Development and Communications at Freedom Side School

Freedom Side School is opening a free abolitionist elementary school in Philadelphia for young freedom fighters! We will open our doors and welcome our first class of students and families in the fall of 2026.

We are currently seeking 2 individuals to join our staff full time who will be responsible for advancing the organization’s fundraising and communications.

You can learn more about Freedom Side School’s vision, mission, values, and team at www.freedomsideschool.org. To submit your application please use this form. If you have any questions about the position or the application, please reach out to hiring@freedomsideschool.org.

Hiring Timeline and Process

• Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. We will prioritize applications submitted by June 1, 2026. A preview of the application questions can be found at the bottom of this job posting.
• First round interviews will be conducted via zoom on a rolling basis.
• Second round interviews will be conducted in person on a rolling basis.
• We hope to extend an offer for this position by June 29, 2026. .
• The target start date for this role will be in August with 3-4 weeks of dedicated in-service and onboarding before our first day of school, exact start date TBD, likely on or before 8/17.

Job Description

We are hiring two full time employees to join our team to carry out the organization’s fundraising and communications strategies. We are seeking applicants with experience in at least one of the work areas below. Applicants may apply for any or all of the following work areas, based on their experience. Our goal is to hire two staff who, between them, have the skills to carry out the highlighted work areas outlined below.

These positions will be supervised by a member of the School Steward Council.

Work Area

Responsibilities

Key Skills & Experience

Donor Organizing / Fundraising Responsibilities

• Co-create Freedom Side’s individual donor fundraising strategy
• Broaden Freedom Side’s individual donor base
• Develop and strengthen relationships with major donors
• Conduct fundraising conversations with major donors in alignment with our transformative fundraising model
• Track and report fundraising progress and donor engagement
• Manage donor communications, including thank you notes, annual updates, donor receipts, and more
• Collaborate with program staff to align individual donor strategy with Freedom Side’s overall goals
• Partner with Resource Generation Philadelphia to support their volunteer fundraising efforts for Freedom Side
• Manage fundraising events in collaboration with other Freedom Side staff

Donor Organizing / Fundraising Desired Qualifications

• A minimum of 3-5 years experience in donor organizing, philanthropy, and/or major gifts
• Experience fundraising major donors and soliciting gifts of at least $1M
• Familiarity with transformative fundraising models
• Experience with donor CRM software
• Commitment to developing and nurturing cross-class relationships
• An understanding and fluency around class, race, and power dynamics, and the ways those dynamics can operate in non-profit fundraising
• A commitment to uprooting classism, racism, and other forms of unjust power dynamics in line with Freedom Side School’s Community Commitments

Institutional Development Responsibilities

• Prospect grant opportunities and manage a tracking system of funders and grant opportunities
• Build and maintain relationships with local, regional, and national funders
• Co-create Freedom Side’s grant-seeking strategy
• Manage the lifecycle of the grant process, including writing and submitting applications, coordinating interviews, tracking response times, coordinating grant administration / reporting, and more
• Support FSS in accessing state and federal funding programs that are available to independent / private schools

Institutional Development Desired Qualifications

• A minimum of 3-5 years of experience in grant prospecting, writing, and administration
• Strong ability to self-direct work, track deadlines and requirements, and coordinate the work of others in service of completing an application or report
• Familiarity with local, regional, and national funders–especially funders with a focus on children and families, education, decarceration, social justice, and movement building
• Familiarity with state and federal funding programs that are available to independent/private schools
• Familiarity with eGrants system
• Experience with donor CRM software, grant management databases, and other development tools and platforms

Communications Responsibilities

• Co-create Freedom Side’s public-facing communications strategy in alignment with our programming and fundraising efforts
• Manage Freedom Side’s social media platforms, newsletter, and other public facing communications
• Manage Freedom Side’s internal communications
• Create collateral and promotional materials
• Update and maintain the school’s website

Communications Desired Qualifications

• A minimum of 3-5 years of experience managing communications, preference given to experience in comms with social justice organizations
• Experience developing content tailored to various social media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter/X, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and others
• Experience with web design and website maintenance on Square Space
• Experience with earned media strategies

Flex Work Areas

At Freedom Side we are a small team who all wear multiple hats! In addition to the work areas listed above, we welcome candidates who have the skills to contribute to the following areas:

• General administration
• Program administration

Additional Responsibilities

In addition to the work areas listed above, all Freedom Side staff will support daily school operations, i.e. arrival, dismissal, lunch coverage, recess coverage. As a staff we will work together to develop a schedule that appropriately balances these responsibilities.

