Development Director

Saba is growing from a grassroots initiative into an established organization, and we are hiring our first Development Director to build and lead our development department. This role will lead and own the fundraising, communications, and marketing strategy and build the team to deliver it. Our 2027 goal of approximately $3M is a one-time increase above our typical annual fundraising, reflecting this growth phase, including building operating reserves and securing multi-year commitments. You’ll inherit an existing funder base, a CRM, and contractors. This position reports to the Executive Director, shares grant compliance with the Program Manager, and works with the CFO on grant administration. We offer 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage, 37 days of paid time off and holidays, hybrid work from home policy, and a sabbatical policy.

Development Director

100% FTE Exempt

Salary $105,000-$125,000

Saba Grocers is a grassroots initiative of corner store owners in Oakland founded in 2019 through Oakland’s Soda Tax. Saba Grocers serves as a conduit for communities to get healthy food, provide information that promotes health and well-being, and for facilitating community empowerment. We envision a healthy community where everyone has access to quality, nutritious, healthy food that can be achieved through a

synergistic relationship between corner stores, producers, distributors, farmers, and the communities they serve. We value interdependent thriving: this is the state of thriving in which the well-being of one is not at the expense of another.

On a daily basis, we distribute fresh produce to corner stores and institutions - including school districts and food banks - offer business development support per store, and host community engagement events to anchor each corner store in the surrounding neighborhood. Additionally, we incorporate a Community Organizing strategy within our corner store partnerships, and organize residents for advocacy and civic engagement. The majority of our participating stores and events are located in East and West Oakland communities.

Position Summary:

Saba is growing from a grassroots initiative into an established organization, and we are hiring our first Development Director to build and lead our development department. This role will lead and own the fundraising, communications, and marketing strategy and build the team to deliver it. Our 2027 goal of approximately $3M is a one-time increase above our typical annual fundraising, reflecting this growth phase, including building operating reserves and securing multi-year commitments. You’ll inherit an existing funder base, a CRM, and contractors. This position reports to the Executive Director, shares grant compliance with the Program Manager, and works with the CFO on grant administration. We offer 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage, 37 days of paid time off and holidays, hybrid work from home policy, and a sabbatical policy.

Responsibilities:

• Fundraising (50%)
• Responsible for reaching the 2027 fundraising goal of ~$3M, including a reserves campaign, and organizational capacity building (administrative, IT, and HR capacity), across multiple channels and strategies
• Grow existing philanthropic relationships and submit annual funder reports
• Prospect and cultivate new funder relationships
• Manage individual donor relationships, tracking gifts and engagement
• Manage the ED’s fundraising calendar and major donor portfolio, engaging the ED in key cultivation and asks
• Oversee the design of compelling and effective mail, email solicitations, and stewardship pieces for all donor categories
• Lead grant prospecting and proposal development, overseeing grant-writing contractors
• Share responsibility with the Program Manager for grant compliance according to each grant contract; work with the CFO on grant administration tasks
• Establish gift processing and reconciliation procedures with the CFO
• Build and document the fundraising processes, SOPs, and policies currently missing
• Team Leadership & Strategy (20%)
• Lead annual and multi-year fundraising strategy with ED approval, including quarterly fundraising strategy meetings
• Set development metrics and report progress monthly to the ED
• Staff and support the Board Fundraising Committee
• Create, fund, and implement a strategic development staffing plan, with ED approval, to reach annual and multi-year goals
• Hire and manage development team staff
• Develop SOWs for, hire, and manage strategic contractors to reach organizational goals
• Communications & Marketing (30%) with contractor support
• Lead communications and marketing strategy, including advertising, to attract new donors, build and engage an online donor base, and retain and steward existing donors
• Oversee social media strategy implementation to grow our following on socials and newsletters
• Ensure the website is maintained and updated
• Ensure consistent language across all communications materials and grant submissions
• Ensure an organization-wide editorial calendar is maintained and coordinate content delivery for all external communications
• Partner with the Program Manager and Food Hub leadership to gather impact data and stories for communications and funder reports

What Success Looks Like in Year One:

• Five-year fundraising plan completed and adopted by the board
• Funds secured for IT, HR, and administrative capacity
• Fundraising SOPs, processes, and procedures in place across the department
• Development staffing plan approved and first hire on board
• Board Fundraising Committee active and meeting quarterly
• 2027 fundraising goal of $3M reached

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of progressive experience in fundraising, including leading fundraising and communications
• Demonstrated track record of personally securing six-figure gifts and leading multi-year fundraising programs of $2M+, including a reserve, capital, or growth campaign
• 3+ years directly supervising staff (not only contractors)
• Experience building a development program at a small to mid-size organization, including writing and executing annual and multi-year development plans
• Experience working with a board or board fundraising committee
• Experience implementing or improving CRM systems
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Personable and able to cultivate trust-based relationships with donors
• High attention to detail and track record of administering restricted grants
• In-depth understanding of community work, equity, and DEI
• Spanish and/or Arabic language speaker preferred

Benefits:

100% healthcare, dental and vision coverage for employees. 26 days of PTO annually, 11 days company holiday, 401K match plan (4% company contribution, 1% employee contribution), and a generous sabbatical policy

Hours of operations: 8am-5pm

3 days in-office (M-T-W) and 2 days remote (Th-F), subject to change based on business needs

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Saba Grocers is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation. We are an inclusive employer and encourage applications from all qualified individuals, including members of underrepresented groups.

Start Date: 11/16/26 or ASAP

Attach your CV/resume and note your availability for interview within the next week from the day you send your application. We will be reaching out to eligible candidates for interviews within 24-48 hours of application submission.