Director of Development

Job title:

Director of Development

Reports to:

Executive Director

Status:

Exempt, Full-time, Hybrid — Pasadena, CA

Compensation:

$100,000 - $110,000

How to apply:

Please submit your cover letter and resume via this Google form
:
 

Applications close December 31, 2025.

About the organization:

4th Trimester is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit providing postpartum care in California and along the U.S.-Mexico border. We support families through essential items, emotional and financial support, and advocacy, ensuring no parent navigates the fourth trimester alone.

At 4th Trimester, we believe the weeks and months after birth should be a time of deep care. We're a nonprofit organization changing how new mothers and birthing people experience the postpartum period. We've been through the trenches ourselves and know how isolating it can feel without enough support. We serve those most often left behind by traditional systems, including low-income, immigrant, asylum-seeking, and disaster-impacted families. 

We started simply with a few mothers supporting others after birth, providing recovery supplies, diapers, and a listening ear. As our community grew, we learned more about what families truly need. Over the past two years, we've expanded our focus to include mental health support, economic assistance, and advocacy. The name '4th Trimester' reflects our bold belief that this tender stage of life matters, enough to refer to it as a separate 'trimester' with its own set of important needs. 

We currently have a full-time staff of four, a Board of Directors with 7 members, and we work with independent contractors including fundraising, accounting, events production, HR, and bookkeeping.

Summary:

The Director of Development is a full-time, Pasadena-based senior leadership role responsible for leading all development efforts at 4th Trimester. This pivotal position, and the organization's first dedicated Development leader, plays a key role in shaping and executing the organization's fundraising and growth strategies to engage stakeholders, expand annual revenue, and advance our mission to improve postpartum outcomes.

This role oversees all development operations—including strategy, donor stewardship, institutional relationship management, development marketing, solicitation, and fundraising events. Reporting to the Executive Director, and working closely with the Board Chair, staff, and external consultants, the Director should demonstrate a proven track record in cultivating donor relationships, securing individual and institutional gifts, and enhancing overall fundraising capacity.

A passion for storytelling and community engagement is essential, alongside an innovative approach to fundraising strategies. The ideal candidate is driven, highly organized, excited to be a part of a small and highly-motivated team, and deeply committed to women's and maternal health.

Essential job functions & responsibilities:

Fundraising and Strategy

• In collaboration with the Board Chair and Executive Director, develop and execute a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising plan that aligns with organizational goals
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward a diverse portfolio of major donors and prospects, fostering long-term relationships
• Conduct prospect research to identify new major donor, foundation and corporate opportunities; analyze donor and prospect giving patterns to inform strategies
• Develop and manage annual development calendar outlining campaigns, grant deadlines, stewardship touchpoints, and major events
• In collaboration with the Senior Director, Branding & Marketing, execute individual giving campaigns, including annual giving, recurring donations, major gift solicitations, and planned giving initiatives
• Maintain and refine personalized engagement strategies for individual donors, including stewardship, recognition, and impact communications
• Oversee targeted outreach and campaigns to engage new individual donors and deepen relationships with existing supporters
• Lead efforts to identify and cultivate major donors, ensuring high-level engagement and gift closure
• Prepare briefing materials and follow-up strategy for Executive Director and Board Chair donor meeting to support successful donor cultivation and solicitation
• Design, implement and lead institutional fundraising initiatives, including grants, foundation partnerships, government funding, and corporate sponsorships
• Manage all GrantStation Portal, grant applications, reporting, and compliance to ensure timely and accurate submissions
• Maintain and expand relationships with current funders while proactively identifying new opportunities for support
• Write, review, and submit grant proposals, reports, and other funding requests, ensuring alignment with funder priorities
• Track and report on the impact of grants and institutional gifts to ensure compliance and continued support

Leadership and Management

• Set clear departmental goals, monitor progress, and provide reporting
• Serve as a key strategic advisor to the Executive Director and Board of Directors, participating in organizational planning and growth initiatives
• Oversee the Development department's budget, forecasting and managing expenses in support of strategic objectives
• Ensure all fundraising practices meet ethical standards, government compliance and nonprofit regulations
• Lead revenue forecasting and scenario planning in partnership with the Finance consultant, Executive Director and Board Chair

Donor Relations and Stewardship

• Working in collaboration with the Manager of Volunteer and Community Engagement to sustain a robust donor stewardship program, impact updates, and recognition
• Create and manage individualized donor engagement plans to guide intentional stewardship strategies, tracking donor retention and re-engagement strategies
• Maintain accurate donor data, leveraging Virtuous to track interactions, giving history, and ongoing reporting
• Works with Administrative Assistant to provide timely acknowledgments and maintain receipting strategies

Events and Marketing

• Leads strategy, staff and contractors in execution of fundraising and cultivation events, including annual Holiday Soiree and possible future gala fundraising events
• Collaborate with Senior Director, Marketing and Branding to implement strategic Development communications, year end campaigns, and volunteer recruitment outreach
• Works with Program staff to align stories, data and impact metrics for storytelling, strengthening grant writing, reporting, donor proposals and stewardship
• Represent 4th Trimester as a passionate spokesperson and ambassador with donors, at public engagements and community events

Board of Directors and Executive Support

• Provide Board of Directors with regular updates on fundraising progress and results, and support Board efforts in Development activities
• Facilitate Board development and engagement, including major gift solicitations, Board dues, and volunteer involvement

Reporting and Data

• In collaboration with Manager of Programs and Operations, oversee Virtuous donor database integrity and internal systems to support effective data management and reporting
• Collaborate with Executive Director and Finance consultant to develop revenue projections, monitor progress toward financial goals, and plan future strategies
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with foundation and institutional funders, leading grant proposals and reporting efforts

This role will have one part-time direct report, with the possibility of increased supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 6-10 years of development professional experience with demonstrated track record in major gifts and individual giving
• Expertise in development strategy and nonprofit best practices
• Experience in managing and developing budgets and maintaining financial projections
• Demonstrated experience in institutional giving and grant writing
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage cross-functional teams; experience supervising direct report staff and/or contractors and volunteers
• Experience with web-based contact databases (CRM); being familiar with Classy and Virtuous is desired
• Demonstrated meticulous attention to detail, ability to multitask and prioritize competing projects
• A proactive and self-starter nature
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including storytelling that translates to compelling donor messaging; English required, Spanish a plus
• Interest in reproductive health, women's rights, and immigration rights is desired

Work environment:

We welcome a dialogue about any accommodations that would enable individuals with disabilities or other access needs to perform the essential functions. 

• Hybrid: This role requires a supportive virtual workspace, reliable internet connection, and cellular service – software, subscriptions, and licenses needed to use the company's work tools are covered by 4th Trimester
• This role requires working in person at 4th Trimester's office in Pasadena on a flexible schedule
• Full-time, 40-hour work week, to be worked between Monday through Friday; some evenings and weekends required due to events and activities. Schedule to be flexible and approved by the Executive Director
• Performance review approximately 90 days from start date; subsequently at six month intervals

Benefits:

• Subsidized Medical, Dental and Vision insurance
• 401(k) plan
• Mobile phone stipend ($40/month)
• Computer stipend, if not provided company computer ($70/month)
• Professional Development stipend ($300/annual)
• Holidays observed: New Year's Day (or adjacent day, as observed), Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (or adjacent, as observed), Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Day After Thanksgiving, Christmas Day (or adjacent, as observed)
• Five (5) days of paid sick leave provided per calendar year
• Unlimited PTO, with supervisor approval