Key Skills for All Work Areas

• Strong task management, problem solving, and multi-tasking skills
• Demonstrated ability to self-direct work
• Comfort and ease with technology - both familiar and new platforms (Google Workspace, Multi-line phone systems, Student Information Systems, CRMs, etc.)
• Attention to detail and ability to self-monitor work for accuracy

We are seeking applicants who…

• Are aligned with Freedom Side’s vision, mission and values
• Are aligned with and can carry out Freedom Side’s Community Commitments
• Live and are rooted in the Philadelphia area, who are willing to work in-person in Philadelphia
• Are committed to sticking with Freedom Side School through our founding years
• Are comfortable with consensus-based decision-making processes or are willing to learn
• Can work collaboratively on a team of staff and volunteers, are able to take feedback and show up with integrity and accountability
• Are comfortable working collaboratively as a part of a small team
• Are able to take initiative and self-direct their work, and to ask for help when needed
• Are available to work a flexible schedule (occasional evening and weekend meetings)

We are prioritizing candidates who…

• Are directly impacted by mass incarceration, including candidates who are formerly incarcerated or have incarcerated loved ones
• Have experience in the anti-prison and/or abolition movement
• Have community organizing experience or are willing to learn

Compensation and Benefits

• $80,000 base pay for full-time employees
• Cost of Living Adjustments for certain life circumstances will be offered as additions to a team member’s annual base salary
  • +$3,000 for student loans, if actively making payments
  • +$5,000 for care-givers of children living in multi income households
  • +$7,000 for care-givers of children living in single income households
  • +$5,000 homecoming adjustment for formerly incarcerated individuals
• 5% salary increase each fiscal year
• Employer paid health, vision, dental insurance
• Available retirement savings with 3% employer match
• FSS observes about 50 days of paid organizational closures a year, mostly aligned with academic calendar breaks, including:
  • Winter break (2 weeks)
  • Spring break (1 week)
  • Summer break (a minimum of 6 weeks)
  • Additional organizational closures
• Additionally, both full time and part time staff are given personal PTO to be used at their discretion

Application Form Preview

Application Guidance and Requests:

• At Freedom Side School, we embrace the loving effort and time that it takes to complete our work using human intelligence and skill, please do not use AI to complete your application. We want to hear from you, not a composite of the voices of many people scraped from the internet.
• You do not need to complete new work for your work sample! Please upload something you have previously completed that showcases the skills you would bring to this work.
• Please be as specific as possible when listing your relevant work experience for the areas of work you are applying for - we strongly recommend including: role/responsibilities, organization, and number of years in the role for each work area.

Application Questions:

1. Email
2. Your Name
3. Your Phone Number
4. Do you currently live in the Philadelphia area?
5. Tell us a little bit about why working at Freedom Side School interests you (under 200 words)
6. Tell us why you would be a good fit for Freedom Side School (under 200 words)
7. Which work areas from the job posting do you have experience in (select all that apply)
8. Please list the years of experience you have in each of the work areas you checked above. Please be as specific as possible - we strongly recommend including: role/responsibilities, organization, and number of years in the role
9. Please share more of an overview of your experience in each of the work areas you are applying for - we’re interested in learning about your approach and the skills you bring to that work area here (no more than 200 words per work area)
10. Please upload a copy of your resume
11. Please upload a work sample that showcases your skills in the work area(s) you are applying for

Compensation and Benefits

• $80,000 base pay for full-time employees
• Cost of Living Adjustments for certain life circumstances will be offered as additions to a team member’s annual base salary
  • +$3,000 for student loans, if actively making payments
  • +$5,000 for care-givers of children living in multi income households
  • +$7,000 for care-givers of children living in single income households
  • +$5,000 homecoming adjustment for formerly incarcerated individuals
• 5% salary increase each fiscal year
• Employer paid health, vision, dental insurance
• Available retirement savings with 3% employer match
• FSS observes about 50 days of paid organizational closures a year, mostly aligned with academic calendar breaks, including:
  • Winter break (2 weeks)
  • Spring break (1 week)
  • Summer break (a minimum of 6 weeks)
  • Additional organizational closures
• Additionally, both full time and part time staff are given personal PTO to be used at their discretion