Executive Director, Joyce Ivy Foundation

The Executive Director heads the Joyce Ivy Foundation (www.joyceivyfoundation.com) and is responsible for overseeing the organization’s programs, strategic plan, administration, staff and interacting with volunteers (including the Board and Associate Board). While our center of gravity is the Midwest (with the strongest presence in Michigan and Ohio), the Executive Director will work remotely with an expectation to be present in key Midwestern locations periodically throughout the year (with mutually agreed-upon travel expenses reimbursed). The position reports to the Board of Directors.

Successful candidates will have three key attributes:

Passion for the mission and broadening the organization’s impact. The Executive Director will possess a passion for developing women’s leadership in the Midwest and for broadening access to highly selective educational and professional experiences. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to articulate and implement a vision and strategic plan for Joyce Ivy that extends its brand and impact.

Ability to fundraise effectively. The Executive Director is the organization’s key ambassador to individuals, corporations, and grant-making organizations that fund Joyce Ivy’s current work and its endowment. In recent years, the Foundation has grown both its contributed revenue and number of donors, diversified its giving to be less event-driven, and increased philanthropic participation from its alumnae. The incoming Executive Director will build on that success by stewarding existing relationships, developing a pipeline of new individual and institutional supporters, and securing philanthropic support in the Midwest and other major national markets. Candidates with demonstrated success identifying and successfully cultivating relationships with both potential and existing supporters will be preferred.

Proven communication skills. The Executive Director serves as Joyce Ivy’s lead front-facing representative. Candidates should be able to connect with service recipients and their families, elite partner universities and corporations, members of the Board of Directors, the Associate Board, volunteers, supporters, and the world at large in a professional and engaging manner. Through written communications, public speaking, and virtual and in-person interactions, the Executive Director must be able to communicate effectively with and among Joyce Ivy’s many constituencies.

Qualifications & Experience

Required Attributes

• Passion for and commitment to Joyce Ivy Foundation’s mission
• Professional and successful experience in fundraising, preferably in the education sector
• Ability to connect and collaborate with a variety of constituencies (Board members, students, volunteers, donors, etc.) in varied modalities (including in person), and activate them to drive Joyce Ivy’s priorities forward
• Demonstrated record of leadership excellence within a nonprofit organization, expanding organizational vision and developing institutional partnerships
• Cheerful willingness to travel to US locations to attend events and meet with donors/organizational partners as necessary throughout the year, while working primarily remotely
• BA, BS or equivalent undergraduate degree

Preferred Attributes

• Relevant experience in non-profit management and/or education (5+ years)
• Excellent organizational, presentation, and writing skills
• Experience managing teams
• Understanding of the landscape of US college admissions/college access, especially to highly selective colleges and universities.
• Experience working with target demographic of Joyce Ivy Scholars: young Midwestern women, often first generation to attend college, usually low income, from a wide range of backgrounds
• Experience leading, creating or being part of internship experiences
• Advanced degree
• Personal connection to one or more Midwestern states

Compensation & Benefits

• Expected salary range $80-150K; salary & bonuses commensurate with experience and performance
• Health care and retirement, 3 weeks paid vacation, and 10 paid holidays
• For exceptional candidates, open to fractional arrangement

Application

A cover letter and resume should be submitted to the Search Committee Chair, Bret Silver, at bsilver@joyceivyfoundation.org. When sending in your materials for consideration, please use “Executive Director Application” as the email subject line. The cover letter should address your fit with the three key attributes described above and be no longer than 2 pages.

About the Joyce Ivy Foundation

The Joyce Ivy Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization celebrating its 20 th anniversary, is dedicated to the academic advancement and leadership development of young women from the Midwest. Joyce Ivy seeks to broaden the college and professional aspirations of high-achieving female high school students through transformative experiences.

The Joyce Ivy Foundation’s signature offering is its Summer Scholars scholarship program, through which the Foundation provides financial assistance for female high school students to participate in summer academic programs on the campuses of highly selective colleges and universities. Our Scholars, who are predominantly from low- or middle-income backgrounds in eight Midwest states (both urban and rural), are often the first in their family to attend college and/or identify as women of color. Joyce Ivy also organizes free college admissions and financial aid programs (both virtual and in person), which feature admission and financial aid professionals from highly selective colleges and universities. To date, the Joyce Ivy Foundation has supported more than 1,200 Summer Scholars, 95% of whom report their experience elevated their college and career aspirations.

The Joyce Ivy Foundation also sponsors both virtual and in-person college admissions programming for Midwestern students of all genders, helping the students and their families to successfully navigate college admissions for highly selective institutions.

The Joyce Ivy Foundation also gives annual women’s leadership awards to both career professionals and women who have made an early impact and whom we believe our scholars will find an inspiring example. Joyce Ivy is led by the Executive Director. Volunteers are vital to our functioning and include the Board of Directors and the Associate Board of Directors. As a virtually operated organization, Joyce Ivy leadership collaborates from multiple locations in the United States via teleconference and in-person meetings.

To learn more about us and our leadership team, visit www.joyceivyfoundation.org.