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Director of Development, Charter School Growth Fund

The Organization

The Charter School Growth Fund (CSGF) is a leading nonprofit venture philanthropy fund that identifies the nation’s best public charter schools, funds their expansion, and helps to increase their impact. Our portfolio includes 75 charter school networks that operate over 1,000 schools and serve more than 475,000 students in 31 states. We are committed to expanding the impact of schools that are closing achievement and opportunity gaps. Our investment strategy is like that of a venture capital firm for public charter schools. The diverse “portfolio” of schools and leaders that we support include single-site charter schools as well as established networks that operate schools in several states. Ultimately, we think our portfolio can serve more than one million students nationwide and in doing so, show how public schools can help students achieve excellent outcomes at scale.

Position Overview

THE OPPORTUNITY

CSGF is seeking a Director of Development to advance the organization’s efforts to and grow its base of 35 major donors as it develops and launches its next philanthropic fund, National Fund IV. This is an exciting role for someone who knows how to cultivate strategic partnerships, loves to connect people and ideas, and is passionate about expanding opportunities for underserved communities. The role involves a mix of independent work (planning, writing, editing) and relationship-building work (conceiving, planning, executing).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director of Development will operate as part of a highly collaborative, results-focused Investor Relations team that has a strong track record of attracting and retaining significant donors. He/she will engage both directly and indirectly with funders by providing thought partnership to CSGF leaders, crafting compelling and engaging materials, and managing or executing critical next steps. Reporting to the VP, Investor Relations, and working closely with the CSGF leadership, key responsibilities will include:

  • Growing and diversifying CSGF’s donor base:
    • Serving as a co-strategist and partner in cultivating and soliciting multi-million-dollar grants
    • Crafting clear and compelling messages that describe the organization’s unique strengths and aspirations, often through development of strong PowerPoint presentations
    • Conducting research on and directly engaging with prospective donors
    • Providing excellent support to the CSGF CEO in his role as a key fundraiser
    • Writing grant proposals that will range from one-page memos to complex, multi-part documents that require collaboration with multiple team members
  • Leading year-round engagement with a subset of donors:
    • Managing a portfolio of donor relationships, by planning and executing meaningful touchpoints and providing personalized information and experiences aligned with donors’ interests
    • Developing reports and PowerPoint presentations that are customized to individual donors’ interests
    • Serving as the chief planner for a small number of events and strategic communications with donors and board members

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

A successful Director of Development will:

  • Be a skilled relationship builder and influencer
  • Be able to develop flawless PowerPoint slides to guide rich conversations with donors
  • Excel at analyzing, visualizing, and explaining complex information in clear and compelling ways
  • Be highly detail-oriented and committed to continuous learning and improvement
  • Be comfortable leading projects from ideation to execution and facilitating in-person and virtual meetings
  • Have a demonstrated track record of meeting deadlines and collaborating across teams
  • Be able to navigate ambiguity and problem solve independently
  • Understand key issues in K-12 education and high-performing charter schools

Educational Background and Preferred Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree required
  • At least 5 years of professional experience
  • Experience in institutional giving or fundraising in a high-performing organization, preferably in a major gift solicitation, strategic partnerships, or business development role

How To Apply

Apply at https://chartergrowthfund.org/work-with-us/careers/?gh_jid=4654360002

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