Join Our Team

Director of Development & Philanthropy

About Save Sight Now

Save Sight Now is a Bay Area–based, parent-led nonprofit focused on funding urgent, translational research to develop treatments for Usher syndrome type 1B — the leading genetic cause of combined deaf-blindness in children.

Founded in 2019, Save Sight Now was initially fiscally sponsored by the Foundation Fighting Blindness and became fully independent in 2025. To date, we have raised over $3 million to support early translational research and strategic programs aimed at accelerating credible paths toward human clinical trials.

As our work advances toward clinical readiness, the organization is entering a critical growth phase that requires experienced fundraising leadership with both strategic depth and hands-on execution.

The Role

The Director of Development & Philanthropy is responsible for designing, owning, and executing Save Sight Now’s full fundraising program.

This role exists to build a diversified, repeatable fundraising engine across major gifts, events, grants, peer-to-peer fundraising, sponsorships, and evergreen giving. The role combines strategic planning, hands-on execution, and systems design, with direct accountability for fundraising outcomes.

This is a hands-on, embedded leadership role, not an advisory or consulting engagement. While fractional in hours, the role carries meaningful ownership and responsibility.

Core Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Ownership

  • Develop and own Save Sight Now’s annual fundraising plan and revenue targets

  • Design a diversified fundraising strategy across multiple revenue streams

  • Set priorities and make tradeoffs across major gifts, events, grants, and campaigns

  • Report progress, risks, and opportunities to the Executive Director and Board

Major Gifts & Donor Relationships

  • Build, manage, and personally advance a major donor pipeline

  • Partner with the Executive Director and Board on donor cultivation and solicitation

  • Own donor follow-through, stewardship, and relationship progression

  • Grow and manage Save Sight Now’s donor network with clear upgrade strategies

Events & Sponsorships

  • Own Save Sight Now’s annual flagship fundraising event

  • Design event revenue strategy (tickets, sponsorships, live asks, follow-up conversion)

  • Ensure event strategy supports broader donor cultivation and long-term giving

  • Execute additional events or peer-to-peer campaigns as appropriate

Grants & Institutional Funding

  • Identify and prioritize aligned grant and institutional funding opportunities

  • Manage grant calendars, submissions, and follow-up

  • Coordinate with scientific leadership and external grant support as needed

  • Align grant strategy with organizational research priorities

Systems & Operations

  • Ensure donor records, reporting, and stewardship systems function reliably

  • Establish fundraising metrics, dashboards, and operating cadence

  • Build and manage fundraising execution support as needed (e.g., grant writing, communications, operations)

Who This Role Is For

  • 10+ years of senior nonprofit fundraising or development leadership experience

  • Proven ability to design and operate multi-channel fundraising programs

  • Demonstrated success closing major gifts and leading fundraising initiatives

  • Comfortable operating in a founder-led, mission-driven organization

  • Strong interest in science, healthcare, or rare disease research preferred

Details

  • Time Commitment: ~25–35 hours per week

  • Structure: Contract, embedded leadership role

  • Compensation: $11,500–$14,500 per month (based on scope and experience)

  • Location: Remote (US-based preferred)

Contact

If this role sounds aligned — or if you know someone exceptional who might be a fit — please reach out via:

Email: info@savesightnow.org