Director, Private Funding Development

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All legitimate communication from our recruitment team will come from an official calstart.org email address via email, we will not text you about a role you have not applied to or shown interest in. We will not perform any interviews via text or Zoom chat.

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About Us:

CALSTART is a mission-driven industry organization focused on transportation decarbonization and clean air for all.

For over 30 years, it’s been CALSTART’s mission to develop, assess, and implement large-scale, zero-emission transportation solutions to mitigate climate change and support economic growth. CALSTART works with businesses, organizations, governments, and communities to create real-life impact toward clean air and equitable access to clean transportation for all. CALSTART provides scientific, technical and policy support for regulatory development and clean technology and infrastructure acceleration.

About The Role: 

CALSTART, a leading national clean transportation non-profit organization, is seeking dedicated leadership to increase fundraising to support mission-aligned growth in the impact of our teams that conduct policy advocacy and implement large-scale influence campaigns. In order to confront head-on the challenge of reducing transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 – just five years away – we must significantly expand and diversify our pool of private (non-government) funding to help us unleash our full potential to reduce transportation’s impact on the environment and increase its benefits to all people. 

To lead this effort, we are looking for a highly experienced, motivated, and results-oriented leader to join our team as a Director in our Development department. Reporting to the Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, the Director, Private Funding Development will lead and coordinate all activities related to the lifecycle of private grants and fundraising—including funder research, identification, arrangement of meetings, lead cultivation, proposal development, grant management, reporting, and more. The ideal candidate will be a well-connected visionary with passion for our mission and a track-record of driving results, ideally in a non-profit environment. The ideal candidate will also embrace creative approaches to leveraging CALSTART’s unique perspectives as an industry builder and implementation expert, as well as its industry and stakeholder network, to secure funding from foundations, donor-advised funds (DAFs), high net-worth individuals, and more to enable mission-critical expansion both nationally and internationally in pursuit of our 2030 objectives. 

• Lead, plan, and guide all development activities for private funders, including strategy creation, funder engagement, grant development, outreach, submission, management, and reporting.   
• In collaboration with Vice President, Strategic Initiatives and CALSTART’s Executive Team, set annual targets for private fundraising and corresponding plans to satisfy and surpass annual targets. 
• Coordinate and support the mission-based funding needs of CALSTART’s five Initiatives (Bus, Innovative Mobility, Clean Fuels & Infrastructure, Light-Duty Vehicles, and Truck & Off-Road) as well as its international campaign (Global Drive to Zero); become conversant in the details of their work such that their funding pitches can be delivered organically. 
• Collaborate with internal domain experts and Communications staff to produce effective and compelling collateral to succinctly convey the details of CALSTART’s background, perspective, and proposed work across a variety of media and formats (PDF, PPT, web, etc.). 
• Arrange regular meetings for members of CALSTART’s Executive Team and/or Senior Leadership Team with prominent figures in philanthropic and investment communities and prepare leaders to manage these meetings and relationships toward fundraising goals. 
• Plan and coordinate multiple high-visibility events per year that elevate the profile of CALSTART’s work and open the door to new funder possibilities. 
• Launch, sustain, and grow a Major Gifts program to position CALSTART to receive large, unrestricted contributions from high net-worth individuals. 
• Develop and maintain a priority list of foundation, institutional, and corporate funders with whom CALSTART has or should have a relationship; cultivate strong and trusted relationships with these priority funder prospects.   
• Create and implement a strategic outreach plan and schedule to reach existing and new potential private funders, including foundations and donor-advised funds.    
• Perform regular check-in briefings with all key funders to keep abreast of their priorities and keep them updated on CALSTART’s activities and capabilities; share this information regularly with CALSTART leaders.   
• Manage a small team of specialists focused on the pursuit, preparation, and renewal of philanthropic grants, including a Lead Project Manager responsible for Philanthropic Gifts and Grants. 

• Bachelor’s degree
• Extensive (10+ years) professional experience in development field. 
• A proven track record of winning major foundation funding. 
• Strong and trusted contacts and relationships with relevant foundation, industry, and institutional funders.  
• Proven organizational management and team leadership.  
• Exceptional presentation, organization, stakeholder management, communication, and writing skills.  
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite of applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).  
• Willingness to travel 5-10% within North America and, in rare instances, abroad 

• Master’s (or advanced) degree in business or a related field. 
• Extensive (10+ years) professional experience specifically in development for non-profit organizations.  
• Experience working in the clean transportation, energy, and/or climate sectors; deep knowledge of advanced transportation a plus. 
• Strong program oversight and project management experience.  Exceptional campaign and proposal development and submission experience with a proven high win rate. Knowledge of project budgeting and organizational revenue forecasting. Ability to use software tools to enhance internal processes and drive improved results. 

We understand that not everyone will match the above qualifications 100%. If your background isn't perfectly aligned but you feel you would be a great addition to the team, we'd love to hear from you.

We're a tight-knit team of world-class innovators, business minds, and change agents who believe passionately in our mission and put our team ahead of self. We are committed to the continued development and growth of our employees and invest in your success!

We care about your personal well being as much as your professional success and offer generous benefits to full time employees including: 100% company paid comprehensive health benefits for Medical, Dental, Vision, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability and Life Insurance, Retirement plan with generous company contributions, FSA for Health and Dependent Care, 3 weeks of vacation time in the first year of employment, 11 paid company holidays, paid sick time, paid family leave, and more!

Our inclusive environment focuses on making decisions based on merit without regard to race, color, hair texture, gender, religion, age, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, LGBTQIA+ status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.