Managing Director of Development, KIPP Philadelphia

Posted by KIPP Philadelphia Schools on May 14, 2018

About KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools:
KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools (KPPS) is a network of five high-performing, college-preparatory public charter schools (with a sixth school, an elementary school, opening in the fall of 2018). We serve almost 2,000 students in grades K through 12 in North and West Philadelphia. The mission of KPS is to develop the character, knowledge, and skills of our students so they will succeed in college and life, giving them the freedom to shape their futures and positively affect their communities. Our vision is to achieve our mission at critical mass – a cluster of schools in Philadelphia – thereby reinvigorating public education in this city through the performance of our students and the leadership of our educators. Within the next five years, KIPP programming in Philadelphia will include ten schools, over 4,400 students, more than 370 employees, and an operating budget in excess of $60MM. KPPS is part of the national KIPP network of free college-preparatory public charter schools that are open to all and dedicated to preparing students from educationally underserved communities for success in college and life.

Job Overview:
KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools (KPPS) is hiring a Managing Director of Development (MDOD) to grow and lead fundraising during an exciting new phase in KPPS history. As KPPS welcomes a new CEO, the MDOD will play a critical role in telling the KPPS story and designing a fundraising strategy to help the organization reach new heights. The role will be responsible for raising $4M annually with a primary focus on 1) setting a comprehensive, donor-centric fundraising plan that strategically leverages the new CEO, and 2) shepherding a portfolio of individual/major gift donors through a relationship management process. The MDOD will also grow and lead the fundraising team, ensuring all activities are systematic and aligned with the annual development plan.

The MDOD will work very closely with the new CEO to help manage a portfolio of key funders and will drive all preparation for and follow-up from CEO-led solicitations.

The MDOD will report directly to the CEO and will lead a two-person development team (Grants Manager and Development Associate), with the potential for additional future departmental growth. The MDOD will serve as a key liaison with the KPPS Board of Trustees.

Duties and Responsibilities
This role requires an excellent relationship builder who can develop dynamic funder relationships with Major Gift prospects of various donor types. The MDOD will be skilled in “managing up” and understanding when and how to leverage leadership (i.e., the CEO and Board members) to advance a donor relationship. The MDOD will share responsibility for providing strategic direction to ensure the organization’s fiscal health through resource development.

Strategy & Execution
• Develop a comprehensive operating plan for fundraising and communications, which includes a formalized approach to individual and major gifts activity for the organization. Create and systemize a calendar of activities that emphasizes cultivation and stewardship.
• Maintain and improve development systems that include tracking for individual, foundation and corporate giving and expanded use of the SalesForce donor management system.
• Establish measurable goals and metrics for fundraising activities and results in order to gauge effectiveness.
• Assess the organization’s capacity to conduct future Capital Campaigns and advise the COO and Regional Leadership Team as they set long-term facilities strategy.
• Refine the existing case statement, funder pitch, and collateral materials to support all development activities.

Fundraising & External Affairs
• Serve as lead fundraiser, leading a team to secure gifts from individual donors, corporate partners, and foundations.
• Build personal, philanthropic relationships with individual donors and prospects that inspire greater giving and engage new supporters, while using strategic relationship management practices to track activity. Personally identify, cultivate, and solicit a portfolio of individual and major gifts for KIPP Philadelphia.
• Develop and manage the board fundraising strategy, educating board members about the role they play and supporting them with engaging their own portfolios. Serve as the fundraising liaison to the Board.
• Represent KIPP Philadelphia to the philanthropic and civic community and serve as a knowledgeable ambassador in various public and private settings.

People Management
• Partner with the CEO, Board of Trustees and Leadership Council, School Leaders and other members of the Regional Office team to make sure that the development team receives the support needed to meet all development-related goals. Act as the primary advisor to KIPP Philadelphia’s leadership in managing their respective fundraising portfolios, and lead the multi-faceted preparation needs of other solicitors.
• Supervise members of the development staff and outside vendors who are responsible for existing fundraising activities, including:
o Institutional giving, which includes management of the grant application process
o Creation of individual proposals for Major Donors
o Donor information, acknowledgement processes and tracking systems
• Create and assign donor portfolios for front-line fundraising staff, including the CEO, and meet regularly as a team to evaluate and refine cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.

Qualifications, Skills, Qualities:
The ideal candidate must be ambitious, strategic, and excited to take on a new challenge. They must be a diplomatic leader and enjoy establishing effective processes to achieve goals. Highly developed interpersonal skills are essential.

The following key competencies are a must for this position:
 Sales Orientation and Drive for Results: leads and creates a team culture that encourages the pursuit of funds in a scarce environment; communicates progress against targets, and uses data to motivate team to achieve performance goals
 Persuasive Oral and Written Communication: Sets high expectations for the quality and persuasiveness of communications; conveys genuine passion and organizational commitment when interacting with internal and external stakeholders; is able to translate story and brand for various audiences, designing messages that resonate and motivate
 Funder Engagement and Stewardship: Engages with prospective and current funders to successfully build long-term relationships; positions CEO and Board to build and sustain key funder relationships; expertly delivers high yield pitches to funders and secures high percentage of target asks
 Strategy Development: translates strategy into actionable plans and timelines, and drives effective allocation of resources; draws insight from multiple sources to shape vision and strategy

In addition, the candidate must have the following qualifications:
• Bachelor’s Degree (required)
• Experienced, strategic thinker with ideally 7+ years of experience in fundraising, preference given if at education or youth-focused organizations.
• Instinct and ability to develop recommendations and strategy for individuals that are consistent with an overall
development strategy.
• Gravitas, poise and confidence to steward major donors, and knowledge of when to leverage the senior leadership’s time and energy.
• Extremely detail- and process-oriented, able to develop and implement internal systems necessary to build capacity and organizational structure.
• Mastery of Microsoft Office (particularly Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint) required; fluency with relationship databases required.
• Knowledge of and comfort with complex financial data
• Unquestioned integrity, commitment to KIPP Philly’s mission and a passion for education

Preferred Start Date: June 4, 2018

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