that investment into lasting impact.
Our work has earned the belief of a remarkable and growing community - impact investors, foundation partners, and individual donors who each see something of themselves in this mission. That community is ready for a leader devoted to it: someone to deepen every relationship, open new doors, and match the ambition of the work with the ambition of the resources behind it.
As our Development Director, you will be a trusted face and voice for this movement, working hand in hand with executive leadership and the Board to grow, deepen, and steward the full community of people and institutions investing in our work. You'll lead the fundraising strategy that fuels the Liberty Ecosystem's next chapter, grow philanthropic revenue, deepen relationships across donors, funders, and investors, and open the doors that carry this movement forward.
WHAT YOU'LL OWN
The Capital: Fundraising Strategy & Revenue
Develop and lead annual and multi-year fundraising strategies aligned with organizational priorities and ambitious revenue goals
Grow and diversify philanthropic revenue across major gifts, individual giving, foundations, impact investors, corporate philanthropy, sponsorships, campaigns, and other aligned opportunities
Build and actively advance a strong pipeline of donors, funders, and impact investors from identification and cultivation through solicitation, stewardship, and renewal
Track fundraising performance, forecast revenue, and keep leadership informed of progress, significant opportunities, and emerging needs
The Relationships: Donors, Funders & Investors
Lead major-gifts strategy and personally cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and high-capacity prospects
Build authentic, long‑term relationships across a diverse supporter base - individual donors, foundation partners, and mission‑aligned impact investors - and move fluently among them
Cultivate and advance our impact‑investment relationships, carrying them from first conversation toward committed capital; you lead the cultivation and the ask, while executive leadership and counsel structure terms alongside you
Build relationships that belong to Liberty as much as to you - documented in our systems, connected across our team and Board, and rooted in the mission - so the trust you build strengthens the movement for the long term
Develop tailored strategies that deepen engagement, strengthen retention, and grow giving and investment over time
Prepare and partner with executive leadership and Board members on introductions, supporter meetings, significant asks, and stewardship
The Reach: Foundations & Institutional Partnerships
Build and strengthen relationships with foundations, institutional funders, and other capital stewards
Expand the pipeline of grant and institutional funding opportunities aligned with the Liberty Ecosystem's mission and priorities, including program‑related investments and other capital that flows through our philanthropic partners
Lead grant strategy from prospect identification and proposal development through award, reporting, relationship management, and renewal
Develop corporate philanthropy, sponsorship, and partnership opportunities that expand both resources and relationships
The Case: Storytelling & Campaigns
Build compelling cases for support that clearly communicate what we're building, why it matters, and what investment makes possible
Develop persuasive proposals, concept papers, donor presentations, appeals, campaign materials, and other fundraising communications
Lead fundraising campaigns around key organizational priorities and opportunities
Partner across leadership, programs, finance, and communications to connect our work, outcomes, and ambitions to powerful opportunities for investment
The Leadership: Board & Organizational Partnership
Serve as the organization's senior development leader and strategic advisor on philanthropy, fundraising, and donor engagement
Guide and grow the development function, including the staff and consultants who support fundraising and supporter relationships
Engage executive leadership and the Board as active fundraising partners, helping them cultivate relationships, open doors, and participate confidently in asks
Provide clear updates on fundraising performance, major opportunities, pipeline activity, and progress toward revenue goals
WHO YOU'LL BECOME
Eighteen months from now, the Liberty Ecosystem's fundraising landscape will look different because you were here.
More people will know our work. More institutions will understand our vision. Relationships that began as introductions will have become genuine partnerships. Prospects will have become donors, and existing supporters will have deepened their investment. And a community of committed supporters will be woven into the fabric of Liberty because of you: relationships built to belong to the movement, strong enough to outlast any single person in it.
Our philanthropic reach will be wider, our relationships deeper, and our revenue more diversified. You will have helped bring significant new resources into a movement working to fundamentally change how communities own, invest, and build wealth.
This role is designed to grow with the person in it. It is built to become the organization's senior‑most development seat - a path for the leader who earns it. As the resources and relationships you build expand, so will the possibilities for the organization and for your leadership within it.
THIS ROLE IS FOR YOU IF…
You've raised meaningful money and can point to fundraising goals you've owned, significant gifts you've helped close, grants you've secured, and revenue you've helped grow
You have 4+ years of progressive nonprofit fundraising, development, philanthropy, advancement, or related experience
You have personally cultivated and solicited major donors and are comfortable making significant asks
You understand institutional philanthropy and know how to develop funder relationships beyond a single proposal or grant cycle
You can hold a room, or a call, full of very different supporters at once, moving fluently from an impact investor to a foundation officer to an individual donor without missing what each of them cares about
You build relationships that belong to the mission, and take pride in creating something durable that outlasts your time here, and in connecting supporters across the organization rather than holding them close
You can turn complex ideas into a compelling case for support, whether in writing, in a presentation, or across the table from a donor
You know how to engage executives and Board members as effective partners in fundraising
You build momentum in partnership — reading a relationship well enough to know when to carry it forward yourself and when to bring in the CEO or Board for the moment that seals it
You move fluently between worlds: polished and credible with donors, foundations, and institutional partners; authentic and grounded with community stakeholders
You carry a genuine commitment to racial and economic justice, with the cultural intelligence to match
You are strategic and hands‑on, equally willing to shape the fundraising strategy, write the proposal, make the call, and make the ask
You are uncompromising on confidentiality, integrity, and professionalism
THIS ROLE IS NOT FOR YOU IF…
You think development means grant writing
You'd rather stay behind the proposal than sit across from the person who can fund it
Making a direct ask for significant money makes you uncomfortable
You want an established donor portfolio handed to you on day one
You'd rather your relationships stay yours, close to you and portable, than belong to the community you're building them for
No judgment, those are honest preferences. They're just not this role.
OUR CORE VALUES
Mission Alignment and Advancement : We are dedicated to our collective goals and the advancement of our community
Mutual Commitment: We show up for our organization and for each other
Curiosity and Creativity: We encourage innovative thinking and the exploration of new ideas
Initiation and Follow-Through: We are proactive in our efforts and committed to seeing projects to completion
Respect for Confidentiality: We handle sensitive information with care and integrity
THE OFFER
This exempt position offers a salary range of $95,000–$110,000, commensurate with experience. And because this role is built to grow, compensation is too: your scope and salary will be formally reviewed at month six.
You'll also receive:
Generous paid time off, paid holidays, and comprehensive health and wellness coverage.
Professional development and continuing education support - conferences, certifications, trainings, and leadership development
Educational assistance and growth resources aligned with your development goals
Flexible work arrangements and a schedule designed for productivity, creativity, and balance, with the flexibility to be on-site and in the community as needed to host tours, make introductions, and be present for the relationships this work depends on
A ground-floor seat in a growing nonprofit social enterprise where you will shape how the organization works
Direct engagement and leadership opportunities across affordable housing, workforce development, community economic development, and economic justice
We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. As a Black-led organization, we embrace diversity, equity and inclusion, and are dedicated to fostering a supportive environment for all team members.
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Worksite address
lancaster, CA, 93586, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.