Partnership Engagement Director

Dec 1

Schott Foundation for Public Education
Remote, US

Anticipated Start Date: 2/1/2025

Description

The Partnership Engagement Director will support the implementation of a comprehensive development strategy with a focus on building a pipeline of individual donors and foundations. The Director is responsible for cultivating major gifts of $10,000 plus, grants of $25,000 or more and coordinating campaigns of $100,000 or more.

The Director will coordinate efforts to cultivate, solicit, and steward both individual donors and foundation funders and network regularly with prospective and current donors and funders. The Director will track information about individual donors, institutional funders, and prospects in the organization’s database. The Director will take primary lead on the development of grant proposals and related grant reports as well as providing support to other team members responsible for fundraising activity.

The Director will also supervise the Senior Development Associate, a role responsible for development research and coordination, meetings and events, and development-related data and knowledge management. The Director will have knowledge of fundraising best practices, experience working with a variety of individual and foundation donors, and a passion for social justice and public education. S/he/they will support the fundraising efforts to grow Schott and shift resources to the education justice movement.

The Director will report to the Senior Vice President of Partnership Engagement, supervise the Senior Development Associate and work closely with the communications, Programs, Operations and Finance teams. Travel The Schott Team currently operates virtually with staff located throughout the United States. This position requires some travel by plane or train (depending on where the Manager is based) to coordinate or participate in meetings and job-related events up to four times a year. The employee is also expected to travel to staff retreats and board meetings up to six times a year.

Physical Demands and Work Environment Factors

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee will sit for long periods of time and may use repetitive wrist and hand motions involved in typing and computer work as well as in sorting and handling documents. The employee is regularly required to reach, with hands and arms, and engage in light work that includes moving objects up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision as the employee will have close visual contact with a computer monitor daily.

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at the Schott Foundation for Public Education, where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.

Responsibilities

Donor Cultivation and Development Support (60%)

Working with the SVP of Partnership Engagement to shape strategies for engaging and cultivating new and existing major donors and funders
Identify and meet with prospects and active donors to cultivate, support and close gifts
Support fundraising and development support and skill building for other team members with fundraising responsibilities
Ensure timely follow up with prospective and current donors by providing information, opportunities to engage, and gift acknowledgements
Coordinate prospect research system
Oversee the management of donor and prospect information in CRM

Proposal and Report Writing (25%)

Lead the development of proposals and donor reports and ensure timely submission
Work with the Programs team to gather information for donor reports and proposals
Write donor correspondence
Develop presentations and materials for prospects and donors

Meetings and Events (10%)

Attend meetings and events to network with major donors and funders
Prepare briefing materials in advance of donor meetings and events
Support event planning and logistics
Work with the Leadership and Development teams to manage event invitations and registration lists
Secure event sponsorships
Identify opportunities for Schott participation in conference sessions and support session proposal process

Other duties as assigned (5%)

Other duties as assigned by the SVP of Partnership Engagement

Requirements

A minimum of 5-7 years of fundraising experience
Demonstrated knowledge related to intermediaries and major gifts fundraising
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Experience in using a donor/prospect management system
Experience in planning and/or supporting fundraising events
Experience as a supervisor
Creativity, flexibility, sound judgment, and ability to take initiative and work independently as well as a part of a team
Ability to respond adeptly to rapidly changing priorities and to work well under pressure
Effective interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to interact professionally with diverse constituents, including board members, philanthropists, foundation staff, donors, and partners across varied geographies.
A team player who can add value to the Schott team beyond his/her/their area of expertise
Outstanding organizational skills, including managing own work, and the ability to move work from concept to implementation and completion
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word) and experience working with CRMs
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

$125,000-135,000

How to Apply for this Job

Apply Now

About the Organization

The Schott Foundation for Public Education is a national public fund that serves as a bridge between philanthropic partners and advocates to build movements to provide all students with an opportunity to learn. Schott’s mission is to develop and strengthen broad-based and representative movements to achieve fully resourced, quality PreK–12 public education for all children across the nation. For nearly thirty years, Schott has been an instrumental leader and partner in building a more just society.

Looking ahead, Schott believes that a national, well-funded movement can address opportunity gaps that continue to plague our country. Championing existing grassroots organizations that focus on addressing public education, racial justice, economic justice, healthy living, and creating safe communities is critical. Our work with grassroots and philanthropic partners supports creating a comprehensive network that eliminates racism, changes systems, and creates wellness and opportunity for all children. Our dreams for our future begin with the dreams for our children, and quality education for all is imperative. Education is a civil right. It is a tool for achieving racial, social, and economic justice. It is the catalyst for systematic and generational change and disrupts entrenched power dynamics. It is a pivotal pathway for progress and our society can be transformed if all children have the opportunity to learn, thrive, and reach their greatest potential.

While our public education system has extensive reach, many of America’s children have not received the education they deserve. Black and Brown students are impacted disproportionately by racism and economic disparities. There is a profound correlation between educational attainment and access to health care, civic participation, incarceration rates, and economic mobility. The outcomes and impact of this opportunity gap, particularly for Black and Latinx families, is both troubling and unjust. We are at a pivot point. Decades of progressive policies on race, social, and economic inequalities in our country have been attacked or dismantled in this tumultuous political climate. Marginalized communities face sanctioned threats to their well-being every day through systems and policies that fuel predatory practices. The various “gaps” (wealth, health, education, and economic opportunity) continue to widen and leave already vulnerable communities in harm. It is our grassroots organizations who work on the frontlines of these fights. They have mobilized through partnership models to meet the urgency of community demands and needs.

Philanthropic institutions must also come together and leverage the power of a strategic and collaborative funding approach. Grassroots organizations and the people they serve need our time, energy, and resources so that we don’t continue to perpetuate conditions for inequity. Increasing resources and capacity to grassroots partners is critical to supporting their work and building momentum. Creating cohesive networks across issue areas will leverage local and regional impact and build national movements for change. Schott believes philanthropic partners and grassroots organizations can work together to keep the movement from becoming diluted, siloed, or fragmented. Instead, we can unify and amplify the work of grassroots partners to create more equity now.

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