Development Director

Job Description

Job Description

Overview of the Position

SEAL is entering an important phase of growth as we advance our strategic plan, expand our reach and influence, and build a more diversified and sustainable revenue model. 

The Development Director is a senior leader responsible for translating SEAL’s fundraising strategy into disciplined execution and measurable revenue growth. Reporting to the Head Development & External Relations Officer (HDERO), the Director will lead the day-to-day execution of SEAL’s development strategy, helping grow and diversify philanthropic revenue across institutional, individual, corporate and emerging funding opportunities.

The Development Director will build and actively manage SEAL’s diversified fundraising pipeline; advance cultivation and stewardship strategies; move new funding opportunities forward; and strengthen the systems, processes, and data needed to support effective fundraising and reliable revenue forecasting.

Working closely with the HDERO, President/Executive Director, SEAL Leadership Team, Development team, Finance, Programs, Impact & Learning (I&L), Marketing & Communications, the Director will help build a strong organization-wide culture of philanthropy and position SEAL for long-term growth.

The Director will provide strategic and operational leadership across the development function, establishing strong fundraising practices, clear priorities, effective workflows, and accountability for results. During the current phase of SEAL’s organizational development, Development & External Relations staff report directly to the HDERO.

This hybrid position is based in California. You will work from home and in the field, with the expectation to travel domestically 30-40% throughout the year.

About SEAL

For more than 15 years, SEAL has worked with school districts, county offices of education, schools, preschool LEAs, teachers, families, California Department of Education, and many other education champions to advance educational outcomes of English Learners and Dual Language Learners. It all began with Dr. Laurie Olsen and Sobrato Philanthropies whose strong belief that all children should have access to opportunities for growth and success led to designing, piloting and eventually creating the SEAL you know today.

Our vision at SEAL is simple, yet impactful: schools prepare all English Learners and Dual Language Learners to learn, lead and thrive. Our core values focus on nurturing the intellectual and linguistic brilliance of young children, celebrating the importance of family culture and language in education, and supporting teachers through professional development and evidence-based instructional practices.

We work across California and nationally, partnering with preschools, elementary schools, districts, county offices and other educational stakeholders to ensure culturally and linguistically diverse children thrive. Extensive research has shown that SEAL both enhances teaching methods and leads to higher engagement and improved language and academic results among English Learners and Dual Language Learners. We’ve impacted hundreds of classrooms, thousands of teachers, tens of thousands of students—and counting. The number of school districts successfully implementing SEAL grows each year.

SEAL addresses systemic inequities by transforming classrooms into joyful, rigorous, and language-affirming environments. Our Theory of Action drives impact across three integrated levels:

• Direct Impact: Building the capacity of teachers and leaders through specialized professional learning.

• Ecosystem Impact: Partnering with education organizations to embed MLL expertise into programs, tools, and training.

• Field Impact: Leading advocacy and awareness to elevate high-quality instructional practices at scale.

To learn more about SEAL, please visit SEAL.org.

Our Equity Commitment

Equity is a core value at SEAL. At SEAL, our commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion reflects SEAL's mission: "To Prepare All English Learners to learn, thrive, and lead." Equity is a core value at SEAL and we believe that diversity fosters equity. We're passionate about creating a workplace where all forms of diversity, age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, perspective, and experience are seen as real value for the organization. To carry out our mission we actively recruit a workforce that reflects the SEAL community we serve, and as part of which, everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work. Our mission drives our innovation and connects us more closely to our partners and the communities we serve. Together, we act fearlessly, learn from each other, improve constantly, and continue to build a culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices, backgrounds, and cultures of our team members. These principles guide how we build our teams, cultivate leaders and develop an organization that embraces multiple approaches and points of view. We support an inclusive environment where team members feel empowered to share their experiences and ideas. We believe that non-profit organizations can be powerful platforms for social change and that our higher purpose is to drive equity for all.

 

About the Role

In this role, your work will include:

Strategic Fundraising & Revenue Growth (25%)

• Partner with the HDERO to operationalize SEAL’s multi-year fundraising strategy and annual revenue goals.

• Translate fundraising priorities and revenue goals established with the HDERO into annual and quarterly fundraising plans, portfolio targets, activities, and measurable outcomes.

• Build and actively manage a diversified fundraising pipeline across institutional, individual, and corporate philanthropy.

• Identify, qualify, prioritize, and advance prospective funders and donors aligned with SEAL’s strategic priorities and opportunities for impact.

• Develop cultivation and solicitation strategies for priority prospects, including relationship owners, next steps, ask amounts, timelines, and engagement strategies.

• Regularly assess pipeline health, probability, timing, and risk and develop revenue forecasts and recommendations for review with the HDERO and organizational leadership.

• Use philanthropic trends, market intelligence, funder priorities, and development data to identify emerging opportunities and recommend fundraising approaches and opportunities.

• Partner with organizational leaders to develop compelling funding opportunities and cases for support that connect SEAL’s impact and strategic priorities with funder, donor and corporate partner interests.

• Identify and advance opportunities for larger, multi-year philanthropic investments that support SEAL’s long-term sustainability and growth.

Funder & Donor Cultivation, Stewardship & Relationship Management (25%)

• Drive implementation of SEAL’s cultivation and stewardship strategy across the development portfolio, in partnership with the HDERO.

• Manage a portfolio of priority funders, donors, corporate partners, and prospects, building authentic relationships that lead to increased engagement, renewal, and investment.

• Develop differentiated cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies based on funder and donor interests, relationship history, funding cycles, and organizational priorities.

• Ensure priority funders, donors, corporate prospects and prospects have clear relationship strategies, ownership, next actions, and timelines.

• Prepare the HDERO, President/Executive Director, Board members, and other organizational leaders for funder and donor meetings, solicitations, and stewardship opportunities.

• Develop funder and donor briefings, meeting strategies, talking points, recommended asks, and follow-up plans for priority relationships.

• Identify opportunities to deepen existing relationships and grow philanthropic investment over time.

• Partner with Marketing & Communications to develop funder- and donor-facing communications, impact stories, cases for support, and stewardship materials.