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Senior Director, Fundraising & Development


About Leadership for Educational Equity

Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) is a nonprofit leadership development organization inspiring and supporting a network of civic leaders to eradicate the injustice of educational inequity.

Through one-on-one coaching, fellowships, workshops, and resources, LEE works to develop and inspire its members individually and collectively, across all disciplines – as policy makers, advocates, elected leaders and community organizers. LEE membership is free and currently open to alumni of several partner organizations including Teach For America, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), New Leaders, Latinos for Education, Urban Teachers, and Public Allies. LEE believes that when a diverse group of leaders, grounded in a commitment to equity, are in leadership roles, they will serve as a transformative force for and with students and communities.

LEE is a diverse team of passionate and talented individuals committed to making a difference. We are a high-growth, results-oriented organization that operates in an entrepreneurial environment deeply invested in continuous improvement. LEE is honored to have been selected as a LATINA Style 50 Award recipient and a When Work Works award recipient. We are also an Employer of National Service. If you would like to become part of our team and join the fight for educational equity, or if you would simply like to learn more, please visit educationalequity.org [1].

Position Summary:

LEE’s Supporter Relations, Marketing & Communications team builds true believers in LEE to grow our resources and network, empowers members to take action across the leadership journey, and shares LEE’s insights, impact stories and community to build the category of civic leadership.

The Supporter Relations team plays a critical role in advancing the mission of LEE by building, maintaining, and engaging a network to provide the resources for LEE’s work. A successful Senior Director, Fundraising & Development (i.e., Supporter Relations) will lead this team to effectively and efficiently implement our grant programs, prepare budgets, research funding opportunities, monitor expenditures and track results.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Supporter Relations, Communications, and Marketing, the Senior Director, Fundraising & Development will lead execution of fundraising strategies led by the Executive Director and SVP to leverage existing stakeholders and resources while working toward the organization’s goal of expanding and diversifying its networks and donor base.

A successful candidate will:

  • Execute strategies (and over time lead the development of strategies) for engaging with promising individuals and philanthropic organizations who align with our values to establish relationships and secure commitments for LEE support
  • Identify new prospective supporters to continue expanding our network.
  • Create and prepare high-quality materials to interest and affirm current and future supporters in strategic ways that lead to stronger relationships and/or increased support.
  • Support the SVP and ED to steward relationships with current and future supporters through ongoing and strategic follow-up, communication, and outreach as needed.
  • Occasionally, lead relationships with individuals and/or philanthropic organizations.

The ideal candidate will be a values-oriented executive who approaches their work through a diversity and inclusion lens and will collaborate across the organization for the success of their team and LEE. This candidate will demonstrate the following competencies in their day-to-day work:

  • Production of Critical Fundraising Materials: Lead creation of high-priority and high-quality fundraising materials, including crafting key narratives and compelling prose
  • Research & Analytics: Conduct research and analysis to tell a compelling story of member impact and LEE’s impact in support of members
  • Meeting presence and management: Strong presence in meetings with potential supporters
  • Defining Opportunities and Problems: Identify and prioritize opportunities to pursue and problems to solve in a results- and action-oriented manner. Identification of unique opportunities comprising LEE’s work and supporter interests. 
  • Manage Team Execution: Assign, track, and prioritize work to ensure excellent outputs
  • Collaborate to Achieve Outcomes: Effectively engage with others to achieve desired outcomes

Position Location: Flexible (Preference for LEE hub - New York, DC, Chicago, Denver, or Los Angeles)

Travel Requirements: 50%, all travel is currently pending due to COVID-19

Responsibilities:

Fundraising and Development Program (70%)

  • Collaborate with the Executive Director to develop strategies and action steps to achieve fundraising goals 
  • Work collaboratively with staff members to identify avenues of economic support for programs/projects
  • Partner with the Communications team to develop a strong fundraising brand, storytelling and related digital and analog collateral 
  • Support the Executive Director to aggressively seek new individual funding sources including research, data analysis, presentation building and/or narrative writing
  • Maintain relationships with current and past donors 
  • Manage the creation of compelling proposals, solicitation letters, annual campaign collateral, and other donor communications
  • Maintain knowledge about the external education and philanthropic environment
  • Oversee foundation and corporate individual grant applications, reporting and renewals
  • In select instances, serve as an effective spokesperson for LEE, representing appropriately the vision, mission, and values
  • of the organization in all fundraising communications

Team Management and Financial Stewardship (20%)

  • Ensure strong team culture and performance of the Institutional Giving team and collaboration with the Political Giving team
  • Provide or procure professional development for the team in alignment to LEE’s strategic plan
  • Oversee the day-to-day operations of the department, ensuring timely and accurate gift processing, acknowledgements, and a positive donor experience
  • Manage budget for the Supporter Relations team and ensure fiscal responsibility for work on the team

Special Projects (10%)

  • Other projects as assigned by the Executive Director

 Minimum Qualifications:

  •  Bachelor’s degree
  • 7 years of relevant, professional work experience with a minimum of 3 years experience in fundraising and development with progressive responsibility (depth of experience can be a substitute for years of fundraising and development experience)
  • Strong personal passion for the education sector and deep faith in LEE’s mission and theory of change
  • Proven ability to engage others in a compelling, persuasive manner and build relationships around shared interest and beliefs
  • Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, as well as interpersonal skills
  • High level of diplomacy and tact, including an appreciation for confidentiality
  • A hands-on, “roll up the sleeves,” action-oriented approach and comfort working with data
  • Proven ability to create and execute strategies to increase support
  • Capacity and willingness to function independently in a start-up culture and balance strategic functions with day-to-day management of relevant tasks
  • Focus on results, with an honest and ethical approach to achieving these with intelligence, passion, and energy 
  • Ability to motivate and positively engage staff and management in ways that build trust and enthusiasm
  • Strong, demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience working for a 501(c)4 non-profit
  • Experience managing and developing team members
  • Experience with fundraising that includes high net-worth individuals 
  • Interested in a long-term career that involves development and/or fundraising 
  • Ability to communicate and collaborate within a geographically dispersed team

  1. https://www.educationalequity.org/

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