Senior Associate, External Relations

Position: Senior Associate, External Relations  
Reports to: Partner, External Relations 
Start date: January 2024 (earlier if possible) 
Application Deadline: October 29, 2023 
 

Note: The Senior Associate, External Relations is expected to work locally in Washington, DC; our office is on a hybrid work schedule. To be qualified for employment at Education Forward DC, individuals must comply with the organization’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement or receive an approved exemption.  

The Challenge & Opportunity 

Washington, DC has dramatically outperformed peer cities in overall improvement in its public schools over the last decade, though like most jurisdictions, has also experienced significant drops in performance following the pandemic. Despite significant pre-pandemic gains, only 1 in 9 of the city’s most vulnerable students (those with special education needs and those living in extreme poverty) are on track for college and career success. It is more critical than ever that we redouble our efforts to build on past successes by working to ensure that all students and families – particularly those furthest from opportunity – have access to a great education.   

The Organization 

Education Forward DC (Ed Forward DC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2016 in Washington, DC. Guided by our core values, we work to advance quality and equity in public schools to ensure that every DC student gets a great education. Our goal over the next five years is that schools emerge from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a reimagined experience for students that meets their full academic, social, and emotional needs. Specifically, we aim to double the proportion of schools providing high-quality, high-equity experiences for students.   

Ed Forward DC accelerates the work of local leaders by aggregating and disseminating local and national philanthropic dollars to local grantees who are committed to transformational change. We take an active role with each grantee in our portfolio to help them create sustainable organizations that generate breakthrough results for the students they serve.   

The Person 

As Senior Associate, External Relations, you will support the Partner, External Relations and Senior Manager of Development in executing an ambitious fundraising and governance program that will provide the resources needed to reach our five-year goals. You will play a central role in fundraising and governance, primarily through content development, event coordination, and project and systems management.  

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

Advancing fundraising strategy 

• Work with External Relations team members to develop, update, and execute against long- and short-term fundraising strategies and to monitor progress against those strategies on an ongoing basis, adjusting course as needed. 

• Draft proposals to secure critical funding to allow Ed Forward DC to execute on its impactful $62M strategic plan to ensure every DC student can go to an excellent school. 

• Lead the project management and draft content for the collaborative work to prepare and submit reports on our impact for funders, including our annual Impact Report and reports required by individual funder grant agreements. 

• Help create materials, including PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, and emails, to communicate the work of the External Relations department to the team as well as external stakeholders including the board and donors (including monthly board email updates). 

Board stewardship and cultivation 

• Lead thoughtful and robust project management and be responsible for execution of critical meetings of our key stakeholders, including four board meetings a year, three donor Investment Committee meetings a year, and donor cultivation events, which require collaboration across all areas of our team to produce materials, develop facilitation plans, and otherwise execute high-quality and engaging cultivation and stewardship events. 

• Help develop and be responsible for tracking and adhering to annual agendas for board, board committee, and donor Investment Committee meetings. 

• Manage the process of onboarding new board members. 

Team and systems management 

• Track grant proposals and agreements, including reporting, payment, and metrics schedules, through our donor database. 

• Track touchpoints with donors at all stages of the grant cultivation process through Bloomerang CRM system (launching in fall 2023). 

• Ensure the successful completion of the CEO’s annual evaluation by direct reports and the board. 

• Produce a monthly Development Dashboard Digest with relevant fundraising updates for full team and act as a touchpoint for coordinating information-sharing. 

• Manage the process of soliciting feedback from the board and Investment Committee members to evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction of engagement. 

Skills and Qualifications 

• We work intentionally to disrupt patterns of racial inequity; a strong candidate will demonstrate an unwavering commitment to educational equity and improving public education in DC. 

• Collaborative team player who is excited about building strong relationships among diverse communities. 

• Excellent organizational skills and a proven ability to develop, update and maintain professional materials (e.g., spreadsheets, written memoranda, presentations).  

• Exceptional project management skills. 

• Meticulous attention to detail. 

• Excellent technical skills, including fluency with Microsoft SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Familiarity with Bloomerang is a plus. 

• Self-directed, self-starter with a track record of successfully managing multiple priorities and projects. 

• Communication skills and personal presence necessary to effectively interact with senior internal and external stakeholders. 

• Humble and responsive to feedback, with capacity to learn quickly and continuously.  

Education and Experience 

• Minimum three to five (3-5) years of work experience. Non-profit fundraising, governance, and/or K-12 public education experience valued. 

• Bachelor’s degree required. 

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The Tangible Good 

The salary range for this position is $67,000 – $90,000. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including a 401(k) program with a 4% match that is fully vested day one and 100% of health/dental/vision premiums fully covered.  

We are Deeply Committed to Equity & Diversity  

We are on a mission to build a team that reflects DC’s students, and strongly encourage candidates of color to apply. Education Forward DC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. We encourage anyone for whom this overview resonates to apply.