Senior Development Officer, Philadelphia Scholars

Posted by on July 11, 2011

Job Description
Senior Development Officer, Philadelphia Scholars

Summary
The Philadelphia Education Fund (the Ed Fund) seeks a full-time development professional to lead fundraising efforts for the Philadelphia Scholars Program. The Philadelphia Scholars Program was established at the Philadelphia Education Fund in 1990, in conjunction with the College Access Program, to promote college access and success for Philadelphia public school youth. The Scholars Program awards “Last Dollar Scholarships” for up to six years to participants of the College Access Program and select other neighborhood high schools who are in good standing at accredited colleges and universities throughout the country.

The primary role of the Senior Development Officer is to identify, cultivate, and solicit gifts from individuals for the Philadelphia Scholars Program. The Senior Development Officer will work closely with the Ed Fund’s Director of the Development, the Philadelphia Scholars Advisory Committee as well as other staff to develop fundraising strategies that align with the overall mission of the Ed Fund. The Senior Development Officer will staff the Scholars Advisory Committee, provide excellent stewardship of donors and potential donors, manage fundraising events, and solicit foundation and corporate gifts and sponsorships.

The Senior Development Officer will be responsible for initiating, analyzing, and monitoring advancement plans. The individual will oversee a diverse portfolio of funders, identify prospective donors, be a strong communicator able to craft compelling asks, and will be skilled at keeping solicitors on track and informed. He/she will provide critical support to the development operation through a demonstrated track record as a team player and high-level organizational skills to manage complex projects.

This is an exciting opportunity for a professional to work within a team environment while playing a primary role in the fundraising strategy for Philadelphia Scholars.

Responsibilities

•    Cultivate and maintain relationships with major individual, corporate, and foundation funders and prospects; coordinate this closely with all Ed Fund development initiatives.
•    Communicate persuasively through personal visits, written grant proposals, appeal letters, and reports the important case for giving to the Philadelphia Education Fund.
•    Serve as manager and primary point person for fundraising events.
•    Utilize support staff to track prospects and solicitors.
•    Provide staff support to the Philadelphia Scholars Advisory Committee.
•    Prepare progress reports and budgets for board, committee, and staff meetings.
•    Prepare annual solicitation appeals.
•    Coordinate work with the Director of the College Access Program and the Philadelphia Scholars staff.
•    Prepare proposals for workplace campaigns and represent the Ed Fund at workplace campaign speaking engagements.
•    Additional development related tasks as deemed necessary.

Qualifications

•    Bachelor’s degree.
•    Five+ years of successful fundraising experience in major gifts and grants.
•    Excellent communications skills, both oral and written, supported by a strong facility in using technological tools. Must be able to represent the Ed Fund independently to potential funders.
•    Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and as part of a team and with great energy and persistence.
•    Excellent interpersonal skills and experience working with diverse constituencies.
•    Excellent organizational skills including the ability to work quickly under deadline and to handle many tasks at one time.
•    Proficiency in The Raiser’s Edge or other comparable fundraising software.

Reporting

The Senior Development Officer reports to the Director of Development at the Philadelphia Education Fund.

Application

Please email application letter, resume and contact information for three professional references to:  development2011@philaedfund.org.

The mission of the Philadelphia Education Fund is to improve the quality of public education in Philadelphia and the region, so that youth are prepared for college and careers. http://www.philaedfund.org