Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing charter public schools that are closing the academic achievement gap and preparing students from historically underserved communities for success in college and beyond. Uncommon currently manages 55 schools serving more than 20,000 students in six cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, Rochester, and Troy. Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at rates far higher than their peers. We believe that every child deserves an outstanding education, and we are committed to working beyond the walls of our schools to achieve that goal through our professional development workshops, books, and district partnerships. 

Summary of role

The Director of Institutional Giving will be responsible for planning, managing, and implementing activities that increase, diversify, and sustain philanthropic support for Uncommon Schools from foundations, corporations, and government entities! This person will be a leader on the Development team – they will develop and drive institutional strategy across Uncommon’s Home Office and regions. They will serve as the lead relationship manager for a portfolio of private foundations, corporate partners, and other institutional donors. The Director will craft and implement a comprehensive development plan to reach short- and long-term fundraising goals both within this portfolio and the organization’s entire portfolio of institutional funders.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the creation and execution of a comprehensive strategy and implementation plan for current, lapsed, and new institutional donors to meet fundraising goals
• Maintain relationships with institutional funders including producing grant applications, reports, presentations, invitations, and other correspondence associated with cultivating and soliciting funders, as well as leading the planning and execution of site visits, meetings, and events
• Lead the institutional pipeline, supervising proposal and report preparation and compliance to all grant requirements across the team
• Expand and diversify foundation donor pipeline and work closely with other team members to secure funding for existing and new initiatives.
• Build out an up-and-coming corporate giving program to build a robust suite of volunteer and funding opportunities to attract corporate partners.
• Lead all aspects of the solicitation and management of competitive government grants, including leading collaboration with internal partners in order to ensure our compliance and meet program goals.
• Establish relationships and collaborate with school, regional, and Home Office teams to clearly define organization initiatives and tailor data and programmatic initiatives to align with the grant-making priorities of each funder
• Use data and insights from donor management system (Salesforce) to drive reporting and decision making across the portfolio and maintain accurate and up-to-date records of progress with funders
• Manage 1 FTE – Associate Director of Development

Required Skills & Abilities

• Dedication to the mission of Uncommon Schools
• Demonstrated experience and success cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts from foundation and corporate funders; proven relationship management skills
• Deep knowledge of institutional fundraising landscape and trends
• Ability to represent the organization to prospective and current funders
• Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Demonstrated critical thinking, planning, and goal-setting skills
• Proficient in data analysis and using data insights to drive action
• Confirmed strength in project plan development, management, and execution; an ability to drive sophisticated, multifaceted projects forward to deliver results on time
• Sophisticated problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Ability to multi-task and lead multiple high-priority projects at once
• Collaborative and able to work as part of a team
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment

Preferred Skills & Abilities

• Experience and success cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding competitive government grants.
• Experience managing boards or other volunteer leadership
• Experience using Salesforce as donor CRM

Educational Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required

Experience Requirements

• 5-7+ years of progressively responsible experience in non-profit institutional fundraising
• Previous experience in K-12 public education preferred

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at desk and working on computer

Travel Requirements

• Travel to schools locally and regionally on an ad hoc basis (approx. 1-2 times per month)

Uncommon Schools offers salaries commensurate with experience and a very generous benefits and vacation package. All staff members receive extensive professional development, and are equipped with a laptop computer and all necessary supplies.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students.  As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.