Director of Advancement

The Purpose

Our Mission: PT&E enables underserved youth to thrive and strengthens their community through academics, athletics, life skills, and family engagement. 

Our Vision: We envision a Portland where all youth have equal access to a fair learning and playing field.

The Opportunity

PT&E is a youth development nonprofit working to ensure every student involved in our K-12 program graduates high school on time with the opportunity and tools to pursue the post-secondary path of their choosing. Since our founding nearly 30 years ago, 100% of PT&E graduates have met this goal. 

Each year, PT&E provides each student in our year-round programs ~1000 hours of positive, structured, out-of-school time focused on academic support, tennis and athletic enrichment, life skills and mental health support, and family resources. PT&E is also proud to call home our three-court tennis facility, formerly known as St. Johns Racquet Center, a longstanding community hub in North Portland open to the public for lessons, court rentals, and more. We aim to make tennis and pickleball welcoming and inclusive for individuals of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and identities, and 100% of revenue from the tennis center goes back into serving the community. 

Position Overview

After a banner year of fundraising and a major rebrand to mark our 25th anniversary in 2022 followed by an even more successful 2023, we are eager to continue to secure major financial resources and build program awareness to fuel continued program growth and sustainability. PT&E seeks a proven fundraiser, brand-builder, and servant leader to serve as the next Director of Advancement (DA). Reporting to the Executive Director, the DA will develop, implement, and manage strategies to meet PT&E’s revenue targets and public awareness goals associated with our a) youth development nonprofit and b) public tennis and pickleball center. In addition, the DA will actively build an increasingly strong and diverse network of individual donors, corporate supporters, and local tennis club partners. Key internal partners include PT&E’s dedicated Executive Director, a talented Advancement Manager, and an active, passionate Board of Directors. We look forward to meeting candidates for this critical leadership role on a fun, dedicated, growth-oriented team! 

Your Role

40% - Fund Development

• Grow income portfolio (with emphasis on individual and corporate donors and club-based partners) through utilization of effective moves management practices for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Collaborate with cross-functional colleagues and Board to secure gifts from various constituents, working closely with Board and Executive Director to reach new and renewing donors 
• Creatively analyze data, conduct prospect research, and target donor segments for specific outreach, appeals, and funding opportunities, conducting direct solicitations and preparing PT&E leadership for solicitations
• Partner with staff and Board to ensure success of grant portfolio and annual fundraising events with emphasis on strategy, budgets, messaging, and pre-commits / matching gifts from event attendees
• Implement new and improve existing processes to optimize personalized donor engagement, ensure timely follow-ups, and enhance reporting

25% - Strategy

• Lead collaborative development and implementation of long-term, actionable advancement strategic plan (including fund development, marketing, and defined success metrics across both) in support of PT&E’s growth goals and strategic priorities
• Develop actionable strategies to reach optimally-balanced income portfolio in alignment with financial growth goals and PT&E’s strategic plan, including engaging new and upgrading current prospects and donors, increasing major gift commitments, and expanding pipeline of individual and corporate / club donors 
• Meet with individual Board Members to assess philanthropic priorities and historical giving, map donor prospects within networks, and partner with Board Officers and Executive Director to devise and implement strategies that engage Board Members as both donors and fundraisers

15% - Marketing and Brand-Building

• Develop and oversee implementation of marketing strategies and aligned activities outlined in existing strategic plan and advancement plan to be developed by DA 
• Identify and create opportunities to increase the visibility of PT&E through strategic partnerships, events, PR and marketing opportunities, and other special initiatives
• Determine marketing and engagement KPIs and, in partnership with Advancement manager, conduct ongoing data lifecycle activities to measure growth from baseline 
• Partner with Racquet Sports Team on marketing and brand-building opportunities that position PT&E as go-to indoor racquet sports destination for numerous patron profiles 
• Ensure streamlined administration of donor, prospect, and patron data to enable ease of stakeholder segmentation and communication in pursuit of meeting marketing goals

