New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) seeks a Director of Development to join its team. Central to NSNO’s work in developing a system of schools is its ability to attract additional resources to support this effort. This injection of funds is necessary to support to the ever-changing and sometimes unpredictable emerging education landscape in New Orleans. The Director of Development will be a key contributor to ensuring NSNO’s continued ability to act as a financial resource in this context. The Director of Development is responsible for the day-to-day execution of NSNO’s fundraising strategy. As such, the Director works very closely with the President/Founder, who will lead this charge and for whom this is a primary focus. This is a full-time, exempt position located in New Orleans, LA.
Responsibilities:
The Director of Development will report jointly to the President/Founder and the Vice President of Operations & Chief of Staff. Specifically, the Director of Development will:
• Work with the President/Founder to create and implement a multi-year fundraising strategy to raise $5m from national and local individuals, foundations, and corporate donors annually;
• Manage the day-to-day relationships with donors and ensure that the President/Founder stays abreast of deadlines, upcoming meetings, deliverables, and meeting follow-up demands -- own the administrative and transactional aspects of these critical relationships;
• Collaborate with local education nonprofits to develop and improve fundraising strategies, grant-writing methods, and data/revenue collection methods thus increasing NSNO’s and the city’s ability to attract needed funds;
• Be attentive to funding opportunities at the federal, state and local levels and develop funding strategies where NSNO might leverage available funds;
• Meet with charter schools on fundraising needs and strategies;
• Develop a detailed development calendar of targets, cultivation activities, grant reporting activity, and funding requests;
• Oversee the research of funding sources and trends, with foresight to position NSNO;
• Interpret each NSNO initiative for multiple audiences, allowing grant-makers at all levels of public education to become engaged with NSNO programs;
• Work with NSNO staff to ensure clarity and adherence to project goals in grant writing and reporting processes;
• Plan 3-4 quarterly school visits for 10-20 donors and manage all other development related events;
• Ensure that the events, operations, tracking systems and donor communications required to support fundraising efforts are tightly executed and highly effective;
• Write all donor reports and requests;
• Write and distribute bi-monthly Donor e-newsletter;
• Maintain Excel and FundRaiser databases of all revenues, pledges, and projections; and
• Maintain internal and external fundraising documents and tools (such as NSNO collateral, PowerPoint presentations, impact statements and website), editing for accuracy and
consistency of content.
Qualifications:
This is an outstanding opportunity to play an indirect, yet critical, role in public education reform in New Orleans. Therefore, first and foremost, the Director of Development must be committed to the mission of NSNO and be in alignment with NSNO’s belief that:
• Every child deserves an excellent education and it is the responsibility of adults to ensure that this occurs
• Charter schools and parent choice are critical to the education reform landscape
• The successful creation of an excellent system of schools in New Orleans has the potential to be a model for urban school reform nationwide
Almost equally as important, the Director of Development must be an experienced fundraiser and relationship builder who is able to connect with a wide range of stakeholders and effectively and passionately communicate NSNO’s mission and goals.
Specifically, candidates for the position must be able to demonstrate:
• 5+ years of experience leading development efforts in a results-oriented nonprofit environment;
• Experience growing a fundraising program and the systems required to support it;
• A proven track record as a sophisticated relationship-builder who is able to adapt his or her communication style to work effectively with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders with multiple priorities, including the President/Founder and other members of the senior leadership team;
• The ability to excel in an entrepreneurial culture;
• Strong organizational skills, including outstanding attention to detail;
• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem solving;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of audiences; and
• A bachelor’s degree.
Compensation and Benefits:
Compensation for the position is highly competitive and commensurate with experience. In addition to highly competitive salary ranges, NSNO provides a comprehensive compensation package that meets or exceeds that level of benefits provided by many of the most respected organizations in our industry. Benefits are largely subsidized by the organization, including 90% premium coverage for individual health insurance. With a generous 4% retirement match, as well as subsidized dental and short-term disability insurance, NSNO is at the top end of the national study in regards to overall compensation.
To Apply:
NSNO has engaged Koya Consulting to help with this hire. Please email a compelling cover letter and resume to Molly Brennan at
executivesearch@koyaconsulting.com.
NSNO is committed to the principles of multiculturalism and equal employment opportunity. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical appearance. Habitat encourages applications from a broad diversity of candidates and welcomes those who are bilingual or multilingual to apply.
About NSNO:
“New Orleans’ disastrously low-performing school system was almost entirely washed away in the flood. What is being built in its place is an educational landscape unlike any other, a radical experiment in reform that directly confronts the issue of providing equitable educational opportunities to all students”.
~ As described by Paul Tough in a New York Times Magazine profile of school reform
New Schools for New Orleans was developed in 2006 to support this quickly accelerating school reform effort. As the landscape in New Orleans is utterly unique, NSNO developed an innovative model to support and enhance these transformations. New Schools for New Orleans believes that the best way to accomplish systemic change in public schools is by providing exceptional human capital and developing excellent new schools. NSNO’s model of partnership, investment and support, combined with their extensive knowledge of the best practices of high performing urban charter schools and in-depth knowledge of New Orleans schools, positions them as a driving force behind the success of the present reform efforts. For more information please visit
http://newschoolsforneworleans.org.
About Koya Consulting:
Koya Consulting is a national retained search and consulting firm that works exclusively with non-profits and social enterprises. We deliver measurable results, finding exceptionally talented people who truly fit the unique culture of our client organizations. For more information please visit www.koyaconsulting.com.
