COPE Family Support Center, Director of Development

ORGANIZATION 

COPE Family Support Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen family relationships through counseling options and parent education programs. Its vision is to provide a safe space and supportive environment that nurtures families and encourages healthy relationships.

Founded in 2011 to fill a gap in supportive services for parents in crisis, COPE provides evidence-based parent education programs and culturally sensitive counseling to families across the Bay Area, grounded in the belief that children deserve to grow up in a loving, nurturing, and healthy environment, and that families are capable and want to be self-sufficient. COPE currently serves over 3,000 family members across six or more counties, including Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Marin. More than half of participants report unemployment or underemployment, and 56% identify as people of color.

What sets COPE apart is its holistic, family-centered model. Rather than serving individuals in isolation, COPE offers wrap-around services for the whole family, with each department focused on a different part of the family’s needs. Programs are evidence-based and structured, with data to show the outcomes participants can expect, and are designed to be flexible and accessible, including offerings in multiple languages. COPE’s work includes:

• Parent Education & Family Strengthening: Nationally accredited Triple P Positive Parenting Program® classes, father involvement programming, and court-approved anger management classes, offered in multiple languages.
• Youth Services (COPE 4 Kids): Programs for youth, including ARC (Attachment, Regulation, and Competence) groups, delivered through 20+ school and community partnerships.
• Clinical & Behavioral Health: Individual, couples, family, and group therapy, as well as court-approved reunification therapy and co-parent counseling, delivered on-site and virtually.

Families come to COPE through court orders, probation and school referrals, and on their own. COPE is funded primarily through a diversified set of government contracts, principally with Contra Costa County, alongside grants and philanthropic gifts. Its youth programs are supported by grants and donations. COPE has set a bold vision: to serve 6,000 families within five years and reach $5 million in annual funding by 2030.

To learn more about COPE Family Support Center, please visit www.copefamilysupport.org.

OPPORTUNITY 

COPE Family Support Center is seeking a Director of Development to build and lead a strategy for growing and diversifying the organization’s revenue in support of its bold vision. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Director of Development will assume day-to-day ownership of COPE’s development function, creating the strategy, systems, pipeline, and disciplined follow-through necessary to support the organization’s long-term financial sustainability. The role has three broad dimensions:

• Government contracts and grants: Managing the grant and RFP writing process, and competitively pursuing government contracts at the county level and beyond.
• Business development: Finding and winning new opportunities to serve more people and diversify revenue, for example by expanding into new counties, serving new populations such as veterans, partnering with school districts, offering services to employers, and growing online workshops. 
• Philanthropy: Cultivating individuals, foundations, and corporate partners, and deepening relationships with COPE’s existing donors, whose flexible funding is critical to COPE’s youth programs and growth.

This is an ideal opportunity for an entrepreneurial development leader who is energized by COPE’s mission, wants to be an early member of a new leadership team, and is eager to build relationships, establish effective systems, and move comfortably between strategy and execution. COPE is a small, close-knit team known for its collaborative, supportive, and accountable culture, where asking for help is welcomed.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibilities of the Director of Development include:

• Lead Development Strategy & Grow Revenue: Develop and execute a multi-year fundraising and revenue strategy aligned with COPE’s strategic and financial priorities, including the path to $5 million in annual funding by 2030; build and manage a robust pipeline across government funding, institutional philanthropy, individual giving, corporate partnerships, and other revenue streams, strategically balancing government and private opportunities; and exceed annual fundraising goals.
• Lead Grant & Contract Writing and Business Development: Take primary ownership of grant and RFP writing and management, including competitive government bids, in partnership with the Executive Director, Finance, and program leaders; research, analyze, and present new prospects and where they can lead; identify and lead new business development initiatives that expand who COPE serves and where, such as additional counties, veterans’ services, school districts, employers, and online programming; and manage grant calendars, funder requirements, and reporting.
• Cultivate Donors & Partners, and Partner with the Board: Develop authentic, long-term relationships with current and prospective donors, sponsors, and community partners, serving as the primary point of contact to identify who is viable and what relationship is most valuable; maintain a consistent communication and stewardship process with existing donors; prepare the Executive Director and other leaders for high-value funder interactions; and partner with the Board to align on the intent of fundraising events, engage Board members in fundraising and sponsorship, and mobilize staff as ambassadors.
• Build Development Systems & Drive Execution: Establish the infrastructure, processes, and operating rhythms required for a disciplined development function, including effective use of COPE’s CRM; maintain a clear and accurate picture of prospects, asks, commitments, stewardship, revenue projections, and cash-flow implications; establish dashboards and regular reporting; and partner closely with Finance to ensure proposals, budgets, and revenue projections are accurate, timely, and aligned with organizational priorities.
• Serve as an Organizational Leader & Cross-Functional Partner: Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the Executive Director, meeting weekly to plan priorities and track initiatives; collaborate closely with Programs, Clinical, and Finance/Operations leaders, whose work will directly shape development priorities and partnerships; represent COPE’s work internally and externally; and, as the function grows, build and manage additional development capacity.

