Executive Director

Friends of Solar Prep

Executive Director Job Description

September 2024

Mission:

Friends of Solar Prep is a volunteer 501(c)3 nonprofit working to ensure every Solar Prep Scholar has equal access to educational opportunities to realize their full potential. By funding three key areas: student enrichment, educator enrichment, and classroom supplies, Friends of Solar Prep bridges funding gaps for STEAM and SEL education focused on higher academic achievement.

Role:

The Executive Director is a full-time, salaried position responsible for developing and implementing the fundraising strategy for Friends of Solar Prep (FOSP). Fundraising is done through corporate partnerships, individual giving, giving campaigns, and special events and needs to continue to diversify,

Reporting to the Chair of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is responsible for achieving the fundraising goals. The ideal candidate will engage corporate contributors, foundations, and individual donors to fund three enrichment priorities:

●       Student Enrichment: FOSP supports scholar achievement at the highest level. Opportunities to participate in local and national programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM), field trips, cultural immersion, and leadership development.

●       Educator Enrichment: FOSP encourages excellence at all levels by enhancing the leadership skills, qualifications, and credentials of Solar Prep educators and administrators. This also includes participation in conferences focused on curriculum and programming for single-gender schools.

●       Classroom and STEAM Supplies: FOSP believes in innovation and thought leadership. Offering leading and ever-expanding school programs is essential. We provide access to state-of-the-art hard and software including, but not limited to: curriculum, reading and math materials, STAAR and other standardized test practice materials, library books, robotics, Lego kits, 3-D printers, consumables, cameras, and SPG/SPB Ambassador jackets.

Profile:

The ideal candidate is a supremely organized, creative, high-volume individual who is passionate about high quality, single-gender education for all students and is able to share the FOSP mission and vision in a succinct, convincing way that draws in long-term supporters. This person is an energetic, positive, driven, and entrepreneurial self-starter who loves to build sustainable practices to ensure success. This person is also a clear and kind communicator to all stakeholders including, but not limited to the Principals, the Board, parents, donors, community members, and all other partners. This person is an education champion who thrives on developing authentic, personal relationships and employs their natural ability to influence others to grow FOSP’s reputation and fundraising.

Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

●       In coordination with the Executive and Development Committees, create and implement a fundraising strategy and execute the plan.

●       In partnership with the Principals at the schools, prepare annual budgets and align them to fundraising goals.

●       Act as a main brand ambassador for Solar Prep for Girls, Solar Prep for Boys and Friends of Solar Prep.

●       Concept, plan and implement engaging and on-brand special events aimed to share the FOSP mission, fundraise and meet specific goals.

●       Manage and maintain online fundraising and donor management solutions.

●       Create and manage a system to integrate leads from the principal and the board into the donor pipeline.

●       Personally lead and manage the development efforts to raise a minimum$750,000 annually.

●       Cultivate and nurture relationships with current and potential corporate, foundation, and individual donors.

●       Liaison with SPG and SPB Principals to facilitate the grant process, interaction with donors, and development of the campus needs assessment.

●       Manage and promote participation in campaigns, including North Texas Giving Day, giving Tuesday, Back to School Friendrasier, Adopt a Family, etc.

●       Research and write grant proposals and reports to corporations, foundations, and other funders.

●       Develop and grow the individual donor base; increase the number of monthly donors; cultivate major and planned gifts.

●       Work in conjunction with the Board Chair and Executive Committee to continue and expand Board engagement.

●       Attend and actively participate in all board meetings, committee meetings, as needed, and relevant school events including Back to School Night and Mini-School.

●       Seamlessly collaborate with the Principals, Admin, Staff, and Teachers to understand the goals of each school and bring to life funding opportunities.

●       Attend training and development workshops.

●       Network with other fundraising professionals, especially in the education space. Manage the Introductory Meetings/Campus Tours and other communication programs to expand the donor base and build awareness.

●       Create monthly fundraising and stewardship reports and present the reports to the Board.

●       As needs develop and budgets allow, if the board so determines the need, hire and manage an administrative assistant.

●       Any other duties required by the role.

Mission and History

Friends of Solar Prep is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that supports the Solar Preparatory Schools, two challenging and inclusive single-sex Dallas ISD schools, through fundraising for student and educator enrichment. Led by a volunteer board of parents and community leaders, Friends of Solar Prep works to ensure every Solar Prep student has equal access to educational opportunities to realize their full potential.

Established in 2016, Friends of Solar Prep bridges Dallas ISD funding gaps for STEAM and SEL education. Friends of Solar Prep strives to empower girls and boys to live and lead with confidence and purpose. Since inception, the nonprofit has raised nearly $2MM to directly fund priority needs identified by Solar Preparatory School for Girls and Solar Preparatory School for Boys.

Solar Prep was designed and launched by an award-winning and competitively selected faculty and administration that employs a research-driven educational model design tailored to how scholars learn best. Solar Prep delivers for its students the dual mission of STEAM-focused academic acceleration and social and emotional learning that prepares them to be effective leaders in the real world beyond their years at Solar.

While there are a variety of grounds for single-sex education, the validations most often emphasized address male-female differences in development and performance and the achievement gap favoring boys and discriminating against specific racial minorities growing up in poverty. Single-gender educational environments are believed to reduce behavioral issues because they give students more freedom and support to express thoughts and opinions, participate in cooperative team projects, and achieve leadership in the classroom.

Since inception, Solar Prep for Girls and Solar Prep for Boys have received numerous academic recognitions and have added a grade level each year.

Solar Preparatory School for Girls was founded in 2016, offers pre-K through 8^th grade, and graduated its first class of 8^th graders in 2023.

●       Designed for single-gender performance-based STEAM education and social emotional learning to close the gaps in girls’ educational opportunities.

●       50/50 socioeconomic diversity model

●       710 scholars

●       86 educators and staff

Solar Preparatory School for Boys was founded in 2018, offers pre-K through 8^th grade, and will graduate its first class of 8^th graders in 2025.

●       Designed for single-gender performance-based education with a focus on social emotional learning, leadership, outdoor education, and language arts.

●       50/50 socioeconomic diversity model

●       500 scholars

●       60 educators and staff

Instruction and culture at Solar Prep schools are designed intentionally to meet the needs of scholars and ensure educational equity. Solar Prep scholars have opportunities to go beyond the basic curriculum and engage in performance-based learning. Instructional components include computer programming and robotics, a Makerspace, and arts integration. These experiences merge in a daily STEAM learning block facilitated by homeroom teachers. Exposure to STEAM-related content is not limited to the daily block but is incorporated throughout the school day through connections in literature and writing, using art to express math concepts in non-verbal ways, and dramatization to support and extend reading comprehension.

Not only are elements of theater and drama integrated as instructional tools in reading and math, but also scholars attend a stand-alone music/theater class three times weekly during specials rotations. The vision is to have a stand-out theater program that integrates performing arts with elements of engineering and SEL through set and lighting design, data analysis, budgeting, and live performances. Exposing scholars to coding and robotics at a young age will not only allow them opportunities to engage in design and problem-solving but also stimulate interest in STEAM subjects. Homeroom teachers lead code.org lessons each week. These lessons are mostly unplugged hands-on lessons that teach the foundation of computer programming and connect to the math concepts scholars are learning in their classrooms.

Thank you for your interest, we are excited to grow FOSP with you!