Senior Associate Director of Development (New York City)
Senior Associate Director of Development
New York City
Position Overview
Uncommon Schools (Uncommon) is seeking a Senior Associate Director of Development to join the organization’s development team. Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, and working closely with other members of the Uncommon Schools team, the Senior Associate Director of Development will be responsible for executing activities associated with identifying, engaging, cultivating, and securing existing and new institutional and corporate funders. The Senior Associate Director will have two main areas of responsibility. First, help define and implement the development strategy for institutional giving and oversee a portfolio of institutional donors and associated fundraising activities, including grant writing and reporting, frontline relationship management, and volunteer opportunities. Second, serve as the team lead in synthesizing and crafting narrative approaches, and the corresponding written content, that expands the ways in which we can communicate the Uncommon story to potential funders and other stakeholders. Uncommon is at a critical inflection point, planning to grow our philanthropic support significantly over the next five years, and the Senior Associate Director will play a key role in leading our institutional strategy during this period.
The Senior Associate Director, with support and guidance from the Senior Director of Development, will be responsible for raising the institutional philanthropy necessary to: 1) start and scale a fast growing and high performing network of public charter schools; 2) acquire, build, and renovate state-of-the-art school facilities; and 3) implement key organizational initiatives in one or more Uncommon regions, as well as the Uncommon Home Office (central office). The Senior Associate Director will be joining a team that supports the development needs of Uncommon’s 52 (and growing) network of schools and the Home Office.
Development Team Overview
The Development Team is responsible for cultivating and stewarding relationships with individuals, corporations, foundations, and government entities with the goal of raising and sustaining philanthropic support necessary to support existing schools and open new schools to meet growing demand. The team works in support of multiple regions and the organization’s centralized initiatives. Uncommon has a long and extensive track record of fundraising success with many tenured and repeat donors.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The position requires a smart, strategic, hard-working leader who can contribute to and support the strategic vision, effectively communicate the story of Uncommon’s impact, and build deep and lasting relationships with both donors and other Development team members. Candidates will be team players who are responsive to the organization’s evolving needs and committed to ensuring team and organizational success.
Initiatives on which the Senior Associate Director may work include but are not limited to:
Qualifications
New York City
Position Overview
Uncommon Schools (Uncommon) is seeking a Senior Associate Director of Development to join the organization’s development team. Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, and working closely with other members of the Uncommon Schools team, the Senior Associate Director of Development will be responsible for executing activities associated with identifying, engaging, cultivating, and securing existing and new institutional and corporate funders. The Senior Associate Director will have two main areas of responsibility. First, help define and implement the development strategy for institutional giving and oversee a portfolio of institutional donors and associated fundraising activities, including grant writing and reporting, frontline relationship management, and volunteer opportunities. Second, serve as the team lead in synthesizing and crafting narrative approaches, and the corresponding written content, that expands the ways in which we can communicate the Uncommon story to potential funders and other stakeholders. Uncommon is at a critical inflection point, planning to grow our philanthropic support significantly over the next five years, and the Senior Associate Director will play a key role in leading our institutional strategy during this period.
The Senior Associate Director, with support and guidance from the Senior Director of Development, will be responsible for raising the institutional philanthropy necessary to: 1) start and scale a fast growing and high performing network of public charter schools; 2) acquire, build, and renovate state-of-the-art school facilities; and 3) implement key organizational initiatives in one or more Uncommon regions, as well as the Uncommon Home Office (central office). The Senior Associate Director will be joining a team that supports the development needs of Uncommon’s 52 (and growing) network of schools and the Home Office.
Development Team Overview
The Development Team is responsible for cultivating and stewarding relationships with individuals, corporations, foundations, and government entities with the goal of raising and sustaining philanthropic support necessary to support existing schools and open new schools to meet growing demand. The team works in support of multiple regions and the organization’s centralized initiatives. Uncommon has a long and extensive track record of fundraising success with many tenured and repeat donors.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The position requires a smart, strategic, hard-working leader who can contribute to and support the strategic vision, effectively communicate the story of Uncommon’s impact, and build deep and lasting relationships with both donors and other Development team members. Candidates will be team players who are responsive to the organization’s evolving needs and committed to ensuring team and organizational success.
Initiatives on which the Senior Associate Director may work include but are not limited to:
- Developing and implementing a strategic plan to raise institutional philanthropy for Uncommon schools and home office initiatives.
- Developing funder strategies and writing grant proposals to secure increased support from institutional funders.
- Managing relationships with a portfolio of institutional funders.
- Leading the development of written content that will frame, shape, and enhance the way we tell the Uncommon story to prospects and supporters.
- Identifying, cultivating, and stewarding institutional development prospects.
- Partnering with team members and school partners on events and volunteer opportunities to engage current and future donors in work.
- Ensuring prompt and accurate communication with all donors in the Senior Associate Director’s portfolio; holds primary responsibility for meeting all grant requirements including grant contract review and execution, tracking contract milestones, and completing grant reports.
- Using Salesforce, our donor management system, to drive reporting and decision making across the Senior Associate Director’s portfolio of donors.
- Performing other related duties as required and assigned.
Qualifications
- Strong commitment to the organizational mission.
- A bachelor’s degree.
- 5-8 years of substantive work experience with increasing responsibility in non-profit development and/or education; extensive experience in development, fundraising, grant writing, and donor or grants management is ideal.
- Excellent strategic thinking skills.
- Excellent writing and editing skills.
- Excellent relationship-building skills and ability to move and communicate seamlessly and effectively among and between varied audiences (e.g. donors/foundations, board members, school leaders, team members, Uncommon Executive Team members, etc.).
- Solid analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Commitment to tracking donor data and using data to drive decision making.
- Very strong organizational skills; attention to detail and follow-through.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment; flexible; able to work autonomously as well as take direction as needed.