PRIORITIES

A successful first year in this role for the new Director of Development will include:

• Create a clear multi-year development strategy with ambitious but achievable revenue targets, a balanced mix of government and private funding sources, and a diversified prospect pipeline that positions COPE to reach its 2030 vision.
• Take ownership of grant and RFP writing and management, establishing a strategic calendar and process that frees the Executive Director’s time and strengthens COPE’s competitiveness for government contracts and private grants.
• Evaluate and launch at least one new business development initiative to expand COPE’s reach and diversify revenue, while strengthening relationships with existing donors and cultivating new individual, foundation, and corporate partners.
• Establish the systems and discipline of a high-functioning development operation, including consistent CRM use, prospect and grant management, revenue forecasting, funder stewardship, reporting, and clear visibility into the organization’s fundraising pipeline and future cash-flow needs.
• Assume meaningful ownership of development from the Executive Director, clarifying which relationships the Executive Director will lead and which the Director will own, while building alignment with the Board and staff around COPE’s fundraising efforts.

Requirements

JOB QUALIFICATIONS 

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Director of Development candidate will be:

• An accomplished development leader with 5-7 years of progressive experience in nonprofit fundraising, philanthropy, business development, or a closely related field, with demonstrated success generating meaningful revenue from institutional and/or individual funders.
• Experienced in writing and managing traditional grant applications and government contracts, including competitive RFPs, and able to hit the ground running. Experience with any level of government is valuable, and California county experience is a significant plus.
• A builder and strategist with demonstrated experience developing or significantly strengthening a fundraising function, creating a prospect pipeline, opening new funding relationships or lines of business, and moving opportunities from identification through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• An exceptional relationship builder and fundraiser who can authentically engage a range of donors, sponsors, and community partners, establish trust with existing supporters, and confidently make the case for investment.
• A strong written and verbal communicator who can translate complex ideas, programmatic work, data, and impact into clear and compelling proposals, reports, and funder materials.
• A systems-minded operator with experience using CRM and development data to manage prospects, forecast revenue, track commitments, inform strategy, and create organizational accountability.
• A proven manager with strong project management skills, ideally with mid-level management experience leading a team (ideally 5+ staff) and full ownership of its output; someone who delegates effectively, meets deadlines, communicates early about challenges, and is dependably reliable.
• Familiar with the mental health and family services landscape, including how California funding and policy shifts affect providers like COPE. Nonprofit experience is expected; mental health or human services experience is ideal, though candidates who are eager to learn are welcome.
• A proactive, self-directed leader who thrives with autonomy in a small, growing organization, can articulate their own vision while aligning with the organization’s, and is comfortable designing strategy and rolling up their sleeves to execute it.
• A humble, self-aware, kind, and collaborative colleague who welcomes feedback and acts on it, is transparent about what they don’t yet know, enjoys working in person alongside a close team, and is willing to step outside their own role, including participating in occasional evening or weekend community events.
• Demonstrated commitment to COPE’s mission of strengthening family relationships through counseling options and parent education programs, and to serving families of all backgrounds with honesty, dignity, and integrity, free from stigma or judgment.
• Culturally competent and a self-reflective leader who understands the effects of race, class, ethnicity, income, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and other issues of difference in society and is able to lead direct conversations about them.
• Able to work on-site at COPE’s Walnut Creek office, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Benefits

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

This position offers a competitive salary range of $125,000 - $140,000 and a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance and PTO. More details can be provided upon request.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume online at https://apply.workable.com/j/24C2BA602B

COPE Family Support Center is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.