15% - Management and Culture-Building

• Foster an increased culture of philanthropy and expanded capacity in fundraising and organizational awareness-building within Board of Directors and staff 
• Lead, mentor, and empower members of the Advancement team to meet organizational and personal growth goals. Team currently includes full-time Advancement Manager, part-time Volunteer Coordinator, Grant Writing vendor, and Marketing Intern.
• Partner closely with Advancement Manager to support execution of activities related to marketing, communications, events, and management of volunteer coordinator and grant writing vendor. Ensure alignment with existing strategic plan and advancement plan to be developed by DA 
• Participate in PT&E’s Performance Excellence goal-setting process as both manager and employee

5% - Additional Projects & Opportunities

• PT&E encourages a culture of collaboration, with each team member committing to bringing PT&E’s staff-defined core values and guiding principles to life
• In this spirit, you may occasionally be asked to support other aspects of the Advancement team or organizational activities which may not be part of your day-to-day work

The Details

Critical Success Factors

• Must have a track record of success in direct fundraising, strategic planning, and marketing
• Excels in relationship-building, has solid written and verbal communication skills plus strong project management, and demonstrates follow-through on commitments
• Authentic, ethical storytelling practices are critically important to PT&E

The expansive list of potential qualifications below is intended to allow many individuals to see themselves in this role:

• Demonstrated commitment to PT&E mission
• Ability to communicate with funders and the public passionately and effectively about our work and issues
• Bachelor’s degree, equivalent education hours, or relevant experience
• A demonstrated ability to closely partner across multiple functions and stakeholder groups
• Experience working with individuals from diverse cultural, academic, athletic, and economic backgrounds
• Minimum of five years of nonprofit fundraising experience or equivalent
• Proven ability to secure six-figure commitments from individuals, corporations, or foundations
• Proven ability to increase brand awareness through marketing, PR, communications 
• Demonstrated ability to develop, foster, and sustain relationships with funders, including individuals and corporate partners
• Application of Equity & Inclusion lens: brings deep insight and a practical lens to places where identity, equity, and power intersect with the work
• Demonstration of people management experience and a servant leadership mentality. Includes direct staff, key stakeholders, committees, and / or volunteers
• Exhibits entrepreneurial spirit and encourages self and others to celebrate small wins
• Ability to effectively manage a large workload with competing priorities and deadlines and produce high-quality, polished work in a flexible, high-stress, fast-paced environment
• Exceptional organizational and planning skills with strong attention to detail
• Strong work ethic with the ability to work independently, take initiative, and manage up

Compensation Benefits

• Full-time exempt with salary range of $75k - $84k per year
• Includes PTO, 12 paid holidays, and a learning and development stipend to support growth
• Health and dental insurance via Kaiser
• Opportunity to participate in OregonSaves IRA
• General Mon - Fri schedule, although specifics depend on which programs are in session and occasional evening / weekend events
• Work performed predominantly onsite at St. Johns facility although full-time employees currently work remotely on Fridays, a practice we aim to carry forward as conditions allow
• Reports to the Executive Director, who is committed to meaningfully mentoring and guiding the DA as they grow, learn, and work to reach goals through PT&E’s Performance Excellence program
• Must pass pre-employment background check and reference check

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At PT&E, we believe that creating a culture of inclusivity - one that celebrates our diversity and builds on its strengths - enriches our community and fosters positive transformation. When we value and leverage the unique identities of PT&E families, staff, and our community, we allow for more innovative, collective change.

We strive to create a community that is safe for and truly inclusive of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, disabilities, ethnicities, races, religions, nationalities, and cultural backgrounds, and we intentionally approach our hiring process with the same mindset.

We recognize the systemic and institutional inequities that impact those we serve and actively strive to address them while strengthening youth, inspiring families, and building communities that reach their potential.

We embrace a spirit of learning, continual growth, and reflective practice, and we expect that all new team members will bring that same spirit to their role.