Asst. Dir. Advancement, all-girls tuition-free middle school

Reporting to the Director of Advancement, this person will work on all fundraising projects to broaden the donor base, engage our constituency, and secure funding for Our Sisters’ School in New Bedford. As a tuition-free all-girls middle school, we do not qualify for state funding and rely solely on private donations and grants. The advancement team seeks an experienced development professional, a self-motivated and forward-thinking team player whose primary responsibilities will include coordinating and expanding grant writing efforts, annual appeal strategies and production, publications (newsletter and annual report), event production, volunteer engagement, and public relations.  We are looking to hire an exceptional writer who is passionate about advancement and will share our messages effectively internally and externally using various marketing platforms (website, social media, digital and print newsletters, publications).

Our Story: 

Our Sisters’ School serves motivated girls in grades 5-8 from low income families and historically underrepresented groups. We recruit staff and students from diverse faiths, races, and cultures. We’re located in New Bedford, MA, which is an hour+ south of Boston and 35 minutes from Providence. Close to the water, and with affordable housing options, New Bedford attracts people looking to work hard and who intentionally seek to broaden horizons for themselves and others in this diverse city.

Why the name Our Sisters’ School? We are not religiously affiliated! New Bedford has a strong maritime history. Our name celebrates courageous young women who ventured out on whaling vessels in the early 1800s, and were called “sister sailors.” Our students, modern “sister sailors” at OSS, are bravely adventuring on the high seas of their educational journeys.

In our safe, supportive, and challenging environment, strong academics are coupled with positive character development as OSS students explore core values of Excellence, Community, Civic Engagement and Leadership. Our educational philosophy values experiential, purposeful and community-oriented learning; our goal is to build the best educational environment we can imagine as we support the growth of our students. Flexibility, creativity, teamwork and hard work are some of the things our staff appreciate and value in our work environment.

As a single-sex school in Massachusetts, OSS is not eligible for state funding and relies solely on private donations and grants.

Position Summary: 

This position reports to and works directly with the Director of Advancement on all fundraising projects to broaden donor base, engage our constituency, and secure funding for the School. This person will work on grants, annual appeal, publications such as newsletter and annual report, event production, volunteer engagement, and public relations. Primary responsibilities include coordinating and expanding grant writing efforts; development and engagement of communication tools and marketing platforms (website, social media, digital and print newsletters, publications) to share our messages effectively internally and externally; as well as fundraising, cultivation and stewardship efforts.

We seek a team player who is meticulous, self-motivated, flexible, creative and forward-thinking with very strong writing, editing, development, marketing, people and project management skills to join our team. We are looking for an exceptional storyteller with a serious commitment to life-long learning who possesses a self-improvement mindset, and who is passionate about the School’s mission, and is interested in building a career in Advancement. This person will be an active participant in our school community (e.g. attend events, community meetings, staff orientation, etc.). The ability to work both independently and with others is essential at OSS, as is a strong work ethic.   

Responsibilities: 

• Advance the mission as well as build resources for OSS.
• Actively strive to plan and implement mission-driven fundraising strategies, communications, events, appeals, campaigns and stewardship efforts.
• As an integral part of the grants team, oversee project flow and calendar, serve as writer and editor on proposals and reports, research new funding opportunities, manage grant spending; coordinate meetings and support our team of volunteer grant writers.
• As a strong narrator, engage our committees and volunteers in the life of the School, and make new friends by sharing the exceptional OSS stories.
• Identify, document and communicate initiatives at the School, using both written and digital platforms (e.g. all website content, press releases, social media postings).
• Increase the public’s awareness and raise the School’s profile; establish relationships and contacts with media outlets and others; serve as PR representative -- educate the community and the greater public about OSS and its mission – passionately tell the OSS story.
• Coordinate, help write and edit content for the Annual Report, Voyages, Making Waves newsletters and other publications.
• Integrate important fundraising and engagement elements into overall school messaging.
• Support Advancement efforts as needed and assume other duties as assigned.

Qualifications/Skills: 

• Bachelor’s degree plus at least three years of advancement and communications/marketing experience, preferably in a nonprofit/educational setting
• Superb written, editorial, proofreading and communication skills  
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including professional collaboration and cultural competence
• Superior organizational and time management skills
• Proven track record of marketing and development experience and success
• Capacity to meet goals and prioritize/execute multiple strategies in a timely manner
• Strong sense of responsibility
• Proficiency with software programs, especially Google-suite products, database 
• Experience working with children/youth of different socio-economic & cultural backgrounds preferred
• Involvement in community service activities preferred 

We offer: 

• A work environment that is welcoming, collaborative, flexible and embraces creativity and diversity.
• Salary commensurate with experience, education/certification and guidelines provided by OSS financial policies.
• PTO (paid time off), 401K and other benefits in accordance with OSS personnel policies.

To apply: Please send cover letter, résumé, and references to: Georgie Goulding, Dir. of Advancement     ggoulding@oursistersschool.org 

Learn more:   http://OurSistersSchool.org                      accredited by AISNE

We hire to intentionally include people from a variety of backgrounds. Our students and staff are not all alike, and our different thinking, experiences, and the people we are, create a rich tapestry of learning at Our Sisters’ School and make us stronger. Our community works hard to create and maintain a working and learning environment that’s diverse, inclusive, equitable, and welcoming. As an equal opportunity employer, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.