Managing Director, Development

Location: Remote, must reside within California

Description of Job

The Managing Director, Development will develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to increase and diversify philanthropic and other donor support of the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) and its tandem 501(c)(4) organization, CCSA Advocates.

Overview of Responsibilities

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer and collaborating closely with the CCSA President & CEO and the Executive Director of CCSA Advocates, the Managing Director, Development, will own development strategy and execution for CCSA, CCSA Advocates, and its political action committees. The Managing Director will create and execute new individual and corporate giving strategies to diversify the donor base and maintain and build upon CCSA’s current grants portfolio. The position will also have responsibility for managing the fundraising pipeline, which includes conducting prospect identification and research, donor outreach and development, generating and coordinating donor and funder-targeted communications, and donor recognition.

Essential Duties

• Create and Execute Individual Giving Strategy to Diversify Donor Base: Own the vision and strategy for developing a robust portfolio of individual donors, including setting and attaining short-term (1 -2 years) and long-term (3-5 years) goals which are attune to the unique challenges of fundraising on behalf of charter public schools and an advocacy organization. The donor portfolio should include small-dollar, mid-level, and major gifts from both inside and outside the charter school community (e.g., charter school leaders, board members, teachers, staff, parents, and alumni.) Initial focus will be on building and implementing strategy for CCSA, and, secondarily, the political fundraising efforts on behalf of CCSA Advocates and its political action committees.
• Maintain and Build Grants Portfolio: Manage existing grants, which includes developing a thorough understanding of performance metrics and promised project deliverables, coordinating internally across the organization to ensure commitments are met, and writing comprehensive reports demonstrating our impact as required by funder agreements. Identify new philanthropic and government grant opportunities among current funders, lapsed funders, and new prospects. Secure new and renewal funding through persuasive and targeted proposals which align with the organizations’ missions and strategic priorities.
• Identify and Leverage Corporate Giving Opportunities: Pursue corporate giving opportunities to further expand philanthropic funding, including coordination with staff responsible for solicitation of corporate sponsorships supporting CCSA’s annual Conference.
• Manage Fundraising Pipeline: Maintain databases of past, current, and prospective donors/grants and effectively manage development-related deadlines and gift/grant acknowledgements. Design and implement other systems and/or processes to carry out development work, including effectively leveraging CCSA’s President & CEO and CCSA Advocates’ Executive Director, as well as the members of the organizations’ boards of directors.
• Generate Donor and Funder-Targeted Communications: Develop and execute an ongoing strategy to keep donors informed and engaged through targeted communications that will help build deeper ties to current donors. Generate collateral and pitch decks to support the cultivation of new donors. Respond to ad-hoc requests from donors, coordinating internally to ensure alignment and accuracy.
• Identify and Research Prospects: Conduct prospect research to support fundraising activities, leveraging subscription databases and other information sources to help diversify the base of donors.
• Coordinate Board Fundraising Workgroup: Effectively engage the workgroup in setting fundraising strategy and goals and in leveraging Board members to make connections and secure new donors.

Required Capabilities

• Minimum of ten years of development experience in the nonprofit sector with a track record of success in developing and implementing individual giving and/or major gifts strategies.
• A bachelor’s degree.

Preferred Capabilities

• Continuing education and/or professional certification in fundraising (e.g., Certified Fund Raising Executive – CFRE).
• Familiarity with and/or interest in political fundraising, including for CCSA Advocates’ political action committees.
• Experience working with an advocacy-focused organization and/or membership association.
• Proficiency with fundraising prospecting tools such as WealthEngine and Relationship Science (RelSci).
• Experience using social media and other technology platforms for fundraising campaigns.
• Experience soliciting and managing grants from institutional foundations and/or governmental sources.
• Established relationships with donors in the California education reform, social justice, or other children-focused sectors.

Competencies

• Self-starter with exceptional strategic thinking, project management, and organizational skills.
• Superior written and oral communication skills, including the ability to gather and synthesize information from diverse sources and to adapt messaging to targeted audiences.
• Exceptional interpersonal communication and relationship-building skills, including with people of diverse identities, cultures, ages, and backgrounds.
• Excellent quality control and attention to detail.
• Desire to continuously improve and adapt strategies by seeking feedback and analyzing outcomes.
• Ability to move work forward and achieve goals when faced with complexity or other barriers.
• Motivated by CCSA’s mission and committed to educational equity.
• Committed to promoting the value of individual differences to create a diverse, respectful, and inclusive workplace.

Supervisory Responsibility and Relationship Management:

This role is for a high-level, individual contributor and will have no direct reports. This individual will work closely and collaboratively with the President & CEO, the Executive Director of CCSA Advocates, the members of the CCSA and CCSA Advocates boards of directors and other VIPs.

Benefits and Salary
The salary range for this position starts at $106,140 annually. The selected candidate will be offered a starting salary based on years of aligned experience and any specialized training or certifications (if preferred for the position). Our organization is deeply committed to equity, and thus has a no-negotiation policy. CCSA also offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical dental and vision coverage upon hire, 401k eligibility with a company match (up to 6%) after the first 90 days of employment, and generous paid time off.

Flexible Workplace

CCSA is a fully remote organization. CCSA staff work in all regions of the state with significant presence in Los Angeles, Sacramento, the Bay Area, the Central Valley, and San Diego.

How to Apply

When applying please submit a cover letter answering the following questions:

• What is it about our mission that resonates with your experience and/or interests?
• What makes you an exceptional candidate for this position?
• Where did you learn about this opportunity?