Director, Major Gifts

Company Description

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of public charter schools that prepares students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and us all. We are a network of 280 schools, nearly 15,000 educators, and 175,000 students and alumni.    

 
Our mission: Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. 

Our vision: Every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities. 

The KIPP Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports KIPP schools across the country. The KIPP Foundation trains and develops outstanding educators to lead KIPP public schools; provides tools, resources and training for excellent teaching and learning; promotes innovation; and facilitates the exchange of insights and ideas across KIPP and other public schools and organizations. 

Job Description

About The Position 

The Director, Major Gifts reports to the Vice President, Development. This Individual will bring drive and curiosity to a pivotal role in shaping KIPP’s future, securing philanthropic support to benefit the children, families, and communities KIPP serves, advancing educational opportunity at a time where there is tremendous need. To meet our established and evolving goals, the Director, Major Gifts will manage and steward a robust portfolio of complex institutional donors. They will also work closely with Development and organizational leadership, Finance and Program teams to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward new potential KIPP donors. This individual’s demonstrated passion and commitment to education and equity, combined with an experienced and strategic approach to fundraising, will motivate and inspire donors and prospects alike.  

Responsibilities 

• Manage and steward a portfolio of major institutional donors who have made complex, multi-faceted investments in KIPP. This involves active and ongoing internal and external networking and continuous learning; the ability to design and execute comprehensive annual stewardship; engagement and renewal project plans; the ability to trouble-shoot and problem-solve; and to devise strategies for how to best inform donors about the impact of their KIPP philanthropy. 

• Working closely with Development leadership, the Office of the CEO and other KIPP leaders, acquire new institutional and family foundation donors for KIPP’s national efforts and regional KIPP organizations; prioritize pipeline and execute engagement, cultivation, solicitation, recognition, and stewardship strategies for new prospects and donors in portfolio. 

• In partnership with the Development Communications team, both provide strategic guidance on and produce prospect letters of inquiry, grant proposals and reports, briefings, and associated documents. 

• Represent KIPP Foundation at philanthropy-related convenings, both to learn and share and cultivate new partnerships. Play a key role in planning investor and partner event programming at KIPP School Summit and throughout the year.  

Skills  

• Mission & Student Focus: Can speak compellingly to KIPP’s mission and values, and can share concrete examples of how our mission and values influence key workstreams. 

• Cultural Competence & Commitment to Equity: A proactive cultural leader and team player who thrives on collaboration and learning; can effectively collaborate with teammates across lines of difference.  

• Stakeholder Management: Develops strong, trusting, respectful relationships with others. Identifies and creates opportunities to partner through networking and participating in cross-functional, multistakeholder groups. 

• Communication: Displays consistently strong listening and synthesis skills, able to pull together information and input from various parties and from many streams and reflect back succinctly key ideas and decisions, ensuring stakeholders across lines of difference feel appropriately heard and involved. Can write and communicate clearly, professionally, and as needed persuasively across mediums, including in presentation and instructional situations. 

• Impact and Influence: Motivates and influences others to achieve outcomes. Brings positive energy to the group; communicates a collective purpose and creates a clear line of sight to KF’s priorities and theory of action. 

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Gathers information from different sources; sifts through complexity; and proposes relevant solutions. Anticipates the risks or implications inherent in a suggested plan of action and devises appropriate strategies to mitigate their impact. Makes a well-reasoned response even when faced with incomplete or contradictory information. 

• Achievement Orientation: Demonstrates results and the ability to sustain and persevere through significant challenges to reach goals. Empowers team members to propose approaches to increase performance and deliver results more efficiently/effectively. 

• Planning & Execution: Skilled at ensuring clarity and accountability when project planning (e.g., using frameworks such as RAPID and MOCHA) and able to evolve plans and processes when needed. An inclusive planner, able to problem-solve and guide relevant teammates towards decisions and project milestones. Able to drive projects from inception through completion while managing multiple projects simultaneously.  

Qualifications

Experience and Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred 

• 10 years of professional work experience, with significant experience in Development, within an entrepreneurial non-profit environment strongly preferred.   

• Successful track record in fundraising seven-figure gifts, and in managing complex relationships / grants with institutional donors. 

• Very strong verbal and written communication skills, organizational and analytical skills, and project management skills. Ability to articulate forward-thinking strategies and compelling stories that inspire and motivate diverse stakeholders and constituencies to achieve ambitious revenue generation goals 

• Energized by a fast-paced, collaborative, dynamic working environment 

Additional Information

Work Conditions 

• Travel requirements: 30% 

• Full-time, Exempt

• Some evening and weekend work  

Location 

This role also has the option of working from a remote office full-time or to be based out of a KIPP Foundation office. KIPP Foundation office is in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington DC.    

Compensation and Benefits 

The salary range for this position is $120,000-$140,000, commensurate with experience. 

Our comprehensive benefits package include:  

• 20 vacation days 18 days additional flexible PTO days (flexible PTO increases to 23 days for year 3 and 4 and to 28 days for years 5 ).  

• 100% paid parental leave  

• 100% coverage of the premium for employee and 75% for employee family’s medical/dental/vision plans. 

• Wellness benefits such as fitness reimbursements, discounted tickets to theme parks/attraction, back-up care support for children and adults/elders, and our employee assistance program 

• Finance Security benefits include such as a 401K retirement plan with 4% match, employer sponsored legal plans, and life/disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts