Vice President of Advancement

Vice President of Advancement

Partnership Schools

New York, NY

partnershipnyc.org

Partnership Schools is a trailblazing school management organization that is shaping the next generation of urban Catholic education. Founded in 2010, the Partnership is a network of nine urban Catholic schools which serve 2,700 students in New York and Cleveland. The Partnership is committed to providing underserved students with academic rigor, values, and life-long skills needed to break the cycle of poverty and live fulfilling lives. Partnership Schools provides an excellent education to underserved urban students: 99% of students are students of color, 69% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 85% of students receive scholarships. The Partnership’s board, donor base, and students are comprised of individuals of many different faiths: 48% of students in New York and 99% of students in Cleveland are non-Catholic.

Partnership Schools is at a pivotal moment in its trajectory. Nine years ago, Partnership Schools successfully pioneered a groundbreaking approach for the independent management of urban Catholic schools. At the center of Partnership’s approach is the freedom of action granted through the services agreements the Partnership has signed with the Archdiocese of New York and Diocese of Cleveland. These agreements give full operating autonomy in exchange for full financial responsibility for the schools and their operating deficits. Urban Catholic schools continue to close across the nation, even as the pandemic demonstrated the steady, foundational strength of these schools and their commitments to students. Built on this legacy of strength and combined with the organization’s proven, turnaround model, Partnership Schools is accelerating its growth and tenaciously expanding philanthropy to increase the number of students served and bolster the organization’s national impact on the sector. In the next three to five years, the organization is preparing to expand philanthropy from $15.5 million to $22 million annually.

Partnership Schools seeks an extraordinarily entrepreneurial and innovative Vice President of Advancement (VPA) to lead the organization’s continued philanthropic growth. The VPA will create and lead strategic fundraising plans to ensure that Partnership Schools can surpass and exceed its ambitious covenant to students. The successful candidate will lead with inspired passion and gravitas to expand and sustain Partnership Schools’ long-term commitment to faith-based, values-driven education. S/he will further penetrate the New York City philanthropic marketplace and command the full fundraising potential of the prospective constituency in an environment where the donor constituency is not immediately obvious.

The successful candidate will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of leadership and principal level prospects and donors and effectively communicate a transformational case for support to these prospects. The VPA will serve as a philanthropic leader and partner to Partnership Schools’ Executive Director, high-level Board of Trustees, and Leadership Team to surpass the organization’s dedication to creating the workforce of tomorrow. S/he will have an unwavering passion and commitment to Partnership Schools’ students and shared values with the Partnership’s mission to develop a better educational option for parents in low-income neighborhoods.

The VPA will report to the Executive Director, lead a team of three (which will grow in the future), and serve on the Leadership Team. To achieve the organization’s ambitious funding goals, the VPA will strategically engage and support the Executive Director, Board of Trustees, Leadership Team, and staff.

Partnership Schools has retained Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC to facilitate this executive recruitment. Please send confidential inquiries and applications directly to Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC via e-mail at Partnership-VPA@glfreeman.com.