Summary

Foundation Academies seeks a Sr. Director of Advancement to drive major fundraising goals. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, this role oversees donor cycles, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, acknowledgment, sponsorship, partnership and stewardship. The Director conducts prospect research, develops solicitation strategies, and manages a donor portfolio. This individual will also work with our board members and staff leaders to coordinate and execute long-term fundraising initiatives.

Responsible: (Tasks you are responsible for. Tasks are subject to change) 

Strategic Planning and Leadership

  • Develop and implement comprehensive advancement strategies to support the organization's fundraising and donor engagement goals.
  • Provide visionary leadership to the advancement team, setting clear goals and priorities aligned with the organization's mission and objectives.
  • Collaborate with senior leadership to integrate advancement efforts with overall organizational strategy and initiatives.

Fundraising and Development

  • Lead major gift fundraising efforts, cultivating and stewarding relationships with donors, prospects, and key stakeholders.
  • Develop and execute targeted fundraising campaigns, events, and initiatives to increase revenue and support for the organization.
  • Identify and pursue new funding opportunities, including grants, corporate partnerships, and planned giving programs.
  • Oversee the donor acknowledgment process and ensure timely and personalized communication with donors.

Donor Relations and Engagement

  • Build and maintain strong relationships with donors, ensuring their continued engagement and investment in the organization's mission.
  • Develop strategies to enhance donor engagement and involvement, including donor recognition programs, stewardship events, and personalized outreach efforts.
  • Collaborate with programmatic staff to communicate the impact of donor support and ensure alignment between donor priorities and organizational goals.

Team Management and Development  

  • Recruit, train, and mentor advancement staff, providing guidance and support to help them achieve their professional goals and maximize their potential.
  • Foster a collaborative and inclusive team culture, promoting teamwork, communication, and accountability.
  • Set performance expectations and metrics for the advancement team, monitoring progress and evaluating outcomes to drive continuous improvement.
  • Lead with accountability, empathy, emotional intelligence and empowerment. Lead by example.
  • Consistently model FA core values; be a visible and highly engaged leader in the school community. 

Accountable: (What you are accountable for does not change, You are the decider on pivots within the system to meet the following goals)

Fundraising Target Achievement

  • Secure a total of 3 million in donations by the end of the year through major gifts, grants, corporate partnerships, and other fundraising initiatives.

Major Gifts Acquisition:

  • Secure 4 major gifts from individual donors ($250,000) and corporations ($500,000) to support organizational priorities.

Donor Retention and Stewardship:

  • Increase donor retention and engagement rate by 25% through personalized stewardship efforts, including thank-you calls, donor appreciation events, and impact reports

Board Engagement:

  • Increase board engagement in fundraising efforts by 30%, including board member participation in donor cultivation meetings, events, and peer-to-peer fundraising activities.

Consulted: (You should be deeply knowledgeable about the following. As a result, your input will be considered when overlapping decisions are made due to your expertise and brilliant perspective)

  • Donor Relations
  • Fundraising Events
  • Board Engagement
  • Partnership Opportunities

Informed: (Ensure you are up-to-date on how these systems influence the items you are accountable for)

  • Fundraising Performance
  • Donor Trends
  • Campaign Updates
  • Budget Allocations
  • Programmatic Impact
  • External Relations

Educational Background and Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience plus a minimum of 3-5 years (direct or equivalent) experience managing high level donor relationships with demonstrated success in closing gifts of $25,000 and above.
  • Ability to conceive, plan, and execute a major gifts program, including: annual giving, special events, and special projects/campaigns.
  • Excellent grasp of Salesforce database software.
  • Willingness to be hands-on in a role that is demanding and requires a high level of energy and professionalism.
  • High level proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel, and a working knowledge of search functions for donor research purposes.
  • Superior interpersonal skills and ability to communicate professionally with a culturally diverse group of volunteers, co-workers and donors.
  • Excellent organizational and project management skills and ability to prioritize workload in a timely manner to complete assignments with many deadlines and competing requirements.
  • Ability to pass a criminal background check.

Salary: $100,000-$130,000 

Want to join our FAmily?

We are Foundation Academies: Trenton, New Jersey’s largest and highest-ranking K-12 free public charter school. Our mission is to ensure that all of our students secure the academic knowledge and skills to prepare them for the nation’s finest colleges, and to instill in them the core values of caring, respect, responsibility, and honesty. We serve more than 1,000 of the city’s K-12 population across four schools on two campuses. We admit students by lottery, irrespective of gender, race, household income, or academic ability. 

Our team of experienced and mission-driven urban educators values growth mindsets, lifelong learners, and individuals who believe that every child deserves an excellent education. We hold ourselves, our students, and our city to high standards because that’s what our families deserve. 

We are conveniently located a quick car ride to downtown Princeton, a 45-minute SEPTA ride to Philly’s Center City, and a hop on the NJ Transit Express to New York City

 

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