Thanks for your interest in Success Academy! Running the largest, fastest-growing, and highest-performing network of public charter schools in New York City takes a village - families, children, teachers, staff and faculty, advocates and supporters alike. We would love to welcome you to our community! We work tirelessly every day to ensure each child in NYC has access to a fun, rigorous, whole-child education regardless of zip code or economic status. When you join SA, you play a part in giving every student who walks through the doors of one of our 53 schools in NYC a fair shot at reaching his or her potential.

Job Description

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer and serving as a leader within the Advancement department, the Head of Donor Engagement & Advancement Services is a seasoned professional with a collaborative spirit and the energy to lead the Donor Engagement Team (Stewardship, Communications, and Events) and the Advancement Services & Operations teams and thereby support and enable fundraising success.This position also manages a portfolio of donors and prospects.

• Self-motivated, self-sufficient, and driven to lead and collaborate with others to achieve success.
• Detail-oriented and analytical;
• Strategic, proactive, and forward thinking;
• Persuasive, outgoing, and confident with exceptional communication skills.
• Possesses the highest standards of personal and professional integrity; and
• Adheres to and promotes SA's mission, culture, and strategic priorities.

• Develops and maintains a deep and thorough understanding of the scope, history, current initiatives, and goals of Success Academy, including its most generous benefactors.
• As a key member of the Advancement Leadership Team, collaborates and coordinates closely with the CAO and Head of Development to develop and implement annual and long-range plans to increase philanthropic revenue in support of general operations, programmatic, and capital priorities.

• Develops and executes annual plans for best-in-class donor stewardship and communications, advancement events, and advancement services/operations that are coordinated and supportive of fundraising goals and donor engagement and retention.
• Works across the Network and with key teams/functions to marshal the resources necessary to execute effective donor engagement and advancement services programs and activities, including but not limited to the Creative Agency, Communications, Finance, IT, and Schooling, among others to ensure a coordinated, priority-driven, and collaborative approach to engaging and retaining donors.
• Leads and manages the performance of a (currently) six-member team committed to effective donor engagement and service delivery, fostering a culture of excellence, best practices, and continuous improvement.

• Manages a portfolio of assigned individual and institutional donors for purposes of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship in support of annual and multi-year revenue targets.
• Serves as a part of the Individual Giving and Institutional Partnerships team with respect to portfolio management, moves management, and other coordination and collaboration for success.
• Hosts or co-hosts school tours for purposes of donor cultivation and/or stewardship, which may include staffing the CEO or executives. May also staff the CEO in donor meetings/calls, including the preparation of briefing materials or other collateral.
• Documents significant donor interactions in Raiser's Edge constituent database and actively participates in annual forecasting of future gift opportunities and projections.
• Works collaboratively with Head of Development and others to plan and execute effective grassroots (digital) campaigns and appeals that meet/exceed revenue targets.

• Defines a strategy and requisite implementation plans/tactics for growing and sustaining the organization's base of philanthropic support.

• Provides strategic insight, innovative support, and recommendations for best-in-class donor stewardship to the CEO, CAO, and Advancement team.
• Oversees bespoke "VIP" communications program in concert with CEO and CAO.
• Authors, co-authors, and/or edits funding proposals, cases for support, presentations/decks, scripted remarks/talking points, impact reports, stewardship touchpoints, digital newsletters, emails, and other correspondence for both mass audiences, as well as individual recipients.

• Stays abreast of trends and best practices in donor stewardship and communications, including creative and compelling collateral, annual fund, digital appeals, segmented communications, donor analytics, and use of new technologies.
• Works with Advancement team and Creative Agency to develop and/or reimagine donor collateral, including print, digital, video, and other types of assets.

• Takes the lead in the ideation and strategy for the development and planning of creative and emotive Advancement events and experiences that deepen donor engagement with Success Academy's mission and inspire increased giving and greater impact - including collaboration with Creative Agency, CEO, CAO, Head of Development, and others.

• Oversees an Advancement Events team responsible for the planning and flawless execution of marquee fundraising events like the Spring Benefit that meet or exceed revenue goals and other established KPIs for donor engagement, as well as other cultivation and stewardship events throughout the year.
• Ensures accurate and timely management, tracking and reporting of revenue associated with the Spring Benefit and other fundraising events to meet/exceed goals. Manages event expenditures within budget targets.

• Provides leadership for and direction to the Advancement Services & Operations team with the goal of providing effective, efficient, and timely services and operational support to the Advancement team to enable and support fundraising efforts that meet/exceed goal.
• Possesses a deep understanding and is a "super user" of constituent database (Raiser's Edge NXT), data architecture, and data hygiene and endeavors to remain current on same.
• Guides and assists Advancement Services & Operations team towards continuous improvement in data management, analysis, and reporting in support of fundraising goals and operational priorities.
• Assists as needed with the management of consultants and key vendor relationships, as well as liaises with relevant Network teams and departments (e.g., IT, Finance, ED&A, Enterprise Services) to facilitate seamless operations.
• Ensures that critical policies, procedures, and other standard work are well documented and routinely reviewed/updated (and cross-trained) and that proper controls are in place regarding the handling of checks, credit card information, and other confidential data.
• Works with Lead, Advancement Services & Operations to implement requisite onboarding (and ongoing) training for all Advancement staff regarding RE NXT and other analytical tools and resources (e.g., wealth screening, etc.)

• Minimum Required: Bachelor's Degree; advanced degree preferred. CFRE or other fundraising credential or certification is beneficial.

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in major/principal gifts fundraising and/or donor engagement/stewardship, advancement services, or similar.
• A minimum of 5 years of management/leadership experience.

• Demonstrated comfort working with high net worth individuals, family foundations, and/or family offices, as well as successful track record of identifying, cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding significant gifts, as well as building/managing donor/customer relationships.
• Experience assessing and closing major gift/business opportunities; engaging, cultivating, and stewarding new stakeholders and converting them into strategic partnerships.
• Capacity for strategic leadership and vision to work with executive leadership and key volunteers on fundraising priorities and bespoke stewardship activities.
• Deep experience in effectively managing a donor/customer portfolio and consistently moving relationships towards desired outcomes and goals.
• Effectiveness working independently and across teams, with assiduous attention to sharing information with others.

• Proficiency in communicating complex issues with diverse audiences and inspiring their engagement and support.
• Exceptional interpersonal communication skills and high level of emotional intelligence.
• Exceptional writing and presentation skills.
• Highly self-motivated, accountable, and able to make decisions independently.
• Ability to think strategically and contextually and to anticipate the needs and expectations of manager and other executives.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and multiple, concurrent tasks, exhibit flexibility, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to analyze and present data effectively, and align efforts with priorities and opportunities.
• Acts with tact and discretion, respecting confidentiality and proprietary information.

• Proficiency with MSOffice (and/or Google suite), and Internet is required.
• Proficiency with RE NXT or similar CRM system is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of relevant prospect research, wealth screening, and philanthropic analytical tools is beneficial.

• Superb verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Possesses a passion for the mission of SA and engages donors and prospects with the same passion.
• Ability to travel locally and nationally as needed, occasionally work after hours and on weekends.