Manager, Donor Engagement & Partnerships

DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION

The Manager, Donor Engagement & Partnerships serves as a key connector between BEAM’s programmatic work and its donors, partners, and broader community. They advance all of our work by growing the community of people who support BEAM and provide the resources for us to succeed. This position is ideal for someone who brings strong fundraising, relationship management, and communication skills, along with a strong interest in mathematics or STEM and curiosity about mathematical thinking and problem solving. They should also be excited to help translate BEAM’s rigorous and joyful math programming into compelling experiences for supporters.

This role combines donor engagement, event management, and content development. The Manager, Donor Engagement & Partnerships will work closely with program and curriculum staff to translate BEAM’s academic work into clear, compelling communications and develop engaging content that draws on BEAM’s mathematical approach and makes it accessible to donors. They should be excited to develop a deep understanding of BEAM’s programs and how we teach and think about mathematics. They will play a key role in cultivating and stewarding donors, building corporate partnerships, and executing events that bring BEAM’s mission and impact to life.

The ideal candidate will be excited about the challenge of growing BEAM’s network of supporters, working directly with donors, managing events and partnerships, and communicating about mathematics, STEM education, and access in impactful and creative ways.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TEAM/DEPARTMENT

Our Advancement team is a collaborative and dynamic group of six full-time staff members, working together to make sure we have the resources to succeed. Building strong, meaningful relationships with funders and supporters is at the heart of what we do. Our funders consist of individuals (50% of revenue), foundations (30%), and corporations (20%).

As our Manager, Donor Engagement & Partnerships, you will work closely with our Individual Giving and Communications teams as we raise more than $11 million annually — critical funding that will drive innovation and provide stability as we build towards future growth. This role will also support team-wide communications and events, ensuring that external communications, materials, and experiences reflect both the rigor and joy of our programs by partnering closely with BEAM’s program and curriculum teams and developing fluency in BEAM’s mathematical approach.

SUPERVISION

The Manager, Donor Engagement & Partnerships reports to the Director, Individual Giving.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Donor Acquisition, Engagement, and Solicitation (35%)

• Identify, cultivate, steward, and solicit a portfolio of 75–100 individual donors with the capacity to give $1,000+ annually, focusing on donors from mathematical, STEM, quantitative finance, and related fields, working closely with the Director of Individual Giving.
• Meet annual goals in terms of total dollars raised, and acquisition, upgrading, and retention of donors and partners, contributing to the overall goal of growing BEAM’s revenue from $11m to $13m within three years.
• Develop and execute cultivation and stewardship strategies for mathematically-oriented donors, including personalized outreach and volunteer opportunities that speak to their technical interests and background.
• Identify, cultivate, and engage corporate partners, with a focus on securing event sponsorships and building long-term relationships.
• Represent BEAM at donor meetings, events, and site visits, effectively communicating the technical and programmatic aspects of BEAM's work by utilizing your math knowledge, developing fluency over time in how BEAM approaches mathematics.
• Prepare briefing materials and talking points that highlight the mathematical depth and rigor of BEAM's programs for donor conversations.
• Collaborate with the Director of Individual Giving and Senior Manager of Individual Giving and Communications on donor strategy and cross-portfolio coordination.
• Occasionally support foundation applications for math- and STEM-oriented funders, contributing program knowledge and developing the ability to communicate BEAM’s mathematical approach to funders.

Mathematical Content Management (25%)

• Collaborate with program and other staff to develop engaging mathematical content for BEAM's newsletters, website, direct mailings (e.g., Pi Day card), and other communications channels, including math puzzles and explorations that showcase the beauty and joy of math and problem solving.
• Ensure content makes advanced mathematical concepts accessible while preserving what makes them deep and interesting.
• Develop a deep understanding of BEAM’s programmatic approach, curriculum design, metrics, and evaluation methods, and communicate these clearly and compellingly to donors and stakeholders, including mathematically sophisticated audiences.
• Curate and present examples of student work from across BEAM's programs (middle school through high school), highlighting mathematical thinking and growth.
• Collaborate with the Senior Manager, Individual Giving and Communications to integrate mathematical content into broader communications strategies.

Event Management (35%)

• Lead planning and execution of BEAM’s signature events (e.g., annual trivia night) from concept through follow-up.
• Support sponsorship strategy and execution for events, including identifying prospects, working with stakeholders and board members to secure sponsors, and managing relationships.
• Plan and support donor engagement events such as Visiting Days, small gatherings, and cultivation events.
• Collaborate with the Advancement Team on event strategy, invitations, vendor coordination, budgeting, and staffing.
• Ensure events run smoothly and provide high-quality experiences that reflect BEAM’s work, including the rigor and joy of its math programming.

Other Duties (5%)

• Stay current on trends in mathematical enrichment, math competitions, and STEM education equity.
• Develop fluency working with program data and metrics, including explaining BEAM’s impact and outcomes to donors in a clear and compelling way.
• Contribute to Advancement Team strategy and planning discussions.
• Support other Advancement duties as assigned.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Must be able to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Sitting - constantly (50%+)
• Repetitive movements - typing (50%+)

QUALIFICATIONS

We understand that there are many paths to acquiring experience and therefore welcome candidates from diverse and nontraditional backgrounds for this role who have demonstrated equivalent transferable skills to carry out the major duties outlined in this job description.

Knowledge

• Proven experience in fundraising, donor engagement, partnerships, events, or related fields.
• Demonstrated interest in mathematics, problem solving, or analytical thinking, and excitement about developing a deep understanding of BEAM’s programs.
• Experience creating content or materials for external audiences.

Skills and Abilities

• Mission alignment: Strong belief in BEAM's mission and a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice in STEM education.
• Communication excellence: Ability to clearly and compellingly communicate BEAM’s work, including elements of its math programming, to donors and partners. Ability to understand and communicate complex programmatic or technical concepts to a range of audiences.
• Learning orientation: Ability to develop a deep understanding of BEAM’s programs, curriculum, and approach over time, and apply that knowledge in donor-facing work
• Data fluency: Comfort working with data, including the ability to interpret, analyze, and clearly communicate insights about BEAM’s programs and outcomes to a range of audiences
• Project management: Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects with strong attention to detail, thoroughness, and timeliness.
• Relationship building: Comfort and skill in building relationships with donors, corporate partners, and stakeholders.
• Adaptability: Self-awareness, cultural competency, and ability to work effectively with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Creativity: Ability to develop innovative approaches to donor engagement and events.

Preferred Education and Experience

• 3+ years direct advancement experience is highly preferred, with a focus on individual giving
• Experience in nonprofit fundraising, donor relations, or advancement
• Experience planning and executing events, including fundraising events
• Experience with CRM systems (experience with Salesforce a significant plus)

Significant pluses include:

• Background in mathematics, computer science, or a related analytical field (through coursework, professional experience, or personal interest)
• Experience in quantitative finance or STEM corporate sectors
• Experience in mathematical enrichment programs, math competitions, teaching or coaching mathematics, research mathematics, or mathematics curriculum development
• Existing networks within mathematical, STEM, or analytically-oriented communities
• Understanding of quantitatively-driven decision making and ability to analyze the strengths and limitations of data (for example, being able to explain to a donor how BEAM measures student mathematical growth, what our metrics capture and what they don’t, and how we use data to refine our programs)

BEAM provides a number of benefits including:

• Flexible working hours
• Health, dental, and vision benefits including health plan options that are free for individuals
• 12 paid holidays including an office closure between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
• 15 days of paid annual leave to start, and will increase by one day for each year worked for your first 5 years of employment
• Paid sick leave
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with employer match of 50% of elective deferrals, up to 3% of eligible compensation
• Student loan reimbursement
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• $1,500 annual allowance for professional development